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The Blood and Sand cocktail was initially rejected by the author of "The Craft of the Cocktail," Dale DeGroff. He called it "a god-awful mix." 


After trying it, he was convinced otherwise. Erik Eastman couldn't figure out why DeGroff wrote it off in the first place and he joined All Things Considered host Tom Crann to talk about this seasonal cocktail that has the potential to please a variety of palates. 

Eastman is the co-founder of Easy & Oskey, a company with a line of make-your-own bitters kits. The key to the cocktail is in the preparation — and that starts with the ingredients. There are only four, so getting them right is important. 

"Excellent ingredients make excellent cocktails," Eastman said.

Blood oranges are in season now, so this is the time to make the drink. 

Make sure your vermouth is nice and fresh, and feel free to use sweet or dry vermouth. "It depends on your tolerance or affinity for sweetness in the drink," said Eastman. 

The quality of the scotch doesn't have to be too high, but that depends on the preference of who is crafting the drink, Eastman said. 


"A lot of people have that bottle of Johnnie Walker Red sitting there on their bar cart," he says. "Maybe they don't quite know what to use it for. Maybe it's not their favorite scotch but they got it for a gathering a while back and this is a perfect application for that scotch."
  


For the cherry component, Eastman recommends the sour cherry liqueur from Tattersall, a local distillery.

The Blood and Sand highlights the combination of scotch and seasonally appropriate citrus, with the vermouth and cherry liqueur providing additional richness and depth. No need to use the bottle of special occasion scotch, something like Johnnie Walker Red works well here.
 


1.5 oz freshly squeezed blood orange juice

1/4 tsp Easy & Oskey Black Pepper Bitters
 

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with clean ice. Shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds, and strain through a fine mesh strainer* into your favorite cocktail glass. No garnish.
 

*Straining through a fine mesh strainer will remove the little shards of ice and bits of pulp from the freshly squeezed citrus juice, resulting in a more elegantly textured cocktail. You can find cocktail strainers locally at kitchen supply stores like Kitchen Window and Cooks of Crocus Hill, and online.

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Now is the perfect time to enjoy this underrated seasonal cocktail.

Appetites: The Blood and Sand cocktail

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