Skip to main content

How to Make a Blood and Sand Cocktail

How to Make a Blood and Sand Cocktail
Dan Baker/The Manual

The Blood and Sand cocktail dates back to the 1930s and is named after a movie of the same name starring Rudolph Valentino. In the movie, Valentino plays a bullfighter who falls in love with someone he shouldn’t. This affects his abilities in the bullfighting ring which, somewhat predictably, leads to his downfall.

There have been many iterations of this drink over the years, and we tried to stick closest to the original. While the Blood and Sand is traditionally a Scotch whisky drink, we decided to use American single malt whiskey instead, as we felt that the characteristics would fit perfectly in the cocktail. Instead of regular orange juice, though, we doubled down on the name and used blood orange juice, which creates a drink that is slightly sweeter than the original (if you can’t find it, regular orange juice works just fine). The mix of smokiness from the whiskey and sweetness from the brandy, vermouth, and blood orange juice offer up not only a visually appealing drink but one that is surprisingly refreshing considering the ingredients. It won’t make you want to get in the ring and become a matador, but it may inspire you to watch the cocktail’s namesake.

Related Videos
How to Make a Blood and Sand Flame
Dan Baker/The Manual

Below, check out our video showing how to make a rye smash cocktail shot by The Manual’s own Riley Young with Eddie Riddell at Trifecta Tavern in Portland, Oregon. Trifecta Tavern is open nightly and serves up an exquisitely curated cocktail program (thanks to Riddell) and a variety of seasonal dishes from executive chef Chris DiMinno.

How to Make a Blood and Sand Cocktail

Glass: Rocks
Tools: Shaker, lighter

  • .75 oz American single malt whiskey
  • .75 oz sweet red vermouth
  • .75 oz cherry brandy
  • .75 oz blood orange juice
  • Orange peel, for garnish

Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass. Take orange peel and flame it over the glass before dropping it in.

This recipe features Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky, the winner of the Single Malt Whiskey category in The Manual Spirit Awards 2019. If you’re looking to find other cocktail videos, we recommend checking out how to make a Bee’s Knees, a whiskey sour, a mojito, or a whiskey smash.

Further Reading

Editors' Recommendations

Here’s how to make a margarita, according to top bartenders
The only margarita recipes you'll ever need
margarita tequila cocktail lime strainer

The best margaritas do not grow on trees, nor do they show up in a can (although there are some tasty canned drinks these days). No, the tastiest version of the tequila classic is made fresh, with love and care and some wisdom from a couple of top bartenders.

It's a balancing act, for sure, but when it's dialed-in, the margarita is one of the best and most refreshing cocktails ever devised. The classic mix of agave spirit, lime, salt, and a touch of sweetness is great alone or with any number of dishes, especially within Mexican cuisine (the nation where the drink was born).

Read more
Expert pitmasters reveal their top tips to make smoked brisket
Expert pitmasters shows us how to make smoked brisket
hill country barbecue market brisket 3

No one can argue that smoked meat is one of the great joys in life. If someone does, immediately unfriend them — they are not worthy of your time. Kidding, but only kind of. And while we love all pieces of smoked meat, from sausages to ribs and beyond, there’s something truly special about biting into a perfect piece of brisket, with its pink smoke ring, flavorful bark, and juicy meat that is just the right texture. While we’ve cooked many briskets in the oven in our day, smoked brisket is a much bigger undertaking, especially if you’re new to the backyard barbecue game.

New York City barbecue has been coming into its own during the past decade, which can be seen in the city’s many meaty festivals that take place every year. (Don't believe us? Check out this episode of Beards, Booze, and Bacon with Arrogant Swine's Tyson Ho.) One such event, Brisket King NYC, which has been going on for over ten years and draws pitmasters from near and far to compete for the best brisket in the city. This year, top pitmasters will be throwing down for the title on April 26, 2023, in what is sure to be a meat-tastic day.

Read more
Bubbly? Full-bodied and red? Zesty and white? Your favorite wine types, explained
All the primary types of wine (and everything you need to know about them)
Glasses of different kinds of wine

Trying to understand everything about wine all at once is an impossible endeavor. Wine is a beautifully complicated, ever-changing quiddity, and even the most decorated and prestigious wine experts in the world often find themselves confounded by its constant little surprises.
That isn't to say that, if you care to, you shouldn't become educated on the subject of wine. It's a hobby and a passion that's tremendously fun to pursue, and there's much to learn on the matter.
If you find yourself in the beginning stages of your wine education, just as in everything, you'll want to start with the basics. It's possible that up until now, you haven't put much thought into the several different kinds of wine there are, except for, say, red and white. But while there are obviously exceptions within every hard and fast rule, for the most part, wine can be broken down into roughly nine categories. Here we'll take a minute to break those categories down, explain what they mean, which wines fall into them, and, our favorite - how to drink those wines.

Sparkling wine

Read more