There was a chill in the air this morning. 65° to be exact. All of the peaches at the farmer’s market will soon be gone. (I better get some in the freezer!) Replaced with apples, pumpkins and other fall goodness. It’s a most welcomed sign of the changing seasons. One of the best parts of being from and living in the south and on the east coast, we get to experience all of the seasons. No offense to anyone but, I’m not looking for a nice, sunny holiday season. Break out the apple cider and hot coco people! It’s time!!

With that being said, the warm spirits are back. As if they ever really left. SCOTCH! There’s more than the single malt and there’s more than pops or some stuffy business guy’s drink of choice. A good, quality blended scotch makes for a great cocktail…in the right application. Also, you won’t have to break the bank to try a good scotch.

Today we’re using The Famous Grouse. The perfect blended scotch for cocktails and sipping. It’s truly a well rounded whisky. (Not to be confused with whiskey) This clean and golden whisky yields the aroma of a well hand crafted oak with hints of citrus and spice. On the palate, FG is lightly sweet with a medium bold flavor with a clean finish. It should be easy for you to incorporate The Famous Grouse into your fall schotchtails.

For our first scotchtail, we’re blending a little summer into fall with basil syrup and fresh apple juice to make “The Famous Buck”.

The Famous Buck:

2oz. The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky

1 1/2oz. Fresh Green Apple Juice

3/4oz. Basil Syrup

1oz. Lemon Juice

Ginger Beer

*Fill a highball glass with cracked ice. Add all ingredients minus ginger beer. Stir to chill and top with ginger beer. Garnish with basil leaves.

We’re taking a tiki approach for the next cocktail. Why? Tiki and scotch? Yes. Go with me, ok? Ok. I like to shake things up this way. This time we’re using Black Grouse. The Black Grouse is much smokier than it’s Famous counterpart. It has a peaty, rich fullness with hints of spice and dried fruit. The Black Grouse has a long aromatic finish that’s perfect in cocktails.

The Black Grouse Swizzle:

1 1/2oz. The Black Grouse

1/2oz. Aged Rum

1oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

3/4oz. Amaretto

3/4oz. Lemon Juice

2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters or Angostura

*Fill a fizz or highball glass with crushed ice. Add all ingredients and swizzle or stir to chill. Garnish with a thin lemon wheel and fresh grated cinnamon.

Cheers and enjoy more Famous Grouse this fall!