Blood and Sand
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 14.5% ABV ∙
The Blood and Sand is a classic Scotch whisky cocktail of equal parts blended Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth, and orange juice, shaken and served up.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Blended Scotch whisky 20 mlCherry liqueur 20 mlRosso vermouth 20 mlOrange juice 20 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled martini glass
- Garnish with an orange twist
Tips
- Squeeze the orange juice fresh; carton, concentrate and even day-old juice won't shake up the foam this drink is known for.
- Pick a blended Scotch with only light peat, so you taste the whisky without smoke burying the cherry and vermouth.
History
The Blood and Sand takes its name from the 1922 silent bullfighter film starring Rudolph Valentino as an ill-fated matador; the drink's red color was said to link it to the movie. Its first known printed recipe appeared in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, and it is one of the few classic mixed drinks built on Scotch whisky.
The cocktail has long divided drinkers: its equal-parts mix of Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice is often called imbalanced. Yet it keeps returning to bar menus, and defenders such as TJ Vytlacil, founder of the St. Louis cocktail club Blood & Sand, argue that technique, not the recipe, decides whether it succeeds.
FAQ
What is in a Blood and Sand?
Equal parts (20 ml each) blended Scotch whisky, cherry liqueur (traditionally Cherry Heering), sweet rosso vermouth, and fresh orange juice. That four-way equal split is the drink's defining and much-debated feature.
Is a Blood and Sand shaken or stirred?
Shaken, and shaken hard: the orange juice needs vigorous shaking to aerate into the light froth that marks a well-made Blood and Sand. Stirring leaves it flat.
What glass is a Blood and Sand served in?
A chilled martini glass, served up without ice and finished with an orange twist.
What Scotch is best for a Blood and Sand?
A lightly peated blended Scotch. You still taste the whisky, and the smoke doesn't drown out the cherry liqueur and vermouth. A heavily peated single malt takes over a drink where each ingredient is only a quarter of the glass.
Why does my Blood and Sand taste too sweet or flat?
Usually the orange juice. Orange juice is sweet and brings little acidity, so in an equal-parts drink it can't balance the cherry liqueur and sweet vermouth, and day-old or concentrate juice won't froth either. Use fresh-squeezed juice and shake hard. If it still tastes too sweet, a slightly larger pour of Scotch and orange juice dries it out.
