Yes, today (July 27) is the day to indulge in your favorite Scotch whisky. If you don’t normally drink Scotch but wanted to try, well, today would be the day to do that, too! (Note: Later in the article, you will see that I did not misspell anything in that first sentence.)

An Iconic Whiskey

Much of the information found here comes from this website.

In order to be considered Scotch, the drink must be distilled in Scotland. It must be fermented from malted barley, aged in oak barrels for at least three years and have an alcohol content of less than 94.8%. Other grains can be included, but fermentation additives are excluded, per law.

There are five distinct classifications of Scotch whiskey: single malt scotch, single grain scotch, blended malt scotch, blended grain scotch and blended scotch. It is often identified by the region where it was produced and each region has its own characteristics that influence taste.

Don’t Know What To Try?

If you are confused about your options, consider attending a Scotch tasting. In the absence of such an event where you live, organize one with a group of friends. Split the cost and purchase several bottles to try.

For tastings, the best way to do it is neat. (Without ice.) Although… I was reading a novel once, don’t remember the name or the author, but a character in the book told another character that to get the true taste of Scotch (called whisky in the book), you should splash a little water on top.

Scotch is known as a sophisticated drink. Elegant, classy, the favorite of royalty, authors and politicians. I’m going to share recipes at the end of this blog, but according to the website mentioned above, most scotch drinkers like theirs neat. Others will drink it over ice or with just a splash of water. They “ditch the mixers and enjoy the spirit.”

Five Fun Finds About Scotch

Five Fun Finds about Scotch from this website.

1. Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from 100% malted barley and distilled at a single distillery.
2. Blended Scotch Whisky is made by blending together a number of single malts and grain whiskies.
3. 90% of all Scotch whisky sold in the market is actually Blended Scotch Whisky.
4. The whisky in ‘Scotch Whisky’ is always spelled without an ‘e’.
5. In Britain, the term ‘whisky’ is taken to mean Scotch whisky only, unless it has been specified otherwise.

Recipes!

I have to include recipes. Those that follow come courtesy of Johnny Walker. I’m offering ingredients only. For more information, go to that website. Please feel free to use the Scotch of your choice, but as this site is being used, I’m keeping the ingredients as-is.

Whiskey Ginger Cocktail

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 6 oz ginger ale
• A squeeze of lime juice

Whiskey Hot Toddy

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 5 oz lemon juice
• 5 oz honey
• 3 oz hot water

Whiskey Bobby Burns

• 2 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 75 oz sweet vermouth
• 50 oz Benedictine
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

Whiskey Rob Roy

• 2 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Orange zest

Whiskey Algonquin

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 75 oz dry vermouth
• 75 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

Whiskey Godfather

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 5 oz Amaretto

Whiskey Penicillin

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 5 oz ginger liqueur
• 75 oz 1:1 honey syrup
• .75 oz lemon juice
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

Whiskey Rusty Nail

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 5 Drambuie

Whiskey Presbyterian

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 1 oz ginger ale
• 75 oz club soda

Whiskey Blood & Sand

• 5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 1 oz cherry liqueur
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz orange juice
• 5 oz lemon juice

In Closing

Have a great evening! (Kilt not required.)

This is a Tiger Lily Approved way to spend a very nice evening.

I love to entertain. I don’t do it enough. Sometimes I just don’t know what to do when inviting people over. Tiger Lily told me that I had to up my game with drinks. You know. Dinner and drinks. Drinks and snacks. Some kind of an ice-breaker for fall gatherings.

I know, I know. For those of you who hate to see summer slip away, you can’t STAND the idea of fall slipping in. It’s just around the corner.

As usual, I don’t pretend to be an expert. I’ll share websites for drinks that look so delicious you will want to drink yourself into a stupor. (But don’t do that.)

Several websites share very similar websites, so I’ll try not to bore you with lists containing the same things. But I have to tell ya, every single website – and every single recipe – looked better than the last.

If you want to put your best foot forward, go to these sites and look at the pictures. They will turn your head, and give you great ideas. Drinks served in hollowed-out Granny Smith apples drizzled in caramel. Martini glasses rimmed with chopped pecans. Using apple cider to make mimosas, sangria, any number of drinks. Sprigs of fresh herbs decorating drinks. Smoking cinnamon sticks.

