Blood and Sand (Difford's recipe)

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, 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 Spain's greatest matadors. He marries his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful and virtuous Carmen, but once rich and famous, he 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.