One Drink, Three Ways: Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join us as we take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, The Three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

Sweet wines are back in vogue as people realise that there is so much fun to be had with them! From swapping out simple syrups for them in cocktails to drinkable puddings, sipping neat or in highballs, sweeter sips are the drinks trend of this summer and beyond. 

One must-try sweet wine that does everything is Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora. Hailing from Victoria, Australia, this rich, golden sipper is made with the lesser known Orange Muscat grape blended with some rare Flora, all harvested late to concentrate the sugars. The result is a sweet, viscous white wine with fresh, orange blossom aromatics and notes of candied lemon peel and marmalade. At just 10% ABV, it’s incredibly versatile; you can have this alone as a drinky dessert, pair it with salty blue cheese (yum!) and even mix it into elegant cocktails. Here are three, fun ways to try the Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora.

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Helena’s Choice: Orange Sunset

Think of this as a much lighter, more elegant and summery version of an old fashioned with a delightfully floral kick. This works as an aperitif as well a digestif depending on the mood and is a great all rounder cocktail for everyone at your gathering. Simply build the drink in a tumbler glass by combining the whiskey with the wine, adding the bitters and ice cube, then stirring. Garnish with an orange wheel or orange peel.

Orange Sunset

50ml Orange Muscat & Flora

25ml Rye Whiskey

2 Dashes Orange bitters

Orange peel zest

Large ice - ideally with flower frozen into it

Glass: Small wine glass

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Aidy’s Choice: Spiked Orange Bellini

Here’s another super simple recipe - a Bellini with a twist! Switch out your fresh pear juice for some Orange Muscat & Flora wine in a flute and top up with Extra Brut Prosecco to give your fizz a golden hue and stunningly different aroma and flavour. It’s a really beautiful, yet simple change form a classic recipe and is guaranteed to get people talking. Garnish with an orange ribbon if you’re feeling fancy.

Spiked Orange Bellini

50ml Orange Muscat & Flora

Top up with Extra Brut Prosecco

Orange and or lemon garnish

Glass: Flute

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Colin’s Choice: Mango Flora Frosé

Mango Flora Frosé

300g Frozen mango slices

150ml Orange Muscat & Flora

Edible flowers to garnish

Glass: Large, round wine glass

This frozen treat can be a light pudding in itself or it makes a great palate cleanser before or after cheese. It takes some thinking ahead though as you need to pour the wine into a freezer bag and leave it overnight, before adding it to a blender with the mango and giving it a good blitz! Serve in a coup glass or large wine glass and garnish with edible flowers of your choice to pretty it all up.

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Belvedere Organic Infusions, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

One Drink, Three Ways: Albariño Mar de Frades

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join us as we take one bottle or style and create a trio of phenomenal serves that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine, we’ll help you get the most from your glass.

The Albariño wine grape that’s making a big splash around the world most famously hails from Rias Baixas in Galicia in northern Spain, where 90% of production is fine white wine made with it. Rias Baixas is a region characterised by a unique, damp, coastal climate where this thick-skinned white grape thrives, producing wines with lively acidity, aromatic intensity and flavours of citrus, peach and tropical stone fruit with a characteristic saline note. 

One of the leading wine producers in the region is Mar de Frades with their range of beautiful Albariño wines all presented in eye-catching, blue bottles mirroring the crisp freshness of the wine and their coastal home. Founded in 1987 in D.O Rías Baixas, Mar de Frades is located in the Salnés Valley, where characteristic Atlantic breezes and granite soils give the grapes their saline, fresh, citric and mineral profile. Here are three classic styles of Rias Baixas Albariño to try made by Mar de Frades.

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Classic, Crisp & Citrusy

Mar de Frades Albariño: Classic Albariño is made in a style that’s light and lemony with a peachy note, a saline core and subtly bitter finish. Super refreshing, this classic style is made in stainless steel and tasted young. It is the perfect pairing for seafood dishes or even just sipped alone as an aperitif.

Mar de Frades

Albariño

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Gastronomic Albariño

Mar de Frades Finca Valiñas: More and more Albariño is being made in a gastronomic style, where oak ageing is used as well as some extended ageing on lees (the dead yeast cells) to add texture, creaminess and depth of flavour. These processes make the wines ideal for ageing longer and for pairing with richer fish dishes and white meats especially. 

Mar de Frades

Finca Valiñas

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Sparkling Albariño

Mar de Frades

Brut Nature, Sparkling

Mar de Frades Brut Nature: Much more rare is a sparkling Albariño, but we are starting to see them produced! These ‘espumoso’ wines are made in the traditional method like Champagne and give crisp, lemony and saline notes with elegant, yeasty complexity - perfect as an aperitif or with fish & chips.