But enough teasing. I’ll start you off with the simple stuff.

Simple Recipes

I’ll share a couple of recipes for you, but this is what you’ll find on this particular site. The recipes are simple, and the ingredients are what you would use for other drink or recipes.

1. Apple Cider Mojitos (lemon juice, run, apple cider, garnish with mint, apple slices and cinnamon sticks)
2. Pecan Pie Martini (rumchata, crème de cocoa, bourbon) (garnish is made with caramel, pecans, cool whip, pecans, cinnamon)
3. Apple Pie Bourbon Shots (bourbon, apples, sugar cubes, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger)
4. Mulled Wine (red wine, orange, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, honey, brandy)
5. Apple Cider Mimosas (sugar, cinnamon, apple cider, champagne)
6. Pumpkin Spice White Russians (vodka, Kahlua, pumpkin spice creamer, with pumpkin pie spice and crushed graham crackers for the rim)
7. Pumpkin Pie Sangria (white wine, sparkling cider, pumpkin pie vodka, pear, apple, sugar, pumpkin spice, cinnamon sticks)
8. Apple Cider Old Fashioned (apple cider, whiskey, bitters, apple slices, cinnamon sticks)
9. Apple Cider Sangria (3 kinds of apples, lemon, orange, apple cider, ginger beer, white wine)
10. Caramel Apple Mimosas (caramel, cinnamon sugar, apple cider, caramel vodka, champagne, apple slices)
11. And….and….there are over 30 recipes on this site.

Fancier Drinks…

From this site comes other recipes. Every single glass looked delectable! These recipes are more exotic, calling for ingredients that may be more difficult to find or use in other recipes. I didn’t recognize some of the types of liquor called for. Also, these recipes call out name-brand liquors and other ingredients. Since I’m a middle-class person, I usually substitute. Go with your best instincts!

1. Autumn Fizz (gin, lemon juice, agave, sparkling apple cider, garnish with thyme & apple)
2. The One With The Shrub (gin, carrot shrub, fernet branca – what’s that? – lemon juice, ginger syrup, garnish with rosemary sprig)
3. “Two Guns” Miller (tequila, vermouth, pamplemousse – really? – cinnamon-infused tequila, cane syrup, mole bitters, garnish with smoking cinnamon stick)
4. Apple Cider Mimosa (champagne, apple cider, sugar, ground cinnamon, dip champagne flutes in cinnamon sugar)
5. Campfire Sling (rye, maple syrup, chocolate bitters, garnish with orange twist with scorched orange oil)
6. Whiskey Sour (bourbon, lemon juice, sugar, garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry)
7. Thyme Will Tell (bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice, thyme, garnish with lemon peel)
8. Kentucky Mulled Cider (bourbon, hot apple cider, allspice, garnish with cinnamon stick and lemon slice)
9. Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned (bourbon, maple syrup, water, bitters, garnish with orange peel and maraschino cherry)
10. The Harvest (cognac, cinnamon syrup, apple butter or apple syrup, garnish with cinnamon stick)
11. Caramel Apple Mule (vodka, caramel syrup, apple sider, garnish with apple fan)
12. Boodles + Tonic of Arabia (gin, tonic water, garnish with date)
13. Dr. Rieux (demerara syrup, lemon juice, orange curacao, Swedish punsch, VSOP Pale and dry calvados, rum (half-rim a chilled glass with lemon and sugar)
14. Apple Hinny (vodka, green apple juice, ginger beer, dust with nutmeg and garnish with apple fan)
15. The Marguerite (tequila, grapefruit juice, sherry, maraschino liqueur, soda water, garnish with grapefruit twist)
16. Pear Sour (pear brandy, pear nectar or juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, garnish with pear slice, egg white is optional)
17. High Fashion (gin, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice, rhubarb bitters, garnish with grapefruit peel)
18. Grilled Peach Old Fashioned (liquors I know nothing about…..but it looks and sounds great)
19. Peat’s Dragon (two types of scotch, marnier, lillet blanc, vermouth, black pepper)
20. Pumpkin Spice Margarita (tequila, cream, pumpkin spice syrup, simple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, extra cinnamon for rim)
21. Figa (vodka, tea, tangerine juice, garnish with fresh fig wedge)
22. Ticket To Cuba (rum, yuzu juice, simple syrup, garnish with fresh mint)
23. Port Old Fashioned (whiskey, port, maple syrup, bitters, garnish with orange peel)
24. And….and….there are over 40 recipes on this site.

