john wood

1/3 jigger Whisky (1 oz Buchanan's 12 Year Blended Scotch)
1/3 jigger Sweet Vermouth (1 oz Dolin)
1 spoon Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1 spoon Kümmel (1/4 oz Helbing)
2 drop Bitters (1 dash Angostura)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for my 1934 reprint of Boothby's World Drinks and How to Mix Them. There, I spotted a Rob Roy variation that reminded me a lot of the hint of citrus and sweetener structure that appeared frequently in James Maloney 1900-vintage The Twentieth-Century Cocktail Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks such as in the Manhattan Bell Ringer (his Manhattan sans apricot rinse "bell ringer" also has lemon and simple in it). Interestingly, this "whisky" drink that I interpreted as Scotch appeared in the Savoy Cocktail Book a few years prior as an Irish whiskey one. Given the commonness of the name John Wood, I was unable to even make an educated guess as to whom the drink was named after. Once mixed, it offered a smokey and grape aroma. A crisp lemon, malt, and grape sip gracefully transitioned to a Scotch swallow with a bit of savory spice on the finish.