I'm asking this seriously... but is it even legal to make good cocktails in Scotland?
I ask this because I only really started drinking cocktails after I moved to the States, the birthplace of the mixed drink. Even dive bars here tend to have a cocktail menu. The first time I ordered a gin & tonic here, I felt liking asking if I could some tonic in it, it was that strong. Most of the the cocktails I drink now are pretty much pure liquor: a manhattan is 2:1 whiskey to vermouth; and a decent martini is gin waved in the general direction of Italy. If I recall correctly, Scottish licensing laws mean that spirits can be only be served in 25ml or 35ml increments, which has got to make blending stiff drinks pretty difficult (or at least expensive).
Edinburgh has some ridiculously good cocktail bars - Raconteur (currently relocating but doing stints at picardy place and headed by one of the world's top bartenders), Bramble and more recently stockbridge newcomer The Last Word. Even some lesser bars like Bon Vivant can stir up a good Negroni or Sazerac. Not sure about Glasgow - i've heard it's pretty dire for cocktails - the blythswood seems to be rated but most people i know who have visited haven't been too impressed.
I actually prefer UK measurements for a cocktail most of the time and personally, the cocktail bars i've been to in the UK make more refined drinks than counterparts in the US. mind you some of the better cocktail bars in the US have started serving UK sized cocktails which are a tad smaller - keeps the drink cooler for their duration and lets you allow a greater variety of drinks over an evening without getting sloshed.
saying that i also prefer an amount of (fresh) vermouth in my martinis that i can actually taste, otherwise its just frozen gin, though dukes in london literally serve it that way (keep the gin in the freezer, no stirring with ice to dilute).
ps if you are in portland check out Clyde Common if you havent already. the head bartender jeffrey morganthaler is pretty much a world leader in his field (and pioneered modern barrel ageing of cocktails). the bar itself is perhaps a bit more high-volume than most other top end cocktail bars around the world, but still pumps out great drinks and solid food.
