To create this dark, smooth cocktail, Suzy Critchlow of Washington, D.C.’s Columbia Room built upon her favorite classic Scotch cocktail, the Rob Roy, by adding crème de cacao and PX sherry—plus a hit of salt and lemon oil to “make it all pop.” It’s a combination all in service of the drink’s star ingredient. “I wanted to magnify some of my favorite notes in Dewar’s: fig and chocolate,” she says.
Seriously Mysterious
Suzy Critchlow, Columbia Room | Washington, D.C.

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 1/2 ounces Scotch, preferably Dewar’s 12 year
- 1 1/2 ounces red vermouth, preferably Lacuesta Vermouth Rojo
- 1 tbsp crème de cacao, preferably Tempus Fugit
- 1 tbsp PX sherry, preferably Gonzolas Byass Nectar Pedro Ximinéz
- 6 drops salt tincture (see Editor's Note)
- 2 dashes Bittercube Jamaican #1 Bitters
Garnish: lemon twist
Directions
- Combine ingredients into mixing glass.
- Stir and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Editor's Note
Salt Tincture
1/8 cup salt
3 1/2 ounces water
Combine two ingredients and dissolve.