Cocktail Recipe: Rob Roy

We’ve hit quite a few classic American Whiskey cocktails already, so I thought it would be nice if we turned our cocktail shakers towards classic Scotch cocktails for a bit and nothing is more classic than the Rob Roy. Created in 1894 at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC as a tribute to an opera of the same name, this cocktail is essentially a Manhattan made with Scotch instead of bourbon or rye.

It might sound weird to change the name just because we changed the base spirit, but it’s quite common in the cocktail world. The Negroni is a perfect example of this. Your classic Negroni has a base spirit of gin, but if you swap it out for bourbon it’s called a Boulevardier, tequila morphs it into a La Rosita and a Scotch Negroni goes by the name of… the Scotch Negroni. No one ever said drinkers were consistent.

Yes, there are some modern-classic “Scotch Negroni” recipes like The Drunk Uncle, but they often exclude one, or both, of the traditional accompanying ingredients: Campari and sweet vermouth. Anyways, my point is it’s quite common to change the name, but have virtually the same recipe when you change the base spirit. Especially in ye olden days.

— This cocktail recipe contains affiliate links in the equipment section. If you use these links to buy the recommended equipment I might earn a commission. Cheers. Print

Rob Roy Cocktail

It's basically a Manhattan made with Scotch. Course DrinksCuisine CocktailKeyword Bitters, Dry vermouth, Red Vermouth, Scotch Prep Time 3 minutesCook Time 0 minutes2 minutesTotal Time 5 minutes Servings 1 Calories 170kcal

Equipment

• 1 Mixing glass
• 1 Cocktail Glass
• 1 Bar spoon
• 1 Strainer
• Ice

Ingredients

• 2 oz Scotch
• .75 oz Red Vermouth
• 2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 Brandied Cherry

Instructions

• Place the cocktail glass in the freezer
• Add ice and all ingredients, except cherry, to the mixing glass
• Stir for 20-30 seconds till chilled and diluted
• Retrieve the chilled cocktail glass
• Strain cocktail into the glass
• Garnish with cherry
• Enjoy!

Video

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Notes

To make it a perfect Rob Roy, up the vermouth to 1 oz and split it 50/50 sweet red and dry. Suggested Whisky

• Glenmorangie Original 10 Years
• Cutty Sark Prohibition
• Compass Box Glasgow Blend
• Ardbeg 10
• Laphroaig Cask Strength

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal The Manhattan family, itself an offshoot of the Martini, is a fun area to play around in and can make for some elegant combinations by mixing up the base spirit, the vermouth(s) and the bitters and garnishes you use. So get creative and have fun. After all, that’s what cocktails are all about. Do you like making Rob Roy cocktails? How do you make yours? Let me know in the comments and tag me on IG or Twitter if you make one.