Name: Improved Scotch Cocktail
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Scotch whisky; 7.5 ml Honey herbal liqueur; 5 ml Peated malt whisky; 2 dash Orange bitters; 8 drop Boker's bitters; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

Improved Scotch Cocktail
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Glass:

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
2 oz	Blended Scotch whisky
¹⁄₄ oz	Honey herbal liqueur (e.g. Drambuie)
¹⁄₆ oz	Torabhaig Peated Single Malt Whisky
2 dash	Orange Bitters by Angostura
8 drop	Boker's bitters
2 drop	Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Improved Scotch Cocktail lifestyle image

Improved Scotch Cocktail lifestyle thumbnail

Review:

A tad heavier on the 'improving' liqueur element than some other Improved Scotch Cocktails, but this is balanced by doses of bitters, and a little richness certainly improves this otherwise austere Scotch Old Fashioned.

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History:

Recipe created in October 2025 by yours truly.

More cocktails by Simon Difford

Nutrition:

One serving of Improved Scotch Cocktail contains 168 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
31.71% alc./vol. (63.43° proof)
23.3 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 4 comments for Improved Scotch Cocktail.
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Mike

18th January at 02:56

Simon, well done.

Lots of room to experiment with ratios and your choice of whiskeys will have great impact on the finished product.

Monkey Shoulder, Caol Ila, Fee Bros cardamom bitters, Regan’s orange bitters.

John CARR

11th December 2025 at 13:12

Truly exceptional, rich malty bitter sweetness distilled in a glass. Even with a very mediocre base spirit from a bottle labelled “Spey River ®️” (?!?) which I was gifted many years ago, this was bursting with flavour. A dab hand with the bitters will serve you well - my bokers bottle doesn’t have a dropper so double-decanted via the Easy jigger. Disappeared all too quickly - always a sign of a winner. Congrats Simon and thanks to the other DDs for leading me to it. This will definitely enter my standard repertoire. I don’t love Old fashioneds, so a scotch based alternative MAY appeal!

John CARR

20th December 2025 at 12:33

A second rendition with Monkey Shoulder, and having acquired a dropper for the Bokers Bitters in the meanwhile, made this even better. Still very much on the malty scotch side of an Old fashioned. I can see this becoming a Christmas fixture as well 🎄

Andy Parnell-Hopkinson

7th December 2025 at 21:31

I had to add a dash more Drambuie before it registered. Nice Scotch old fashioned.

John Hinojos

7th December 2025 at 04:52

WOW. Improved it is. The two Scotch Whiskys adds various flavours along with the Drambuie. Sweetness is perfect (and I prefer my cocktails on the dry side). Orange bitters comes through as well as the spices of the Boker's bitters.
I love this. Perfect in the evening. Going onto my favourites.
Thank you, Simon, for another wonderful Whisky cocktail.

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