GIN and tonic, rum and cola, brandy and soda? No, lets mix whisky with say pineapple. That’s exactly what master mixologist Kieran Stephens is doing at Speyside’s four-star Station Hotel, two minutes walk from Glen Grant distillery in Rothes, Scotland.
In keeping with the tropical twist, you’ll also find coconut syrup, along with a generous splash of orange juice and a measure of juice and Archers peach schnapps added to a Glen Grant 10-year-old single malt.
Artfully blended, Whisky Business is one of his new signature cocktails.
While old-school purists might frown at using fine single malt whisky in a cocktail, for Stephens it makes perfect sense to use the very best of ingredients.
the boutique hotel’s Spirit Safe bar has a range of over 300 malts, although more expensive drams like a rare limited edition malt retailing at £649.95 a measure, are off limits for his cocktail creations.
With many hotel customers working for some of the best known whisky brands in the world, Stephens knows he has high expectations to meet.
“There are whisky lovers [and those who work in distilling] who enjoy a dram neat and wouldn’t even add ice so some are a little surprised.
“These people could be my fiercest critics but they appreciate what I’m doing as another way to sample – and enjoy – whisky,” says Stephens.
- 37.5 mls Glen Grant 10 yr
- 12.5 mls Coconut syrup
- 25 mls Archers
- 37.5 mls Orange juice
- 25 mls Cranberry Juice
- 25 mls Pineapple juice.