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Belvedere Organic Infusions, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

One Drink, Three Ways: X by Glenmorangie

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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By now, you will all know that we are huge fans of Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky and the legendary master distiller that is Dr Bill Lumsden. Glenmorangie are the leaders for intriguing new whisky flavours and styles, from various incredible, limited edition wine finishes to whisky that is perfect for mixing. 

Enter X by Glenmorangie: a sweeter, richer style of the classic, delicate and fruity Glenmorangie that Dr Bill has crafted alongside top bartenders with the express intention of mixing into cocktails and highballs. Lucious and aromatic, think pear, vanilla and honeysuckle with a touch of chocolate orange and citrus spritz. The whisky was aged in ex bourbon casks and part finished in new char oak casks, which help elevate the tropical flavours. To inspire your drinks choices, Glenmorangie have also created a series of super simple cocktail recipes for the new X on their website (glenmorangie.com) and we have picked our favourites below. Have a try and let us know what you think! 

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Helena’s Choice: Glenmorangie X Marmalade

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This refreshing citrus combo with a bitter, orange rind kick on the finish is so light on its feet, it would work really beautifully to kick off a brunch, afternoon tea or as a cool sundowner. The zesty freshness is a great match for those finger sandwiches and cupcakes. Simply pour all the ingredients into a highball glass, stir well to mix in the marmalade, then add ice, stir again and finish it off with an orange twist for garnish.

Glenmorangie X Marmalade

Recipe

50ml X by Glenmorangie

10ml Fresh Lime Juice

3 tsp Marmalade

Orange twist for garnish

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Aidy’s Choice: Glenmorangie X Date Night

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The hint of sparkle with this combination brings an interesting twist to a whisky highball. It’s floral, fragrant and the perfect conversation starter for your date night as the leafy notes from the elderflower intertwine beautifully with the orange citrus and hint of spice from the whisky. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice and pour over all the ingredients. Stir and top up with sparkling water to your taste and garnish with a lemon or orange twist.

Glenmorangie X Date Night

Recipe

50ml X by Glenmorangie

20ml Lemon Juice

20ml Elderflower Cordial

Club Soda or Sparkling Water, to taste

Lemon twist for garnish

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Colin’s Choice: Glenmorangie X Brunch

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I love a good brunch as it invariably involves some kind of quirky, delicious drink like this one. Bright and citrussy with a lot of vitamin C, this is definitely the kind of cool, long drink you can take your time over at brunch. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice and add the ingredients. Give it a good stir and garnish with half a grapefruit wheel. Pink if you can!

Glenmorangie X Brunch

Recipe

50ml X by Glenmorangie

25ml 100% Grapefruit Juice

25ml 100% Orange Juice

10ml Agave Syrup

Pink Grapefruit wheel for garnish

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Belvedere Organic Infusions, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

One Drink, Three Ways: The Glenturret 10 Year Old Peat Smoked

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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Although most usually associated with Islay Scotch, peat smoke and whisky has a long history at The Glenturret as it used to feature heavily in distilling traditions, with records showing peat being dug from Octhertye Estate in the early 1800s. Nowadays, The Glenturret are in the lucky, rare position of being able to produce both peated and non-peated spirits at different times of the year from the same small stills. This 10 year old single malt version is incredibly mellow and sweet with an elegant smokiness that does not blow your head off!

Sip it alone or try one of these serves:

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Helena’s Choice: A Smokin’ Word

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I love a sweet and sour cocktail and this one feels so deliciously retro! It’s a new take on the Last Word cocktail and was invented by Kyle Jamieson from Panda & Sons in Edinburgh. The smokiness of the peat does something fascinating with the cherry and it’s one that looks as good as it tastes. Simply shake all the ingredients together with ice, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with cocktail cherries.

A Smokin’ Word

Recipe

35ml The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked

20ml Yellow Chartreuse

20ml Maraschino Cherry Liqueur

20 ml lemon juice

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Aidy’s Choice: Smoky Whisky Sour

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You know me and my sours. I love them! Often I like to experiment with fruit and garnishes but sometimes, simplicity is what’s called for. This is a classic whisky sour with no frills, using egg white to get that silky texture. Firstly, add all the ingredients into the shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Then strain back into the shaker to remove the ice and have a vigorous dry shake to fluff up the egg white. Strain into an old fashioned glass and garnish with a lemon or orange twist.