Why Would We Care?

We care because there are so many things we could be doing to have fun in the fall, and entertaining is one of those things. Or, fun fact, you can take some of these recipes with you the next time you go to your favorite watering hole, hand them over to the bartender, and watch the magic happen.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Way To Drink For Fun. But She Says To Drink Responsibly.

Are you like me? Some of you are. Some, not so much. Anyway, the general question can become more specific. Are you like me, in that you buy a flavored vodka and wonder, “Where’s the beef?” (Or flavor. Some of you may be too young to remember that reference.)

When I purchase a lemon vodka, I want a LEMON vodka. Not something that says lemon. Something that tastes lemon.

How to solve that problem…how to solve…how to solve….

One word. Infusion.

Here’s a website with lots of good ideas on how to do that.

Choose A Vodka

According to the website, and with my experience, you want to purchase a decent vodka for starters. You don’t need to break the bank. (The whole point is to save money.) But don’t purchase the “bottom shelf” brands.

Choose A Flavor

The website also gives some ideas about what to try. You can use anything, including “fruits, berries, peppers or herbs (or bacon)” and you “don’t have to limit yourself to just one ingredient.” The authors of this site mention citrus, a variety of fruits and berries, herbs and spices, horseradish, peppers, even bacon. It also gives suggestions for combination flavors.

Please don’t consider me a lush, but I’ve tried lemon, strawberry, strawberry-lemon, blueberry, dirty (olive) and vanilla. In my experience, I would either try something different with the blueberry or I won’t do it again. Otherwise, I’ve been pleased. [I just finished the vanilla today. Killer. It’s only 11:00 AM. I had just a teensy taste.] [When I empty a bottle, I will probably try jalapeno next.]

This website, and others, give tips on cleaning your fruits, preparing them for use, how much to use and how long to infuse. You will get conflicting information on various sites, so try one, then another, and soon you’ll get used to what works for you.

Just in case you want to look at other sites, here are a couple:

• Lemon-Infused vodka
• Ideas for infused vodka

Supplies

You can invest in supplies, or you can use what you have on hand.

Infusing: You need something larger than the vodka bottle you’re using for the infusion, and it should be glass and airtight. Ball or Mason jars can be used, but you might not get a full bottle into the jar.

Draining: A good strainer, perhaps some cheesecloth will be needed to drain the infused vodka into yet another container, again, preferably glass.

Storage: You can save the vodka bottle and use it to store the finished product, especially if the bottle comes with an airtight lid, or you can purchase another airtight container to place the finished product in the refrigerator.

Mistakes

Yes. We do make mistakes. Here’s a website with some common ones. The short list?

• Making too much. (You don’t have to use the entire bottle. You can make a partial bottle of any infusion. Just use less.)
• Steeping too long. (I typically infuse for three days, but when I try that jalapeno, it will not be so long, perhaps not even a day.) (This website comes with suggestions.)
• Not straining well enough. (Trust me. Take the time.)
• Not storing properly. (Glass, air-tight, cool dry place – or refrigerator – and if in doubt, throw it out.)
• Not documenting tweaks and substitutions. (Really? I never do. I’m a throw-cooker when I make pies, and I’m a throw-cooker when I infuse vodka. But if you want to go down in history as the best of the best, take notes.)

In Closing

Fun, money-saving and tasty. Just a couple of final notes, though:

1. No matter how good it tastes, drink responsibly!
2. No matter how fun it is, keep it to just a bottle or two at a time, or you will be forced – forced, I tell you – to drink vodka every day.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Lush-Life Post.