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Blood and Sand (Difford's recipe)
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Blood and Sand (Difford's recipe)
Serve in a Coupe glass
| 1 oz | Blended Scotch whisky |
| 3⁄4 oz | Heering Cherry Liqueur |
| 3⁄4 oz | Strucchi Rosso Vermouth |
| 1⁄6 oz | Torabhaig Peated Single Malt Whisky optional |
| 1 oz | Orange juice (freshly squeezed) |
How to make:
- Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
- Prepare garnish of orange zest twist and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
- SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
- FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
- Express orange zest twist over cocktail and discard. Garnish with maraschino cherry.
Allergens:
Recipe contains the following allergens:
- Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites
Strength & taste guide:
No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Review:
The equal parts Blood and Sand (scotch, cherry brandy, sweet vermouth, and orange juice) formula from the 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book is the accepted classic Blood & Sand recipe but results in a cocktail that's a tad sweet for hardened whisky drinkers. This formula, with slightly increased Scotch and orange juice, is dryer and fresher. Those with a taste for Scotch and a slightly drier drink may also appreciate the additional spoon of Islay malt.
Variant:
Blood and Sand (classic recipe)
Velasco and Sand
Gringo's Blood & Sand
Iron and Sand
Peat, Blood, Sweat & Sand/a>
Bloody Blood & Sand
Perfectly Straight Blood & Sand.
Dutch Blood and Sand
Wood Sap & Sand
History:
Probably the best-known Scotch whisky-based cocktail, the Blood & Sand was created in 1922 and is named after Rudolph Valentino's Blood & Sand bullfighter movie which was released the same year.
Based on the 1909 Spanish novel Sangre y arena (Blood and Sand) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and the play by Thomas Cushing, the silent film was a box office hit. It tells the dramatic story of Juan Gallardo (Valentino), a poor village boy who grows up to become one of the greatest matadors in Spain. He marries his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful and virtuous Carmen, but once rich and famous, is seduced by a wealthy widow. They embark on a torrid affair, but feeling guilty he tries to end the affair. Furious at his rejection, his lover exposes their affair to his wife. Distracted and depressed, he becomes reckless in the arena and, somewhat predictably, is killed in a bullfight. However, in true Hollywood style, just moments before his death, he manages to reconcile with his wife, Carmen, who is naturally grief-stricken. The end.
Who was inspired by the film to make the cocktail is unknown, but it first appears in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. The deep amber-red cherry brandy is said to represent blood and the orange juice, the sand of the arena.
Nutrition:
One serving of Blood and Sand (Difford's recipe) contains 206 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.2 standard drinks
- 15.57% alc./vol. (15.57° proof)
- 17.1 grams of pure alcohol
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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Blood and Sand (Classic formula)
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Dutch Blood and Sand
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Probably my favourite version of B&S so far...but I might need to go back to check 😉
I used Famous Grouse Smoky Black for the blended whisky and worried that adding the Ardbeg would overpower the drink with smokiness, but the quantities are spot on to balance out the smoke, booze and sweetness.
A super tasty and repeatable drink!