THE WHISKY COCKTAILS TO KNOW - AND THEIR HISTORY

Oaky, smoky, young or old, whisky is a versatile, highlyspirited spirit. Awardwinning mixologist Lance Mayhew has everything you need to know... 1. Old Fashioned

Celebrity bartender ‘Professor’ Jerry Thomas’ recipe in 1862 used Holland Gin, but the famed Pendennis Club popularised a bourbon version in the 1880s. Classic ingredients: 60ml bourbon or rye whiskey, 15ml syrup, 4 dashes Angostura bitters, an orange twist.

2. Manhattan

Some say it was created in the 1880s at the Manhattan Club for Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill. Ingredients: 60ml whiskey (bourbon or rye, Canadian whisky or blended Scotch whisky), 30ml sweet vermouth, 2 dashes angostura bitters. Pour into a mixing glass, add ice and stir; strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish.

3. Blood and Sand

It gets its name from the 1922 bullfighting film starring Rudolph Valentino. The recipe for this drink first appeared in print in The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Originally, it would have been made with blood orange juice - the red colour of the juice was supposed to call to mind the blood of the bulls.

4. Rusty Nail

That classic mix of Scotch whisky and Drambuie has also lent its name to an entire category of drink preparation: Nail-style drinks. While the origins of the Rusty Nail are a bit murky, the best theory is that it was created at New York’s Club 21, where bartenders could take the edge off rougher spirits often found during Prohibition by adding the sweetness of Drambuie.