A Majestic Cocktail — The Royal Blood

Royalty is an odd and fascinating concept to those of us who live in countries without the formal tradition.  There’s official royalty, e.g. Queen Elizabeth II in England, and unofficial royalty, e.g. the Kennedy and Bush dynasties in the United States.  The Royal Blood is a creation from Fraser Campbell at Dewar’s, and I slightly adapted the recipe I found in Chilled magazine.

The Royal Blood

2 ounces Scotch (see below)
1 ounce sweet vermouth
.25 ounces cherry Heering liqueur
1 dash chocolate bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Combine in a shaker with ice, stir with noble purpose, and strain into a chilled glass. Luxardo cherry garnish optional.

Along with the Royalist and the Whiskey Queen, the Royal Blood proudly continues one of the many cocktail themes in the Den. The original calls for a particular single malt in the Dewar’s portfolio. While I’m not sure it makes a difference if you use a single malt or blended Scotch, use one that is not too smoky or peaty. For example, if you’re using a particular Scotch to make a Fireside Chat, don’t use it for the Royal Blood. The Royal Blood has the same base (Scotch and sweet vermouth) as the Bobby Burns and the Rob Roy, which essentially is a Scotch based Manhattan. If you like this drink or vice versa, you’ll probably like the other one.

If you’re like me and more than 99.999% of the world’s population, you’re not royalty.  A Royal Blood will make you feel like you are.