SCOTCH WHISKEY
Good if you like: the symphony; wine; classic cocktails; Nabokov.
Scotch is king. Frequently the last stop for whiskey drinkers, scotch has more nuance, more character, and a wider variety of flavors and styles than any of it's siblings. It can also be intimidating for novices for that very reason. Fear not: these cocktails are some of the best, and cultivating a taste for it, like wine, will be rewarded 10,000 fold.
EMILY SUGGESTS • PEANUT BUTTER FLIP
1 TBSP PEANUT BUTTER
1/2 OZ SIMPLE SYRUP
1 WHOLE EGG
1/2 OZ CREAM
1 1/2 OZ SCOTCH
MIX INGREDIENTS IN A SHAKER WITHOUT ICE. SHAKE FOR 10 SECONDS. ADD ICE, SHAKE VIGOROUSLY. STRAIN.
This is something of a novelty cocktail, as it's 3/4 of the way to a peanut-butter cookie. It's sweet, rich, and hearty, with depth and silkiness from the egg and body from the peanut butter. The scotch acts as an emulsifier. With something like nine grams of protein, the peanut-butter flip is a time-saver for those who want both a drink and a snack.
SCOTT SUGGESTS • MAMIE TAYLOR
11/2 OZ SCOTCH
1/2 OZ LIME JUICE
GINGER BEER TO FILL
The Mamie Taylor is a spectacular cocktail, and was a bit of a sensation in its time (kind of like the mojito now). The ginger beer adds sweetness and spiciness, taking the place of both the sugar and the bitters in some of the other drinks, while the lime juice incorporates sourness, making this one of the fuller drinks on the palate.
Again, the whiskey is barely noticeable, and certainly not abrasive. But as with all these drinks, it is there, providing the cocktail's infrastructure. Soon, that once-foreign taste will become familiar, then enjoyed, and then, ultimately and to the great benefit of your culinary life, sought. Your tongue and brain will thank you. Your liver . . . eh, it might get a bit mad.
