As the Scotch boom grows, so does the idea that cocktails can be made with Scotch. No longer are people sneering at the idea of mixing your single malt, and as someone who has had some, let’s say extra bottles, it can actually be quite fun.

Auchentoshan has a yearly event named the New Malt Order. It takes place in Germany, Sweden, the US, Canada, and UK.

Representatives from Auchentoshan travel their respective country looking for the best and brightest bartenders. The winner of the competition goes on to fly to Glasgow with the Brand Ambassador (Marcio Ramos in Canada’s case) to try multiple casks alongside winners from other countries, and eventually their malt will be released under the name “Bartender’s Malt”. The winners are given unprecedented control of running like mad people around the warehouse to choose their casks.

This year Toronto Whisky Society members have the privilege to join the Canadian event at Barchef in Toronto and watch the amazing mixology skills on display.

Each year has a theme, along with a specific Auchentoshan that must be used in each cocktail. This year the theme was fermentation. The Auchentoshan that needed to be used? Auchentoshan American Oak.

Each bartender had 6 minutes to make 4 drinks of their cocktail, walking the audience through their thought process, their ingredients, their theme, all while entertaining us; and we were quite demanding for entertainment. We also received the chance to try each cocktail as it came out, giving the judges time to do their ratings.

Each bartender is given verbal warnings at the halfway point, the 30 second point, and the ten second point, followed by an ominous countdown.

All of the recipes below were made by some of the best bartenders from across Canada. As such, you may have some trouble recreating them exactly. In some cases you may have trouble recreating them at all. Not to fear: Our resident cocktail aficionado Devoz has some notes to help us all out.

(Please note that sometimes cocktails are so unique that even our amazing expert had some trouble, so some of these are impossible to replicate at a beginner level)

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1st Competitor

Daniel Boulianne from Montreal. 

Theme: Vikings / Traveling

Name of Cocktail: The Traveling Blues

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz Blueberry maple mead
• ¼ oz Blueberry shrub
• ¼ oz Lillet
• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak (Normally he uses Auchentoshan 12, and we recommend you do too if you can)
• 4 drops vanilla bitters

Garnish: A tiny suitcase and a harmonica

Glass: Rocks glass

Directions: 

• Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass
• Stir well with ice. 
• Serve with ice in rocks glasses, preferably in a suitcase while playing the harmonica.

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz Mead
• ¼ oz Lillet
• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan 12
• 2 drops Angostura bitters
• 4 Blueberries

Directions:

• Put all ingredients in a shaker
• Muddle the blueberries, and then shake with ice
• Strain into an old fashioned glass with ice

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2nd Competitor

Stephen Browder From Halifax

Theme: Kombucha inspired / The kind people of Halifax

Name of Cocktail: The Kindness of Strangers

Garnish: Fresh Nova Scotia Cherries

Glass: Champagne coupe

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz Rhubarb, cherry, cinnamon, clove syrup
• 3/4 oz Rhubarb cream kombucha
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 5 drops vanilla extract
• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak

Directions: 

• Mix all ingredients into a shaker.
• Shake well with lots of ice. 
• Double strain into chilled Champagne coupe. 
• Garnish with Fresh Nova Scotia Cherries.

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz Angostura bitters
• 1 oz Soda water
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 5 drops vanilla extract
• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak

Directions: 

• Mix all ingredients into a shaker
• Shake well with lots of ice
• Double strain into chilled Champagne coupe
• Garnish with fresh Cherries

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3rd Competitor

Jason Kapzak from Grandview, Quebec

Theme: His time as a chef from rural Quebec / Floral cocktail

Name of the cocktail: Nuage Blanc (White Cloud)

Garnish: Lemon zest and fresh thyme

Glass: Small martini glass

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz fermented white currant with a sugar base
• 1/2 oz sugar syrup
• ¼ oz lemon juice
• 1 white radish
• 1 barspoon green tea coffee
• 2 drops Peychaud barrel aged bitters
• ½ oz Auchentoshan American oak
• A slice of lemon zest

Directions:

• Mix together fermented white currant, sugar syrup, and lemon juice in a tumbler. Set that off to the side and let sit after stirring.
• Dice white radishes. Add to a mixing glass. Add green tea  and bitters to it. Muddle in glass.
• Add ½ oz Auchentoshan American oak, and stir. Then add marinated currant/syrup mixture and ice, stirring calmy.
• Double strain into small martini glass, Squeeze a lemon zest over the drink. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh thyme

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

I recommend a cold cider.

