Thistle

One measure of vermouth. A Rob Roy runs two parts whisky to one, so the malt leads. At one to one the vermouth's sugar and herbs move to the front and the whisky turns into background. If equal parts tastes flabby to you, pull the vermouth to 30 ml and meet the two halfway.

Buy better than you would for a Manhattan. Carpano Antica is thick with vanilla and can bury a light blend. Cocchi Storico is drier and more bitter, which suits whisky. Whatever you open, keep it in the fridge and finish it inside a month or the drink turns dull.

It will, and a few people enjoy the argument. Peat and sweet vermouth pull in opposite directions, giving you smoke on top and sugar underneath with nothing joining them. If it is your only bottle, cut the vermouth to 30 ml and add a dash of orange bitters. A blend is the safer pour.

This one holds better than most, since there is no citrus to fall apart. Scale the three parts into a bottle, add water at about 15 percent of the total to stand in for dilution, and keep it cold. Vermouth sets the clock: a week, maybe two.

A classic Thistle calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Scotch whisky, 45 ml (1.5 oz) Sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura Angostura bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Thistle is roughly 30% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Thistle is shaken. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.