White Rob Roy

A tricky cocktail, highly dependent on the Scotch and especially the Vermouth.

I've tried many variations, because the specs are so obviously sound, but I was always unhappy until I tried a variant with Emilio Lustau Vermut Blanco.

I'm in Canada, Ontario, so the selection of Bianco / sweet white Vermouths is generally abysmal, to say the least (Martini Bianco even is hard to find, and alternatives are available only at specialty Italian bottle shops, in Toronto, at huge markups). But if you find this cocktail underwhelming, I believe the vermouth is likely much of the problem. I've tried sweetening decent dry vermouths with a small amount of syrup (Guerra, La Quintinye, Dolin), and, although much improved, they were still lacking.

I finally was happy using 40mL Suntory, and 10mL Signal Hill Founders Select OP Canadian Whisky (since I sadly happened to be out of a proper Scotch), and the Emilio Lustau Vermut Blanco mentioned earlier.

I realize this is a somewhat deranged substitution, but my cabinet has run low on Scotch at the moment, and the Suntory was the closest approximation to a blended Scotch. This particular Canadian whisky contributes some sweetness and other notes, but most others would be terrible in this cocktail, given the blandness of most Canadian whiskeys.

Anyway, now that I have recognized the vermouth problem, I am looking forward to trying this with a proper blended Scotch!

Will try Highland Park 12yo and Dolin Blanc later as an aperitif. It's an intriguing combo I never thought of as a less herbal Dry Manhattan. We shall see.

I can see how ppl are struggling with this one a bit, reading others’ comments. Falls between the usual categories of sweet Manhattan and dry martini. I really love an affinity and was expecting something in that vein, but actually it was like a Manhattan variation being taken back towards a martini/Martinez. The scotch will make a massive difference. I used glenmorangie, Dolin Blanc and Bitter truth Creole bitters, and the result was surprisingly dry and savoury with almost salty dry Sherry notes. Enjoyed.

Monkey Shoulder with Carpano dry vermouth is quite nice. If you enjoy a Rob Roy but want something a bit drier and lighter, this is for you.

I found this much vermouth muted the Scotch. Better with only about 10ml.

Agree with Mr. Fenton. Monkey Shoulder + Dolin Blanc didn't work for me, but then Monkey Shoulder in [something else] wasn't great either. Will try again with another scotch.

I found it less than the sum of its parts, and preferred variations made with mezcal and grappa.

Such an array of both Scotch and vermouth that I’m sure some combos work. I would probably try it with Dolin Blanc and a more assertive whisky if I were ever to try it again.

I was a bit surprised by this. I used Shieldaig (current in-house blended trial) and Cocchi Americano, which is cut 5:1 with rich cane syrup. I will try that latter Cocchi/cane blend with other whisky brands. It had Scotch-leaning Vieux Carre flavors in a way. Hmm...

This cocktail is a resounding success. Generous use of Chivas 18 YO certainly helped in that regard!

? A lovely balance of the whiskey notes and the aniseed of the Peychaud’s with the sweetish vermouth. I ended up using Glenlivet 12 as I didn’t have a blended whiskey in the house and my others are a lot more peated.