Laphroaig 10 Year Old is a heavily peated Islay single malt, matured in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at 40% ABV. For more information, contact your Suntory Oceania representative. Sign up to Club Suntory by visiting club.suntory.com and follow @clubsuntoryoceania on Instagram.
The art of the cocktail is all about bringing elements together in one glass, to create something more than the sum of its parts. But what do you do when one ingredient is more distinct and more boisterous in the mix than any other?
That’s Laphroaig 10 for you. It’s a polarising malt whisky — peaty and punchy, you’re either a fan or you are yet to discover why it’s the number one peated whisky in the world. This is not a middle of the road whisky.
And when it comes to mixing Laphroaig in cocktails, sometimes, a little goes a long way.
When you think of recipes that employ a bold smoky whisky like Laphroaig 10, you’ll find that it is often used as an accent, so persuasive it is in the drink. Take the modern classic cocktail, the Penicillin, for instance: Sam Ross’ recipe calls for just a quarter ounce, or 7.5ml, of peated Islay whisky to be floated on top.
But sometimes, rather than as an accent, it pays to go all in on the Laphroaig in a drink that is long, zesty, and refreshing — as we have here in with the Laphroaig Paloma. It’s a surprising combination, bringing an iodine and seaweed-like kick to the classic Mexican preparation which traditionally calls for tequila.
Here, we’ve got three ways to use this Islay icon: two, in which Laphroaig gives a smoky, delicious accent to the drink, and the Paloma riff, where the Laphroaig really is the star of the show.
Fitzroy
Ingredients:
- 45ml whisky
- 15ml Laphroaig 10
- 30ml sweet vermouth
- 2-3 dashes of aromatic bitters
Method:
Stir down all ingredients with ice until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Adapted from a recipe in A Spot At The Bar by Michael & Zara Madrusan.
The Rob Roy is the classic Scotch whisky riff on the Manhattan formula. This take — not dissimilar to the Smoky Rob Roy by Sven Almenning of Eau de Vie — is found in the Madrusans’ A Spot At The Bar book.
Tattletale
Ingredients:
- 45ml whisky
- 15ml Laphroaig 10
- 1 barspoon of honey syrup
- 3 dashes of aromatic bitters
Method:
Stir down all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass over block ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Adapted from a recipe by Sam Ross.
The Tattletale is a Sam Ross riff on his own drink, the Penicillin — it’s the Penicillin you have when you don’t have the ginger. Think of it as an improved Old Fashioned riff, with Laphroaig in the accent role, and a little honey syrup sweetening things up.
Laphroaig Paloma
Ingredients:
- 50ml Laphroaig 10 Year Old
- 30ml lime juice
- 15ml agave syrup
- 30ml grapefruit juice
- 30ml soda
Method:
Build all ingredients in a Highball glass with a half-salted rim.
There’s something saline and moreish about this combination of a good measure of Laphroaig 10, smoky and with a lick of salinity, which is brightened up with zesty lime and grapefruit and served long. Surprisingly delicious.
Add 30ml grapefruit juice. 2. Hand-squeeze 30ml fresh lime juice. 3. Then add 50ml of Laphroaig 10. 4. And 15ml of agave syrup. 5. Add ice, and top with 30ml of soda.
