Rob Roy
A Manhattan made with Scotch. Smokier, drier, and proof that Scotch belongs in a mixing glass.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the Scotch, sweet vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25-30 seconds, until the outside of the glass frosts.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Use a blended Scotch, not a single malt. Blends were engineered to be smooth and consistent, which is exactly what this drink wants, and a £25 blend makes a better Rob Roy than a £70 malt.
- A Speyside-leaning blend is the easiest starting point — fruity and honeyed rather than smoky. Save the peat for a Penicillin.
- Fresh vermouth matters as much here as in a Manhattan. Taste it neat before you build.
Common mistakes
- Using a heavily peated Scotch, which overwhelms the vermouth entirely.
- Shaking it. Spirit-forward and stirred, always.
- Garnishing with a bright red cocktail cherry from a jar of syrup. A brandied cherry, or nothing.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Rob Roy and a Manhattan?
The whiskey. A Manhattan uses rye or bourbon; a Rob Roy uses Scotch. Everything else is the same, and the Scotch makes it drier and more cereal-driven.
Should it be peated?
Generally not. A lightly peated blend can work and is worth trying, but a heavily peated Islay will bury the vermouth and the bitters.
What is a Perfect Rob Roy?
Half sweet vermouth, half dry — a drier, more aromatic version. A Dry Rob Roy uses dry vermouth only.
Which bitters?
Angostura is standard. Orange bitters are a common and good addition — a dash of each makes a more aromatic drink.
Variations
- Manhattan — Rye or bourbon in place of Scotch.
- Perfect Rob Roy — Half sweet, half dry vermouth.
- Bobby Burns — Adds a bar spoon of Bénédictine.
- Blood and Sand — Scotch with cherry liqueur and orange juice.
Where it comes from
1894 · New York City · Waldorf Astoria
Created at the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 1894 and named after the Broadway operetta Rob Roy, which opened that year and was based on the Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor. The drink is simply a Manhattan with Scotch in place of rye, and it arrived during the brief window when American bars were building drinks around the newly-fashionable blended Scotch whiskies being exported in volume. It has stayed in print continuously ever since, which for a nineteenth-century variation is unusual.
Sources
- Albert Stevens Crockett, The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, 1935 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2007 (book)
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
Strength. About 1.74 US standard drinks at an estimated 28.5% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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