#5 – BLOOD AND SAND at HIGHLANDS

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

SADLY, HIGHLANDS IS NOW CLOSED.
Scotland will always have a special place in my heart. I spent a summer in Edinburgh many years ago doing a production of The Adding Machine at the Fringe Festival. It was among the best times of my life. I got to be in a beautiful country during one of the most energetic times of the year. There was romance, art, and lots of fried food.

The only thing I wish I had explored more while I was there was scotch. There were plenty of opportunities for tastings and tours, but back in college, I had yet to develop a taste for peaty, smoky, smooth brown liquor.

That’s all changed since 2000. Now I’ll order a single malt, neat. No ice, no water, just me and the alcohol! Who’s a tartan now??

I’ve been to many scotch bars in the city, but one I hadn’t visited yet was Highlands in the West Village. I had walked by before and peeked in and it looks much more like a casual, hip Southern restaurant than a scotch bar that serves food.

But as I sat in the front bar area, the dark, dim atmosphere transported me back to Scotland. If the extensive scotch list and gutbomb food didn’t seal the deal, the wallpaper on the bathroom (depicting grisly scenes in a beautiful Scotland park) sure did.

We ordered the TONY list item, a classic cocktail called Blood and Sand, which is named in honor of an old movie starring Rita Hayworth and Rudolph Valentino about a bullfighter. I’m not familiar with the movie and to be honest, I wasn’t too familiar with the drink itself. I must have had it in the past, but am certainly no connoisseur. I told you I prefer my scotch, neat, not shaken, not stirred, nothing added.

The Blood and Sand is a mix of scotch (Glenrothes Special Reserve, in this case), cherry heering, orange juice, and bitters. Pretty simple and straightforward and it works well enough.

I thought the proportions here were pretty accurate – no flavor was overwhelming but you got a sense of the spicy scotch, the citrusy orange juice, and the deep touch of sweetness from the cherry liqueur. In a way, I think maybe the flavors were a little too balanced and I wanted a bit more of a contrast. It felt like something was missing. Perhaps the scotch they used was not smoky enough. I wished there was a little more play between the Blood (the cherry) and the sand (the scotch) to give it a bit more depth.

But the libation was very drinkable and certainly well-balanced. This coming from a guy who prefers his scotch strong and up-front.

Would Highlands’ Blood and Sand make my Top 100 of the year? 7 out of 10 because it was a nice take on a classic cocktail, but I’d have been just as happy with the scotch and hold the additions.