Haunted Hill
from JFL at Rated R Cocktails, http://ratedrcocktails.com/

As Halloween draws near everyone on the Dark Isles cheers our great horror hero. No petrifying party is complete without a toast to Vincent Price. So raise your glasses Tikiheads to a true master of horror. If I was forced to name what I thought was the greatest horror movie ever, the answer wouldn't be too hard. It's no secret that we're huge Vincent Price fans here, and the original House on Haunted Hill is a must watch when this time of year rolls around.

In the movie the character Ruth Bridges continually orders "Scotch and…" as her drink of choice. While it appears she meant soda simply saying "and" gives a nut like me way to much creative license. It was the mid 50's and so everyone was smoking all the time adding even more inspiration. Islay scotch was a natural choice for this drink. [Islay Scotch has a smoky flavor.]

FMM: To me, this drink was too sour. We made them again using the measurements in parentheses and they were better. Still, I prefer Mai Tais to these, a rum drink which also uses orgeat syrup, or Whiskey Sours, which add a little sweetness to balance the lime juice.

1 ¼ oz Laphroaig Scotch [we used McClelland's Scotch Highland (the store did not have McClelland's Scotch Islay), which is much cheaper but gets good reviews] (1 1/4)
¾ oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth (1)
¾ oz fresh lime juice (1/2)
¼ oz fresh pineapple juice (1)
½ oz orgeat (1)

Shake together with ice and strain into a coupe, as pictured*. Garnish with miniature noose or a cheap cigarette or both.

The nose features wisps of smoke, lime, and light orange zest. The flavor marries very nicely; lime, orgeat, and pineapple swirl together in the center to unite in a tropically sweet and tart medley. The sweet vermouth provides a nice herbal note and it's sweetness marries well with the orgeat. Faint green smoke surrounds the front and finish of the drink but doesn't overtake the cocktail. The finish is zesty and slightly oakey with strong notes of citrus with wafts of smoke

*The old-school English champagne glass is enjoying a resurgence as a stylish, go-to choice for serving classic and elevated cocktails. The sturdy stem and rounded coupe bowl fit comfortably in the hand.