Blood & Sand: Classic, Variations, & a Modern Twist

Watch our Tutuorial on how to make a classic Blood & Sand cocktail!

The Classic Cocktail

The Blood & Sand cocktail is a Scotch-based cocktail named after the 1922 silent film of the same name. The film, starring Rudolph Valentino, centered around a bullfighter. The "blood" was the vermouth & cherry liqueur, and the "sand" was the orange juice. The most widely used drink version uses equal parts of scotch, orange juice, sweet vermouth, and cherry liqueur. The recipe first appears in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930.

This drink is an exciting cocktail to have up your sleeve for the indecisive or cocktail-curious customer. For an extra impressive flair, we prefer to garnish with a flamed orange zest. We recommend reaching for a blended scotch for your base spirit. Once you've mastered the original portions (all equal parts), play around with proportions to cater to you and your guests' palate! In contemporary cocktail bars, the scotch is often increased to 11/2 oz, with orange juice kept around 3/4 - 1 oz, while vermouth and Cherry Heering can stay at 3/4 or cut back to 1/2 an oz. The Waldorf Astoria cocktail book recommends using blood oranges for the citrus component.

Variations, Cocktail Inspiration, & Modern Twists

In recent years, The Blood & Sand has received several makeovers. Check out Charolette Voisley's variation, The Blood & Sanguinello, which uses Solerno liqueur with grapefruit & lemon juice. Ryan Casey in Charleston, South Carolina, uses two orange liqueurs instead of juice and transforms this cocktail into a stirred cocktail.

Begin with our original recipe tutorial & get creative from there! Have fun and enjoy!

Here’s how to make it:

In your shaker add: 3/4 oz Scotch, 3/4 oz Cherry Heering, 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth, & 3/4 oz Orange Juice

Shake with ice for 15 seconds. Double strain to chilled coupe glass.

Garnish with a flamed orange zest.