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Blood and Sand (Difford's recipe)

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...
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Dean Smith’s Avatar Dean Smith
20th September 2022 at 15:19
Proportions here are just about perfect, but I do enjoy tweaking this recipe to reflect availability of different orange varieties through the seasons. Summer Valencias have a slightly bitter finish & provide balance to the sweet Cherry Heering. Winter Navel oranges are almost unidimensionally sweet. Blood oranges, arriving in late Winter & through Autumn, are perhaps best suited to this cocktail (to my palate) - tart as well as sweet, with a slightly bitter kick, & perfect ruddy colour.
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Dean Smith’s Avatar Dean Smith
21st September 2022 at 08:00
If the oranges are particularly sweet, I'll sub in a bitter amaro for the vermouth. If the juice is quite pale & the result is a true sandy yellow, floating a bar spoon of red amaro across the surface gives a nice effect.
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