The 12 Absolute Best Scotch Whisky Cocktails

Scotch whisky is a revered spirit that many purists believe should only be enjoyed neat, and maybe on the rocks. No matter how classic, involved, or exciting a cocktail is, there are few ways better to enjoy a drink than simply sipping on a quality scotch. There are countless quality bottles out there, many of which will require more of a monetary investment than other spirits, and using an expensive bottle of scotch to mix a cocktail understandably may not be the best use of it.

However, there are many scotch cocktails worth trying, some of which are all-time greats and some that have emerged as instant classics of the modern cocktail boom. Luckily, the scotch you mix into one of them requires no break of the bank. Most of them call for any inexpensive blended scotch, and the ones that call for a more specific style only do so in tiny amounts. If you believe that scotch is only for sipping straight, think again. The following will most certainly change your mind.

Consequently, if you find that you like a Rob Roy, then you have to try a Bobby Burns. This riff on the riff was first published in Harry Craddock's legendary Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 and is named after another revered Scotsman, according to Difford's Guide. The cocktail quickly became the drink of choice to celebrate Burns Night, which is a celebration of what's believed to be the poet's birthday on January 25th.

The difference between the Rob Roy and the Bobby Burns is that the Bobby Burns includes the addition of a small amount of Benedictine. Although most recipes for the cocktail only call for a few dashes of the liqueur, they go a long way toward a delicious cocktail that is nuanced and distinct from its predecessor.

Benedictine is made from a combination of 27 herbs and spices infused into a neutral spirit that is sweetened with honey, per Liquor.com. The French liqueur is far more potent than sweet vermouth, but the skewed ratio between the two makes up for the difference, which works in harmony to balance out the scotch whisky in a Bobby Burns. Again, you probably already have the ingredients for this cocktail sitting on your home bar, so trying this classic cocktail is only a quick mix away.

This next cocktail is the first modern classic of the list and is courtesy of Sam Ross, an icon of the cocktail resurgence. In 2005, Ross was working a slow shift one night and began looking for ways to improve the Gold Rush, another modern classic, per Vinepair. In order to make a more mellow drink, he split the sweetener between the usual honey syrup and ginger syrup. He swapped the bourbon for blended scotch, shook the whole thing together, and floated some Islay scotch atop the finished product.

The result was a completely new, extraordinarily complex, and undeniably delicious cocktail that went on to become one of the titans of the craft cocktail renaissance. As if the Penicillin wasn't unique enough, Ross's garnish was a picked piece of ginger candy.

The Penicillin was actually kept as a sort of bartenders' secret for the first year or so of its life, many of whom would mix it if requested for a personal favorite. Eventually, the cocktail stamped its mark globally, now included on menus and being served at bars around the world. In fact, cocktail historian, Robert Simonson, referred to the Penicillin as, "the most well-traveled and renowned new cocktail of the 21st century," (via Vinepair).

You will need two different bottles of scotch to make this incredible drink, but the amount of Islay scotch used is so minimal, some bartenders even just spray it onto the drink with an atomizer. Trust us, it's worth it.

This next cocktail is another two-ingredient one that is sweetened by a liqueur, a perfect fit for the time in which it was created, per Punch. There is no distinct credit given to the inventor of The Godfather, all that is known is that the cocktail popped up during the 1970s and is named after the iconic film of the same name. Looking back on it today, many bartenders view that era of cocktail making as one to be forgotten as many of the drinks belonging to the decade are somehow excessively strong and sweet at the same time.

The Godfather is merely scotch whisky sweetened with Amaretto, an Italian, almond-flavored liqueur. Despite what many think of this drink, however, it has become something of a bartender's guilty pleasure, Punch adds. Many riffs have even been made to modernize the cocktail, including one consisting of an Irish whiskey and Islay scotch split-base, and one with blended scotch, some Islay, and split sweetener of Amaretto and maraschino liqueur. The Godfather, at its most basic, is equal parts scotch whisky and amaretto, but this simple template is another one that allows for experimentation and making the drink your own.

The scotch and soda is the original highball and the epitome of the beauty of simplicity. Technically, according to Provi, scotch and soda is the predecessor to the highball, but the two are synonymous in today's cocktail world. Topping off whiskey on the rocks with carbonated water dates back centuries, but there is one bar in Boston, Massachusetts that claims to be the original mixer of the scotch and soda.

In 1927, bartender Patrick Duffy wrote to The New York Times claiming that in 1894, an English actor walked into his bar, Adam's House, and ordered the cocktail, notes Provi. Clearly, scotch and sodas had already been prevalent in the United Kingdom, but Duffy's claims do warrant consideration for America's first mix of the drink.

The scotch and soda can be your old reliable whenever you are unsure of what drink mood you are in or if you just want to think about what to make or order. This drink will always be a classic perfectly fit for any time of year and easily made ready with the drop of a hat. Humbly garnished with a lemon wheel, this cocktail may not blow your mind, but it will most certainly satisfy the taste of a refreshing, boozy beverage whenever one is required.

The Blue Blazer is one of the oldest cocktails in existence as well as one of the very first flamed cocktails. According to Wine Enthusiast, this drink dates back to the 1850s, when flaming cocktails became popular. The Blue Blazer was a simple mixture of scotch whisky, boiling water, and sugar inside a wine glass. The mixture would be lit with a flame and poured into a mug with a blue flame cascading above the pour. Not only was this cocktail an entertaining spectacle, but the reason for flaming the cocktail was also to remove the harsh bite of the whisky.

Unfortunately, the Blue Blazer did not manage to survive into the 20th century. As spirits such as rum and brandy grew more prevalent, the use of scotch in the cocktail fell. Even with the explosion of the craft cocktail scene in this current century as drink-making is becoming as much of a performance as it is a service, the Blue Blazer has remained a widely forgotten cocktail. Making one yourself, however, is easier and not as dangerous as you might think. Just as you might flambé a dish at home, setting a Blue Blazer ablaze is a simple, fun way to serve a drink to a guest and get some extra style points in the process.

The martini dates back to the mid-1800s, and the first forms of the drink that are recognized as the standard today came about in the early 1900s, (via Difford's Guide). Since then, the cocktail has taken on many different forms depending on the preference of the person ordering it. Traditional, dry, wet, dirty, olives, twist, you name it. There are seemingly countless ways to order a martini, but you may not have heard of this one that brings scotch into the mix for an elevated experience of the king of cocktails.

The smoky martini is courtesy of bartending legend, Dale Degroff, who discovered and popularized this martini rendition in the 1970s, per Inside Hook. Degroff's take is essentially a dry martini with the vermouth swapped out for scotch, about ½ ounce worth. As is the case with any martini, the quality really relies on the quality of the ingredients, because there are only two and both of them are spirits. To achieve the smokiness desired in a Smoky Martini, Islay scotch is the obvious preferred choice, and the gin used should be a quality London dry gin.

This variation achieves a complexity not often found in the cocktail, which normally aims to be as neutral and clean as possible. Of course, the gin is the main component of this drink, but the small bit of scotch goes such a long way it's still worthy of closing out this list.