Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand is one of the few classic cocktails built on Scotch whisky — a shaken, equal-parts mix of blended Scotch, sweet (red) vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange juice, strained ice-cold into a stemmed glass and served straight up. It is a deep reddish-amber drink, rich and rounded, with the smoke and grain of the whisky knitted into sweet cherry, the herbal lift of vermouth and the fresh edge of orange. Named after a 1922 Rudolph Valentino bullfighter film, it first appeared in print in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book and has stayed a curiosity and a favourite ever since — proof that Scotch can carry a fruity, after-dinner sour.