Ichor and Glass: The Dewberry’s Blood and Sand Riff

Name: Ichor and Glass: The Dewberry’s Blood and Sand Riff
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Ryan Casey, The Dewberry, Charleston, South Carolina

Photo: Andrew Cebulka

January 28, 2019

An all-spirit take on the classic scotch cocktail.

For Ryan Casey, beverage director at The Dewberry in Charleston, South Carolina, the classic Blood and Sand has always been a bit of a head-scratcher. “I’ve always struggled with the idea of orange juice in a scotch drink,” says Casey. “Three ingredients that sound delicious together, and then orange juice in equal proportion? Why?”

Instead, Casey eliminates the juice altogether without sacrificing the citrus flavor. His Ichor and Glass cocktail (ichor being the blood of the gods, and glass the purest form of sand) is an all-spirit riff using dry curaçao and Compass Box Orangerie, an orange-infused scotch.

Ingredients

1 oz. blended scotch (Casey uses Compass Box Great King St. Glasgow Blend)
¾ oz. orange-infused scotch
¾ oz. Cherry Heering
½ oz. sweet vermouth
¼ oz. dry curaçao

Tools:barspoon
Glass:Old Fashioned
Garnish:lemon peel, orange peel

Preparation

In a mixing glass with ice combine all ingredients. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube, then express and discard 1 lemon and 1 orange peel over the drink.

Orange-Infused Scotch: Combine the zest of 3 oranges with one 750 ml. bottle of blended scotch in a covered container; allow to infuse for 5 to 7 days, then remove the zest and rebottle for use.