From 100 year old-recipes to modern inventions, all of the delicious recipes on this list have just one thing in common: they can all be made in less time than it takes to learn the new viral dance.
If you’re new to cocktail-making or just short on time, this is your new bible. Read on to become a disciple.
Cherry Highball
Chivas, cherry juice and soda water are all that’s needed to make this sweet highball starter. We say Chivas 12 works best for this one, but you can use any of your favourite blends to make this easy whisky cocktail. Ramp up the Instagrammable pink drink by adding a cherry when you’re done and start sipping the perfect refreshing Summer cocktail.
Extra Manhattan
In just minutes you’ll be transported to Central Park on a warm summer evening with this cocktail dating back to the 1880s. If you like your cocktails short and strong, this one’s for you. Instead of using bourbon or rye, we’ve twisted this cocktail into the 21st century by mixing in Chivas Extra 13 American Rye Cask* with sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters.
Sunset at Old Trafford
The perfect cocktail to make during the half-time match break (with no orange slices required). Just grab some grapefruit, honey and your favourite Chivas blend to make this simple and fresh twist on the Brown Derby classic. You’ll even have time left over to tune into the half-time discussion.
Rob Roy
This Scotch version of the classic Manhattan cocktail is said to have been invented by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City to celebrate the opening night of its operetta namesake. Loosely based on the life of Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregorm, this is a Scottish drink through and through and replaces bourbon or rye with Scotch. If you’ve already mastered the Manhattan, this one will take no time!
Speyside Highball
This three-ingredient cocktail is one of the easiest and most refreshing drinks to make at home. The magic of this cocktail comes from adding peach-infused honey onto Chivas 12, as Chivas’ orchard fruit flavours and juicy peach are the perfect match.. A bit of prep time is needed for this perfectly light cocktail for Summer, as you’ll need to infuse the peaches in honey for a few hours before building - but it will only take a minute. Prefer berries or mango to peach? Try using a variety of fruits to see which you prefer!
Second Century
Century in name, only minutes to make. The Second Century is an easy cocktail with few ingredients, but delivers serious flavour. The name of this drink is inspired by the Japanese oak trees used for selectively finishing Chivas Mizunara**, which are grown for 200 years before they can be turned into casks. Instead of traditional cocktail bitters, this cocktail uses soy sauce; sounds weird, but trust us, it works! It’s the ultimate fancy yet easy whisky cocktail to make at home.
Peach Highball
Dreaming of summer partying with friends? Think of the Peach Highball, which leaves more time to party and less time on mixing. This perfectly balanced fruity and sweet drink is achieved in moments by adding in Crème de Pêche on top of Chivas Mizunara and soda. The few ingredients are doing a lot of work here, as the aromas of pear, orange and hints of hazelnut present in Chivas Mizunara blend with the sweet Crème de Pêche.
Once you’ve mastered these three ingredient cocktails, try your hand at some refreshing Summer cocktails, or if you’re planning the perfect night in, try these easy whisky cocktails at home.
* A portion of this blended Scotch whisky has been finished in American Rye casks.
** A portion of this blended Scotch whisky has been finished in Japanese Mizunara oak casks.
