Did you know there’s a World Whisky Day, and that this year it is happening on Saturday, May 21? Well, now you do. Billed as “a day of global whisky celebration,” the idea basically is to get you to unite with your fellow Earthlings somewhere on our big blue green planet and share a dram or two of our favorite brown spirit. What’s not to like about that?
So, how exactly can you celebrate World Whisky Day? First off, get out of the house and check out one of the many WWD related events going on around the world. Next, support through online donation the 2016 charity those behind this day have chosen to fund raise for.
The Official WWD whisky cocktail
Once you have these basics down, you can now choose from a few whisky cocktail ideas to further dial you in to the fun of the day. First off, here’s the official WWD cocktail, designed by Steve Cooney, Whisky Ambassador for Tigerlily in Edinburgh, Scotland:
– Start it with a Smash
- 45ml Caol Ila 12
- 12.5ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 6 basil leaves
- Crushed hazelnuts
Pour the whisky and Frangelico into a cocktail shaker. Add the fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup and basil leaves. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for approximately five seconds. Strain into a glass over cubed ice and top with crushed ice. Finish off with a basil leaf and a sprinkling of crushed hazelnuts.
Scotch/Irish whisk(e)y cocktails
Moving beyond this, here are a couple of cocktails to consider which were submitted to us by the PR team behind Glenfiddich and Tullamore Dew:
– The Malt Julep
Created by Struan Ralph, Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador
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Ingredients:
2 parts Glenfiddich 14 Year Old
Bruised mint leaves
Simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method: Build with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs in a traditional Julep cup
– Bad Apple D.E.W.
Created by Tim Herlihy, Tullamore D.E.W. Brand Ambassador
Ingredients:
4-5 muddled mint leaves
1 dash angostura bitters.
½ part simple
½ of a lemon
1 ½ parts Tullamore D.E.W.
1 ½ parts Magners
Method: Add all parts to a shaker and stir. Serve over ice
American whisky cocktails
Now, should your whisky tastes steer you more towards American whiskey in your cocktails, here are a few ideas from Jack Daniel’s:
– The Cooper’s Cocktail
- 2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select
- .5 oz. Cynar
- .5 oz. Coffee Liqueur
- Ice: One large cube or ‘on the rocks’
Glassware: Rocks glass or Old Fashioned glass
Tools: Mixing Vessel, Barspoon, Hawthorne Strainer
Directions: Stir all ingredients in mixing vessel (about 20-30 seconds). Strain over ice. No garnish.
– The Meltwater Effect
- 2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack
- 1 oz. Sorel Liqueur
- .75 oz. Amaro Ramazzotti
- 2 Dashes Orange bitters
- Thin Lemon peel
Tools: Mixing Vessel, Barspoon, Hawthorne Strainer
Glassware: Rocks glass or Old Fashioned glass
Directions: Stir first four ingredients in mixing glass filled with ice until properly chilled and diluted, about 20-30 seconds. Strain into glassware and garnish with lemon peel.
Plan a Scotch whisky road trip
Finally, to stir the fires of your Scotch whisky desires, here’s a new interactive whisky distilleries guide below from the folks of VisitScotland to help you plan your dream Scotland drinking trip:
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