Smoky Whisky Sour

Recipe

60ml The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked

30ml Fresh Lemon Juice

25ml Sugar Syrup

1 Egg white

2 Dashes Angostura bitters

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Colin’s Choice: Stirred Smoky Martini

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Those of you who know me know I'm a bit of a whisky purist, but I can’t resist a smoky, dry Martini. It uses a dash of peated Scotch whisky with the gin instead of Vermouth, so it is particularly dry and aromatic. I’d go for a large splash of whisky around 15ml but play around to suit your taste. Simply Stir the gin, whisky and a little ice together in a glass (stirring keeps it crystal clear and smooth), then strain and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with your lemon or orange twist.

Stirred Smoky Martini

Recipe

15ml The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked

60ml Any premium gin

Lemon twist for garnish

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Noilly Prat Vermouth, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

One Drink, Three Ways: The Glenturret Triple Wood

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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The Glenturret Triple Wood Scotch whisky is the perfect continuation of Glenturret’s long whisky history, being part of the older range and then reborn into the new. It’s a delightfully subtle, golden whisky that’s light on its feet with lots of ripe, fruity notes with sweetly spiced aromas thanks to a combination of European and American Sherry oak casks with Bourbon barrels. Try it alone to sip and savour or give it a go in one of these fantastic serves.

The Three Drinkers each share their favourite ways to taste it….

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Helena’s Choice: Vanilla Highball

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Highballs are back as new generations discover whisky in an accessible way before hitting the stuff neat. The Vanilla highball is a long serve that’s incredibly simple to make at home. Here’s a refreshing version with a twist to bring out those beautiful sweet spice flavours from the wood casks: Simply pour the whisky into a highball glass topped up with ice, splash in some vanilla bitters (to taste) and top up with cream soda. Garnish with a slice of orange or a vanilla pod if you have one. 

The ‘Vanilla Highball’

Recipe

25ml The Glenturret Triple Wood 

200ml Cream soda

Ice

Orange slice or vanilla pod for garnish

Highball glass

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Aidy’s Choice: Pineapple Whisky Sour

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Whisky cocktails don’t have to be heavy, dark affairs; there are tonnes of lighter, fruity options too. Here’s a particular serve that I consider my TGIF drink (Thank God It’s Friday!) or quite frankly, any time I’m just in the mood for a little pick me up! Method: place the sugar, whisky, lemon juice, pineapple juice and egg white into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds. Strain into an old fashioned cocktail glass and serve.

Pineapple Whisky Sour

Recipe

60ml The Glenturret Triple Wood 

25ml Lemon juice 

25ml Pineapple juice 

1 egg white

2 tsp Caster sugar

Pineapple wedge to garnish (optional)

Glass tumbler

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Colin’s Choice: The Rob Roy

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Here’s one for fans of a classic Manhattan but with a Scotch whisky twist! Originally created in 1894 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel and was named after the opera Roby Roy that was premiering in New York at the time. Method: Stir all the ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice, then pour into the coup. Garnish with an orange twist or a maraschino cherry.

The Rob Roy

Recipe

50ml The Glenturret Triple Wood 

30ml Martini Rosso Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Noilly Prat Vermouth, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

What is a Whiskey Sour?

Let us take you back in time, back to a time where boats were the only method of international transport and shirts had far too puffy collars… In the 19th century, scurvy was RIFE in the Navy. With no ships carrying fresh fruit or vegetables, sailors were suffering from severe and deadly Vitamin C deficiencies. Luckily, consuming citrus fruits was discovered as a way of warding off scurvy, and ships began to be piled high with lemons. At that moment, the Whiskey Sour was born.

Drinking spirits was much safer than drinking sea water, and they never expired. When he wrote ‘water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink’ in 1836, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wasn’t kidding. One could mix lemon juice with one's whiskey rations and have a (somewhat) healthy and safe drink. 

This very simple version of the drink was brought back to land and, like the sailors, was cleaned up a bit. Sugar syrup was added to take the bite off the acidic lemon and punch of the whiskey and garnishes were added for a bit of fanciness. It was first written down in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 The Bartender’s Guide. Here’s the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 teaspoon powdered white sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 wine glass of Bourbon or Rye whiskey
Seltzer
Berry for garnish

Method

Take 1 large tea-spoonful of powdered white sugar and dissolve in a little seltzer. Add the sugar solution, lemon juice and whisky to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a claret glass. Garnish with berries.

