Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel & Cocktail Recipes to try out!

Scotch whisky brand Ballantine’s has unveiled its latest offering: Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel.  The new expression from the Pernod Ricard-owned brand blends Scottish and American traditions to deliver a whisky with depth and a touch of sweetness.

Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel is distilled by blending single malts and single-grain Scotch whiskies that are aged in oak casks for a minimum of seven years, before being finished in charred American barrels, sourced from Kentucky. It is a tribute to founder George Ballantine who was ageing and selling seven-year-old Whisky back in the 1870s, despite the fact that ageing whisky was not common practice then.

Thanks to the 7-year-old ageing process and the finish in American barrels, the whisky combines the depth and complexity of Scotch with the sweet, creamy notes afforded by the American barrels to give you the best of both worlds.

On the nose, the Whisky features sweet toffee apples mixed with honey and vanilla. The palate finds red apples echoing the nose, intermingled with ripe pear and creamy caramel. The finish is long and sweet.

Innovation is in our blood and with Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel we wanted to clash global whisky cultures to create a unique Scotch whisky with a richer taste.  The 7-years of oak cask ageing brings more depth and complexity than Ballantine’s Finest, combined with the American Barrel maturation, it brings in extra layers of richness, creaminess and caramel sweetness.

Nthabiseng Motsoeneng, Marketing Director, Pernod Ricard South African & Sub-Saharan Africa adds

Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel was created for those who dabble in traditional Scotch or American whiskey, it’s for expanding the palette or the answer to the search of a sweeter taste.   

“A great way to enjoy Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel is in an Old Fashioned, with a couple of dashes of orange bitters to complement the sweet notes of the whisky.  However, it’s also delicious neat, on the rocks or with a premium mixer like soda, ginger ale or cola for extra refreshment.”

Samuel Phasha, National Brand Ambassador for Ballantine’s at Pernod Ricard South Africa adds

Here are five cocktails to enjoy with Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel:

Old Fashioned

A classic Old Fashioned is a short drink that tastes perfectly sweet, spicy and smooth. The mixture of bitters and whisky creates a rich, intense serve, sweetened by the addition of a muddled sugar cube.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel
• 1 brown cane sugar cube
• 4 dashes of orange bitters
• Orange peel for garnish
• Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Add the sugar cube to a tumbler and soak with the bitters
2. Muddle into a paste
3. Add the ice cubes, pour over the Ballantine’s and stir for a couple of minutes
4. Add your orange peel garnish, and more ice cubes if required.
5. Enjoy!

Ballantine’s 7 & Ginger Ale

Spicy and refreshing in one.  Kick up a gear with the classic pairing of Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel and Ginger Ale.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ballantine’s 7
• Ginger Ale
• Lime wedge
• Ice

How to make it:

1. Fill a highball glass with Ice and pour in a shot of Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel
2. Top with ginger ale and stir
3. Squeeze and drop in a large pair of lime

Hot Toddy

Curl up by the fire and stir some spice into the last for the cold winter evenings with this classic cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel
• 3 Teaspoons Honey
• 15 ml Lemon Juice
• 1 Cinnamon stick snapped in half
• 2 Cloves
• Boiling water

How to make it:

1. Add whisky, honey and lemon juice together in a heatproof glass
2. Top up with boiling water
3. Add lemon and cloves
4. Enjoy!

Whisky Sour

This cocktail is 150 years old, yet you’ll still find it in the trendiest bars.  Now give it a go with Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel.

Ingredients

• 50ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 12.5ml Egg White
• Angostura Bitters
• Ice

How to make it:

1. Fill a glass with ice and put it to the side
2. Grab a cocktail shaker and top it up with ice
3. Pour in the Ballantine’s, lemon juice and egg white
4. Shake hard for about 20 seconds to chill the liquid really well
5. Strain the mix into a glass filled with ice and add 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Ballantine’s 7 Sweet Iced Tea

This sweet and refreshing pick-me-up is guaranteed to make you the best host at the braai.  If it doesn’t rain, that is.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ballantine’s 7
• 70ml Unsweetened tea
• Soda water
• 1tsp Cane Syrup
• Lemon wedges
• Mint
• Ice

How to make it:

1. Brew the unsweetened tea, add cane syrup and sugar and allow to cool
2. Fill the glass with ice, lemon and mint
3. Add Ballantine’s and tea, then top with soda water

For further information on Ballantine’s, and to get a variety of cocktail recipes go to www.ballantines.com/en-za