Cocktail Recipe: Blood and Sand

The Blood and Sand cocktail is probably the second most iconic Scotch cocktail around. The obvious title-owner is the Rob Roy, though I think that crown might be slipping. In recent years, I haven’t seen many bars or restaurants touting their Rob Roys, but it seems like everywhere has a Blood and Sand, a Penicillin, or a proprietary riff of either/both, on their menu.

I haven’t been keeping an exact score, so I’m speaking anecdotally, but between the two, the Blood and Sand seems to be the one I see more often on menus or in my social feeds. The simplicity of this cocktail makes it a perfect candidate for riffing and experimentaion.

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Blood and Sand Cocktail Recipe

Smoky or sweet, how you want it is up to you. Course DrinksCuisine CocktailKeyword Cherry Heering, Oraneg Juice, Red Vermouth, Scotch Prep Time 3 minutesCook Time 0 minutes2 minutesTotal Time 5 minutes Servings 1 Calories 167kcal

Equipment

• 1 Cocktail shaker
• 1 Cocktail Glass
• 1 Jigger
• Ice
• 1 Strainer

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Scotch
• .5 oz Red Vermouth
• .5 oz Cherry Heering
• .75 oz Orange juice

Instructions

• Place teh cocktail glass in the freezer
• Combine ice and all ingedients into the shaker
• Shake 20-30 seconds till cold and diluted
• Remove glass from freezer
• Strain cocktail into the chilled glass
• Enjoy!

Video

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Notes

If you want to make it extra bloody, use blood oranges instead. It not only takes on a darker hue, but tastes a bit more tart. I love making these when they're in season. Recommended Whisky

• Cutty Sark Prohibition
• Compass Box Orchard House
• Compass Box Peat Monster
• Port Charlotte 10
• Speyburn 10

Nutrition

Calories: 167kcal

The original Blood and Sand cocktail recipe calls for 3/4 oz of each of the ingredients which makes a 3 oz cocktail and it’s perfectly fine at those ratios. However, over the years I’ve played with and adjusted the ratios to what I have listed in the recipe above. It’s a recipe I’ve found to make a balanced cocktail no matter what scotch you’re using. The only time I’ll really mess around with this recipe is when I have blood oranges. Then I’ll boost it to a full 1 oz because I enjoy their flavor.

What about you? If you have a go-to riff on this one let me know in the comments below, or if you make a Blood and Sand after reading this please tag me in the post so I can see how it turned out.

Cheers!