The Bar Journal

The Blood and Sand cocktail is a throwback to the Prohibition-era days when Rudolph Valentino was one of the greatest Hollywood stars. Named after “the Sheik”‘s 1922 movie, this classic cocktail is one of the few that uses scotch as it’s base.
Like many cocktails from that era, the recipe could be found in the cocktail bible published by Harry Cradock’s “The Savoy Cocktail Book”.

Scotch has such a distinctive smoky taste, that it is very difficult to combine with other flavors and not have it overwhelm the whole drink. And, let’s be honest. If you’re going to drink a good scotch, you’re probably going to drink it neat or with a little ice and water. The Blood and Sand cocktail is a scotch cocktail that I couldn’t figure out the right recipe for many years, until the day I finally realise that the orange juice was playing a major role in the overall balance, and using the blood orange was essential to the final result!
Looks very similar to any other orange, but when you slice one open, it looks almost like a dark ruby red grapefruit, but a lot sweeter. Like many oranges, the blood orange is native to the Mediterranean, It is a seasonal market find, with the best blood oranges to be found from November to February.
Now, worth breaking out a good scotch whiskey? YES!
It’s a satisfying combination of the smokiness of the scotch and the sweetness of the blood orange, cherry liquor and vermouth. Some people actually prefer to use a milder, scotch blendBlood orange is a sweet orange with a dark red pulp.
The Blood and Sand Cocktail

1 oz scotch (blended or single-malt is fine)
1 oz. fresh blood orange juice
3/4 oz. visciolata del cardinale
3/4 oz. chinato (quinine) vermouth
Lemon peel zest and luxardo sour cherry

SALUTE!