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Fourth Competitor

Reese from Vancouver

Theme: British Columbia Terroir

Name of Cocktail: Jubilee (named after the borough the bartender was born in)

Garnish: Grated orange zest and grated coffee bean

Glass: Coffee cup

Ingredients:

• 1 oz fresh fruit juice syrup
• ½ oz coffee kombucha
• ¼ oz apricot and peach shrub
• ½ oz No. 82 Amaretto
• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 egg white

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients save for the egg white into a cocktail shaker, along with ice. Shake well.
• Double strain back into cocktail shaker. Dump out any ice leftover
• Add 1 egg white, then dry shake (without adding ice) a lot.
• Then single strain into a coffee cup
• Garnish with grated orange zest and grated coffee bean

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/4 oz Coffee liqueur
• ¼ oz Apricot liqueur
• ½ oz Amaretto
• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 egg white

Directions:

• Shake all of the ingredients in an ice filled shaker
• Pour into small coffee cup to serve

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Fifth competitor

Jillian from Hamilton

Theme: Scottish Hamilton Heritage

Name of the Cocktail: The Scottish Rite

Garnish: Mole & Spiced pear meringue

Glass: Champagne coupe glass

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 oz Pear Ferment
• ½ oz Black walnut orgeat
• 2 drops Tobacco bitters
• ¼ oz Orange Liqueur

Directions:

• Shake well, ensuring the lid is on tight (a message from the creator, as her shakers exploded during a competition one time)
• Double strain into a cooled Champagne coupe glass
• Garnish with molé & spiced pear meringue, burning it with a creme brulée torch on the top to make the meringue.

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 oz Pear juice
• ½ oz Orgeat
• 2 drops Angostura bitters
• ¼ oz Grand Marnier

Directions:

• Shake well, ensuring the lid is on tight
• Strain into a cooled Champagne coupe glass

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Sixth competitor

J.P. from Montreal

Theme: An afternoon berry picking with J.P.’s late Grandmother

Name of the Cocktail: Grandma Applause

Garnish: Serve with raspberry cookies in a full picnic basket, preferably with a nice picture of your grandmother and a label of Auchentoshan beside it

Glass: Highball

Ingredients:

• 1/2 handfull (6) raspberries
• ½ oz Tabarnak maple syrup
• ½ oz blueberry liqueur
• ½ oz Chai tea infused cream
• 1 oz Auchentoshan American Oak (the bartender uses 1.5 oz at home, so if you’re being responsible and not driving anywhere, feel free to use that version)
• 4 drops raspberry bitters (estimated, he likes to fill up to the first line on the dropper)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• Raspberry ginger beer that has been fermented with a bit of yeast

Directions:

• Muddle raspberries and maple syrup in cocktail shaker
• Add the rest of the ingredients save for the beer.
• Add ice, and do a “big hard shake”
• Fill highball glass with ice.
• Double strain into glasses, fill with Raspberry ginger beer.
• Serve with raspberry cookies in a full picnic basket, preferably with a nice picture of your grandmother and a label of Auchentoshan beside it.

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Look up a Kentucky Mule, a simple way to enjoy delicious ginger beer and whiskey.

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Seventh Competitor

Carolyn from Vancouver

Theme: The Rule of Three / Okanagan

Name: Rule of Threes

Garnish: Cherry and a barspoon

Glass: Highball

Ingredients:

• ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• ½ oz Auchentoshan 12
• ⅜ oz lime juice
• ½ oz mead starter
• 1 bar spoon local BC organic honey
• 4 macerated muddled Okanagan cherries
• 3 oz black tea cherry kefir
• Cherry kernal that has been chopped up into sugar to make dust
• Additional cherry kernals.

Directions:

• Add ice to shaker.
• Mix everything save the cherry kefir, cherry dust and cherry kernals in a shaker.
• Shake well.
• Rim chilled highball with sugar/cherry kernal dust (please be very careful making this, as the kernal contains cyanide, and too much will kill you, so please, please use more sugar than kernal. 1 kernal is enough to make 4 rims. Don’t drink a lot of these.)
• Set the additional cherry kernals and invert the glass over it to gather a smoke smell in it.
• Fill glass with ice.
• Add 3 oz black tea cherry kefir to the shaker
• Double strain into prepared highball glass
• Garnish with cherry and barspoon

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Have a beer.