The Whiskey Sour you might know often includes egg white and Angostura bitters - but that’s a fairly recent take on the Whiskey Sour. Here’s our favourite 2021 Whiskey Sour Recipe:

Ingredients

50ml Bourbon (we like Maker’s Mark)
35ml lemon juice
12½ml sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
½ fresh egg white
Cherry for garnish
Orange or lemon slice for garnish

Method

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with the orange or lemon slice and a cherry.

Like this? For more delicious cocktail content how about checking out the Crabbie’s Colada, The Dalmore Mackenzie Highball or the Classic Daiquiri?

The Jura Sunset

One of Jura Whisky’s signature serves, this is a simple, beautifully balanced drink that works brilliantly as an arrival drink or an apéritif. Bittersweet and citrussy, the Jura Sunset is ideal for new whisky drinkers.

Ingredients
25ml Jura 10 Year Old Whisky
25ml Apérol
Top with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic (or premium tonic water)
Glass: Copa glass or red wine glass
Garnish: Orange wedge 

Method
You can make this drink in the glass itself. Simply add the Jura whisky, Apérol and tonic into a glass that already has crushed ice in and stir. Garnish with a fresh orange wheel or wedge.

 The Isle of Jura lies sixty miles away from the mainland of Scotland’s western coast. It has a harsh, cool climate, but an exceptionally warm community, all focused around the Island’s one distillery in Craighouse: Jura Distillery. Founded originally in 1810, the distillery fell into ruin at the end of the 19th century but was entirely rebuilt and reopened in 1963 in order to boost the local economy and rebuild the community. It makes whiskies that are characteristically smooth, bright and lively. 

Want more whisky cocktail recipes? See the Fettercairn 1824 Martini, the Fettercairn Tropical Highball, the Craighouse Rocks, The Dalmore Old Fashioned and The Dalmore Mackenzie Highball.

The Best Cocktails To Make With Macallan

Macallan have an extensive range and sitting at the core of the range are three twelve year old whiskies which all have a different twist on the core flavour that makes up Macallan. With these different flavours, it makes them ideal to compliment the three most made whisky cocktails. Not everyone is well versed in making cocktails and it’s easy to forget the simplest of ingredients if you are not using them regularly. Here we lay out the ingredients and method for making three classics which, once mastered, will give you and your friends endless, delicious pleasure.

The Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

Ingredients

Pinch of brown sugar

1 strip of orange peel

Splash of water

2 drops of bitters

50ml of Macallan 12 year old sherry cask

For this classic cocktail we would suggest the Macallan 12 year old Sherry cask. Classic cocktails, plus classic Macallan is the perfect mix. This cocktail lets the whisky shine, with little other ingredients to get in the way of all that Christmas cake flavour, this cocktail is brilliant, especially if you like soft spices and sweetness all balanced and warming.

Method: Place the sugar, orange peel, water and bitters in a tumbler and muddle (crush gently with the back of a spoon). Fill the glass with ice and add the whisky. Stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: If you pour in the bourbon bit by bit allowing it to chill slowly and soak up the flavours of the bitters and sugar without diluting quickly, the experience will be more intense.

Whisky Sour

Whisky Sour

Ingredients

50ml of Macallan 12 year old Triple Cask

25ml of lemon juice

Splash of water

Pinch of sugar

The whisky sour is probably the simplest of the whisky cocktails beyond a highball. To balance the lemon you need a whisky which isn’t going to let the lemon take over and also helps with some complexity. We think the Macallan 12 year old triple cask does the trick. With its mix of European and American oak ex sherry casks and American ex bourbon casks, there is plenty of complexity and smoothness to balance the bitterness of the lemon.

Method: Simply place the ingredients in a tumbler filled with ice, stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: Put the sugar in bit by bit after the other ingredients and taste as you do so to get the cocktail to just the right level of sour sweet balance for you.

Rusty Nail

Rusty Nail

Ingredients:

3 parts Macallan

1 part Drambuie

This cocktail is one of Colin’s favourites. It’s the simplest to make and is like an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is all alcohol so be careful with this one, but it is also a real sweety. If you like sugar and spice and all things nice, then this is definitely for you. We like the Macallan double cask for this one as the mix of ex sherry casks and ex bourbon casks can really shine through with just one other ingredient in the glass.

Method: Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously, and pour.

Tip: Make sure to fill the cocktail shaker with ice. The more ice will actually create less dilution, and chill the cocktail more quickly. 

Macallan 12 Triple Cask: UK £125 // US $74.99

We hope this article helps clear the memory blank and keeps your cocktail enjoyment ticking along. For more Macallan check out Helena’s ‘Mac-Hattan’ for a great twist on the American cocktail.