March 05, 2025

Wilderness Champions: The American Bar at Gleneagles

The American Bar at Gleneagles – A Celebration of Nature, Craft, and Creativity

Nestled within the iconic Gleneagles Hotel, The American Bar is an intimate, elegant space where sophistication meets the wild beauty of Scotland. Inspired by the glamour of the 1920s and 30s, this cocktail bar is renowned for its artistry, impeccable craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Winners of the World's Best Cocktail Menu in 2023 and recent recipients of 2 pins from the Pinnacle Awards 2025 (The Michelin equivalent for bars and one of only 2 pin winners in Scotland), Michele and the team are world renowned for their creativity and skill.

At the heart of The American Bar is a deep connection to nature, woven into every aspect of its cocktail experience. The team draws inspiration from Scotland’s untamed landscapes, foraging ingredients from the Gleneagles estate and embracing the botanical richness of the wild.

So when, back in early 2024, we were approached to work with them on their latest menu, we of course jumped at the chance.

Their latest menu, The Rose Compendium, celebrates components from Gleneagles’ own ecosystems such as utilising roses grown on the estate. Hyperlocal, Scottish flora and ingredients are provided by local producers to craft a variety of rose-based ingredients. Ingredients like quince and blackberries (both of which are members of the Rosaceae family) are carefully selected to showcase nature’s depth and complexity. Sustainability is key, with creative repurposing of elements, such as transforming leftover pastries into cocktail components, ensuring that nothing is wasted.

For the pinnacle of the menu, the Gleneagles team wanted to create a twisted version of the classic Rob Roy (itself a twist on the Manhattan made with Scotch). Traditionally this cocktail is served as either sweet, perfect or dry, depending on the amount of vermouth added, but the team decided to flip this on its head and create the same flavour profiles using different whiskies from The Glenturret.

Buck & Birch were tasked with creating a vermouth that would marry with all 3 whiskies, as well as tell the terroir story of the local landscape. over the next 12 months we worked closely with the team, with Rupert taking them out foraging and preparing numerous samples to get the balance just right.

The end result is a beautiful balance of local bitter herbs - sea wormwood being the star - and sweet rosehip that perfectly compliments the various whiskies in the stunning The Amber Stem cocktail.

If that wasn't enough we are also have our Quince liqueur featured in another of their beautiful creations

The Bitter Shrub white negroni champions our exquisite (their words not ours) quince liqueur combined with Roku gin and a Gentian liqueur in a classic three-ingredient Negroni format. Sweet, floral and herbal with an unctuous mouthfeel, our co-founder Tom will also testify that the blue cheese stuffed olive garnish is quite simply incredible.

Emilio Giovanazzi - Head Bartender at The American Bar

We loved working with the team at Buck & Birch. The depth of knowledge they have regarding flora and fauna of Scotland is vast and they were incredibly flexible to our needs. We would never have known that Japanese knotweed, an invasive species, makes an incredible base wine for a vermouth.

We like to keep close relationships with our surrounding suppliers and support their businesses. Why attempt to make a vermouth from scratch when we can outsource to an expert who has much more expertise in the field and can open new doors and showcase new ingredients and flavours?

The vermouth is the only part of The Rose Compendium to actually contain roses. The base wine is a split of Japanese knotweed and primrose and birch wines that gives the Amber Stem a stunning herbaceousness and very gentle acidity, which is one of the factors setting it apart from classic Rob Roys. Fruitiness comes from rose hips and the sweetness is balanced perfectly for all three whiskies and allows them to showcase the dry, perfect and sweet iterations beautifully.

Emilio Giovanazzi | American Bar Head Bartender

---

Looking to emulate the fantastic cocktails at The American Bar?

MAKE THEM AT HOME

You may not get the chance to visit The American Bar anytime soon so why not whip up a version of these great cocktails at home? See below for our alternative versions

The Amber Stem