Why whisky deserves a chance in your cocktail glass

This post starts not with whisky, but with gin — specifically, Old Tom gins: a style à la mode in 18th-century London, where back-street gin shops denoted by signs shaped like cats would dispense a tot of gin for a coin placed in the moggy’s mouth.

For those unfamiliar, this historical gin style (likely named for an English distiller called Thomas Chamberlain, not a male cat) was traditionally sweetened. It began as a technique to mask undesirable qualities in poorly made spirits but blossomed into a deliberate stylistic choice. Also, as it pre-dated the invention of the Coffey still, original iterations used pot-distilled spirit with heavier botanical character.

The more pronounced, sweeter flavour profile of Old Tom — compared to London dry gins — made it a favourite of bartenders during the original cocktail age of the late 19th century as it could stand up to heavier mixing. Classic cocktails such as the Martinez (a mid-point between the Manhattan and Martini), Ampersand (made with sweet vermouth and Cognac), Tuxedo (with dry vermouth or sherry), and Tom Collins (with soda, sugar syrup, and lemon juice) all originally used Old Tom gin as their base. Many modern recipes recommend the same — a feat made easier with today’s explosion in the production of Old Tom gins, from the likes of Hayman’s, Cotswolds, and Hernö, to name a few.

But what’s this got to do with whisky? I believe there are parallels to be drawn between Old Tom gin and another darling of the cocktail milieu: rye whisky.

Rye whisky is a historical style born of necessity as much as invention, as farmers from Michigan to Finland used distilling as a way to preserve their crops. Its pronounced aroma and flavour, vastly different to barley or corn whiskies, and its proliferation in 19th-century America led it to become a poster child for the cocktail movement. Drinks including the Manhattan (and its cousin the Brooklyn), Sazerac, and Vieux Carré have rye at their heart, while many modern Boulevardier and Whiskey Sour recipes sub the traditional bourbon for rye.

Also similarly to Old Tom gin, rye whisky suffered badly in the industry’s downturn in the latter half of the 20th century. However, rising interest in both craft spirits and cocktails in the past two decades has prompted a revival. More distilleries across North America and Europe are taking a punt on this grain, notoriously tricky to distil with, and capitalising on a greater willingness among drinkers for grain exploration. Simultaneously, bartenders are giving it a more prominent showing on their shelves and menus.

The purpose of my cross-category exploration is to celebrate a crucial part of the consumption and enjoyment of spirits, which still seems to be overlooked by many whisky drinkers: mixing.

Of course the goal of whisky distillers, quite rightly, is to produce a spirit that can be enjoyed all on its own, but if you turn away from whisky’s potential in mixed drinks, you’re shutting off a huge avenue of potential enjoyment. Rye whisky’s role as a cornerstone of global cocktail culture shows how integral this practice is to the spirit. A good bartender can take a measure of whisky and use myriad tools at their disposal to eke different nuances out of it, uncovering a side to the spirit that you may never have noticed or fully appreciated while sipping neat.

Major whisky producers are showing savvy respect for this connection. In 2022, Diageo’s World Class Bartender of the Year competition asked entrants to champion its whisky portfolio in their submissions. Nikka Perfect Serve challenges bartenders to create a unique cocktail with its whisky to a specification provided by the drinker. William Grant & Sons has hosted cocktail competitions through both Glenfiddich and Monkey Shoulder, and other brands including Jack Daniel’s, Jameson, and WhistlePig have also competitions for bartenders. 

There is a global acknowledgement that whisky has a key place in a mixologist’s repertoire. So, the next time you visit a whisky bar, don’t skip past the cocktail menu.

This content was first published in Whisky Magazine in May 2023.