Blood and Sand Recipe: Scotch, Cherry and Orange

Ingredients

¾ oz blended Scotch whiskye.g. Johnnie Walker · Chivas Regal · Famous Grouse · Glenfiddich · Monkey Shoulder
¾ oz cherry liqueur such as Cherry Heeringe.g. Cherry Heering · Luxardo · Bols · Marie Brizard
¾ oz sweet vermouthe.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
¾ oz orange juice freshly squeezed

Garnish: Orange twist · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Squeeze the orange juice fresh.
Add Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for about 12 seconds.
Double strain into a chilled coupe.
Express an orange peel over the drink and drop it in.

Watch it made

Blood and Sand

Taste

Fruity and rounded: ripe cherry and orange, herbal sweetness from the vermouth and a soft, slightly smoky malt backbone. Medium strength and silky.

History and origin

The Blood and Sand is named after the 1922 Hollywood film "Blood and Sand", in which Rudolph Valentino plays a bullfighter. One of its earliest printed appearances is in Harry Craddock's "The Savoy Cocktail Book" of 1930, with the four ingredients in equal parts. Who first mixed it, and where, is not recorded.

The drink is one of the few classic cocktails built on Scotch whisky, and for decades it was more often read about than ordered. The cocktail revival of the 2000s brought it back, and many bartenders now adjust the equal parts slightly, adding more whisky or a touch of lemon to cut the sweetness of fresh orange.

Bartender tips

Fresh juice is essential: bottled orange juice makes the drink flat and sugary.
If your oranges are very sweet, add 5 ml fresh lemon juice for balance.
A blended Scotch with a light smoky note suits the drink better than a heavily peated Islay whisky, which can dominate.

Variations

Whisky forward version: Use 40 ml Scotch and 20 ml each of the other three ingredients for a drier, stronger drink.
Smoky rinse: Rinse the glass with a peated Islay whisky before straining for a stronger smoky aroma.