Classic cocktails · Scotch whisky
Take a Manhattan, swap the American whiskey for Scotch, and the drink turns malty, drier and a touch smoky. Sweet vermouth adds dark fruit and spice, a cherry adds the final sweet note.
2 oz
blended Scotch whiskye.g. Johnnie Walker · Chivas Regal · Famous Grouse · Glenfiddich · Monkey Shoulder
¾ oz
sweet vermouthe.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
2 dash
Angostura bittersBuy on Amazon →
1
cocktail cherry brandied or Luxardo
Garnish: Cocktail cherry · Ice: Served up, no ice
Rob Roy
Rich and smooth with malty Scotch, dark fruit and spice from the vermouth, and a soft, lightly smoky finish. Strong and spirit-forward.
The Rob Roy is generally dated to 1894 and to the original Waldorf Hotel on Fifth Avenue in New York, the forerunner of the Waldorf Astoria. It takes its name from Rob Roy, an operetta by the composer Reginald De Koven and the librettist Harry B. Smith, which opened that year at the nearby Herald Square Theatre and was based on the life of the Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor.
In structure it is simply a Manhattan made with Scotch, and it arrived some years after that drink had become a New York standard. Like the Manhattan, it can be made sweet, dry or perfect, depending on the vermouth.
A Rob Roy is made with Scotch whisky, a Manhattan with rye or bourbon. Otherwise they are built the same way.
A smooth blended Scotch is traditional. A lightly peated whisky adds a subtle smoky note.
From an 1894 operetta about the Scottish outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor, performed in New York near where the drink was created.
The perfect sound
A smoky evening in a Glasgow lounge.
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