Scotch whisky cocktails and Patrick Gavin Duffy’s no nonsense mixing
By Simon McGoram
Photography by Rob Palmer
Presented by Ben Blair
The Corner House,
281 Bondi Road, Bondi, Sydney
Thecornerhouse.com.au
Vermouth. It’s taken some doing, but bartenders are starting to slosh the stuff around like it’s the 1890s again. It’s a good thing too as it means a mix like the Affinity Cocktail, presented here, might actually get a run.
The Affinity Cocktail is often described as just a perfect Manhattan with Scotch – though I feel that this is a little unfair as the ramped up vermouth content makes this a different beast. What this drink is though is an excellent aperitif – it’s balanced on the booze front with rich Scotch whisky truly finding a couple of simpatico partners in bitter sweet vermouth and the Christmas cake spice of good quality bitters.
It’s a tipple that was popular in the 1920s popping up in ’30s cocktail tomes like The Savoy Cocktail Book and Patrick Gavin Duffy’s Official Mixer’s Manual. In fact, the Affinity Cocktail is the first whisky cocktail to appear in Duffy’s book and is best made after reading some wise words from the man himself.
Duffy is a no-nonsense kind of guy who abhors bartenders wearing anything apart from a fresh white linen coat with carnation pinned to it. He’s got particular distain for coats made of black alpaca, and does not abide bartenders using the terms ‘professor’ or ‘mixologist’.
“Bartending is an old and honourable trade,” says Duffy. “It is not a profession and I have no sympathy with those who try to make it anything but what it was. The idea of calling a bartender a professor or mixologist is nonsense.”
Shaken cocktails are on Duffy’s hit list too – he avoids them wherever possible – deeming them uncouth. A stirred drink comprised of equal parts with a couple of dashes of bitters would certainly have struck a chord with the man. If the bartender was appropriately attired that is.
It’s a beverage that’s also struck a chord with the team at Bramble, in Edinburgh who have received considerable attention for their barrel aged and bottled Affinity Cocktail. It’s been available from their bar for almost over a year and due to the demand for the drink they’ve had to bring in four 15 litre American oak casks to keep up their supply.
As bartenders we’ve drunk, tinkered with and sold hundreds of rifts on the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned, but simply substituting Scotch into these drinks often falls flat. Why not try tinkering with cocktails designed to take on malt whisky in first place? It’s not rocket science – it’s good old-time bartending. And that’s something even Duffy is not against.
Ingredients:
1/3 Chivas Regal 18
1/3 Antica Formula
1/3 Dry Vermouth
2 dashes Aromatic bitters
Stir well with cracked ice. Strain and serve with a lemon peel.
Recipe adapted from Patrick Gavin Duffy’s Official Mixer’s Manual, 1934.
Notes on Ingredients:
- Blended Scotch makes the perfect offers perfect base for whisky cocktails. The grain whisky offers vitality whilst malt whisky gives richness and backbone.
- Chivas Regal 18 Year Old ‘Gold Signature’ blended Scotch whisky is made from whiskies each matured for a minimum of 18 years hand-selected by Chivas’ Brother’s Master Blender Colin Scott.
- Scott describes his whisky as a “welcoming, rewarding whisky. Exceptional richness with multi-layered aromas of buttery toffee, dark chocolate and dried fruits. Hints of spices and smoke. The voluptuous, velvety palate develops into an extremely long warm finish.
- Tinker with the right vermouth balance in this drink for your palate. We’ve gone for Carpano Antica Formula vermouth which creates a richer, spicier cocktail with a warm Scotch heart. For a more dominate whisky profile try using Dolin Rouge.
A Brace of Classic Scotch Cocktails
Mickie Walker Cocktail
50ml Chivas Regal 18 Year Old
15ml sweet vermouth
10ml lemon juice
10ml real pomegranate grenadine
Shake well with ice and strain.Recipe adapted from Patrick Gavin Duffy’s Official Mixer’s Manual, 1934.
Modern Cocktail
60ml Chivas Regal 18 year old blended Scotch whisky
5ml lemon juice
5ml Jamaican rum
1 dash absinthe
1 dash orange bittersStir well with cracked ice. Strain and serve with a cherry.
Recipe adapted from Patrick Gavin Duffy’s Official Mixer’s Manual, 1934.
