Alto Cucina

1 oz Scotch, Balvenie 15 (95 proof)

1 oz Dry vermouth

1⁄2 oz Elderflower liqueur, St. Germain

1⁄2 oz Cynar

1 twst Orange peel (as garnish)

Instructions

Stir, strain, rocks, low ball, garnish

Cocktail summary

Created by

Stephen Shellenberger Dante, Cambridge, MA

Year

2008

Is of

unknown authenticity

Curator

Not yet rated

Average

4 stars

(24 ratings)

Cocktail Book

From other users

Made with Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth (mezcal cask finish) Very well-balanced & smooth — ★★★★
Made with 1.5oz Famous Grouse. Lovely to look at and intriguing to taste.
Auchentoshan works well; go a hair light on the St. Germain. — ★★★
A lovely cocktail, balanced and flavourful
Great mild, easy-drinking scotch cocktail. I made it with Balvenie 12, a 86 proof Scotch. Would be better with a bit more booze. — ★★★★★

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Comments

Made it with Deanston unfiltered 92 proof, beautifully balanced cocktail, this one goes into the rotation...

Delicious and beautifully balanced. Neither overly bitter not overly sweet but full of depth and interest. The Cynar and dry vermouth are great partners and draw out flavor from the Scotch (I used Auchentoshan 3 Wood). The elderflower liqueur is surprisingly subtle.

Against better judgement, I made this with Islay scotch (only 80 proof, to boot). Kind of a smoky mess. I shall be patient and wait until I have something more like the Balvenie 15 to try again...

Very nice! I used Famous Grouse that I had on hand and it worked well (will have to try with Balvenie). I also tried a version with 1.5 oz of the Grouse, everything else remaining unchanged, and it actually seemed to bump up the presence of all the ingredients and increase the depth along with the extra boozy bonus. Someone should try this with the Balvenie 15 and see if it has the same effect.

Hits it. Every note is there and yet it is bigger than the sum of its parts. If it went anymore in two directions it would split apart, but it doesn’t.