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Eighth Competitor

Ray from ‘Toronto” (originally from Ireland, lived in Toronto 10 years now)

Theme: Toronto/New beginnings/Brunch

Name of Cocktail: “This other life” (Based on the Counting Crows album)

Garnish: Frozen watermelon, edible flowers, a full Canadian breakfast (eggs, bacon, hashbrowns), and mint

Glass: Rocks

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 oz fruit blend (pineapple, orange, mango)
• Dash Apricot/peach ferment syrup
• Dash fermented orange pekoe tea, passion fruit, rosehip, orange peel, and lemon peel syrup
• Prosecco sparkling wine

Directions:

• Add everything save the Prosecco to a rocks glass
• Stir in the glass
• Add frozen watermelon slice and a little ice
• Top with Prosecco sparkling wine
• Garnish with mint and edible flowers
• Serve besides a plate with Canadian breakfast

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 oz Pineapple juice
• Dash of orange blossom water
• Prosecco sparkling wine

Directions:

• Add everything save the Prosecco to a rocks glass
• Stir in the glass
• Add large ice cube
• Top with Prosecco sparkling wine

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Ninth Competitor

James from Toronto

Theme: Grandma who is battling cancer

Name of Cocktail: Patience

Garnish: Blackberries and lemon rind

Glass: Highball footed glass

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Double fermented peaches and cream corn kombucha
• ¾ oz full lemon juice (including peels shaken with the juice)
• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• Toasted coconut/tobacco bavarian cream

Directions:

• Add first three ingredients to a shaker, along with ice. “Throw” the cocktail back and forther with the strainer.
• Pour into chilled Highball footed glass that have ice in them
• Top with toasted coconut/tobacco bavarian cream
• Garnish with blackberry and freshly squeeze lemon rind

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

Ingredients:

• 2oz Auchentoshan
• 1oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 0.5oz 2:1 simple syrup
• 0.5oz egg white

Directions:

• Shake all ingredients with ice
• Strain back into the shaker and dry shake (shake without ice)
• Strain into ice filled glass

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Tenth Competitor (Overall Winner)

Andre from Sherbrooke, Quebec

Theme: Sherbrooke local fare / The poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henly

Name of the Cocktail: “Captain of my Soul”

Garnish: Ex-whisky barrel maple syrup that has been chemically changed to make bubbles, a slice of cheese, chocolate truffle, and a walnut

Glass: Small hurricane glass

Ingredients:

• 2 bar spoons wild ginger syrup
• 0.75 oz unripe plum juice
• 2 oz Fermented apples, juiced
• 1 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 barspoon lavender miso bitters

Directions:

• Add the first four ingredients to a mixing glass with ice in it. Stir it.
• Strain into chilled small hurricane glass
• Add lavender miso bitter.
• Garnish with whisky maple syrup that has been chemically changed to make bubbles
• Serve with pineapple, chocolate truffle, and pickled beet on the side.

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

There’s great things being done with craft beers now, maybe try one of those.

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Eleventh Competitor (Third place)

McKayla from Calgary

Theme: Everything you could borrow from a Neighbour in Calgary when you’re baking

Name of Cocktail: Good Neighbour

Garnish: Candied rhubarb ribbon, cooling rack for baking

Glass:  Footed coupe glass

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Macerated Saskatoon berries that were given two weeks to ferment into wine
• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• ⅓ oz Liqueur 33
• ¼ oz canola oil
• ½ oz lemon juice
• 7 drops Western Hashcat bitters
• 1 egg white

Directions:

• Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker and some ice
• Shake well
• Strain back into shaker
• Shake again
• Strain into chilled footed coupe glass
• Garnish with candied rhubarb ribbon
• Serve on cooling rack for baking

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

There’s some nice fruit beers out there that craft breweries are working on; check them out.

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Twelfth contestant (Second place)

Nick from Hamilton

Theme: Steel-Town Renaissance

Name: Ambitious City

Garnish: Freshly ground mustard seeds

Glass: Wine glass (that has been smoked with maple wood)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Auchentoshan American Oak
• 1 oz Heavily oversteeped Chamomile (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 cups of Chamomile flowers steeped overnight)
• 0.5 oz ascorbic acid solution
• 3 drops Spanish bitters
• 1 egg white
• 1.5 oz pineapple and mustard seed fermented syrup

Directions:

• Add all ingredients except the fermented syrup to shaker with ice. Shake really well
• Double strain back into shaker
• Add 1.5 oz pineapple and mustard seed fermented syrup
• Shake again
• Smoke wine glass with maple wood
• Pour directly into glass while facing Hamilton, garnish with freshly ground mustard seed

Devoz’s adjustments for beginners:

This is another drink which is not practical to replicate at home, so enjoy a nice glass of a floral white wine.

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Congratulations to all the contestants and all the winners! You all did an amazing job!