How to Use Peated Scotch in Cocktails

For Chall Gray, proprietor of Little Jumbo in Asheville, North Carolina, even a mere quarter-ounce of peated Scotch can create “a whole different ambiance for a drink.” 

With these whiskies, small doses make an impact. Most often, peated Scotch is floated on top of a cocktail; the Penicillin is the best-known example. Another common technique is to pair the ingredient with another spirit, which helps moderate the smoky influence without burying it altogether. The most common combination is peated Scotch plus a mellow, unpeated whiskey, which might mean a blended Scotch, or an Irish or American counterpart. Less frequently, peated Scotch is paired with spirits outside the whiskey canon, as in Sasha Petraske’s tequila-based Si-Güey or Brian Evans’ Winterized Negroni. 

Peated Scotch also holds its own against rich or sweet ingredients, such as egg whites, syrups or liqueurs. Gray uses both in his take on the Amaretto Sour, The Wind-Up, which showcases both peated and unpeated whiskey alongside amaretto, orgeat and egg white. In Tommy Klus’ smoky Boulevardier riff, the French Connection, meanwhile, the spirit is balanced by sweet vermouth and the gentian liqueur Avèze. 

Then there are the wildcards. At Tusk Bar in New York, the Bloody Mary can be made with any spirit, but bar manager Tristan Brunel says “peated Scotch whisky is a secret menu item here at Tusk, and for the more adventurous bloody drinker, it elevates the savory components to a whole new level.”