Whisky Mac
A Whisky Mac is 50ml of blended Scotch and 25ml of green ginger wine, poured into a rocks glass and stirred once, with no ice or a single cube and no garnish. About 2.3 UK units, taking the ginger wine at 13.5% ABV. Green ginger wine is made from a raisin base with ginger, not a mixer or a cordial, so the drink stays short and still, closer to a stirred spirit than to a highball. The ginger brings heat and the raisin a dark sweetness, and both suit a blended Scotch. Published recipes range from equal parts to three of whisky to two of wine. Two to one, as here, keeps the whisky in front and the sugar down. The name is attributed to Colonel Hector MacDonald in the days of the British Raj; nothing from the time confirms it.
Glassware: Rocks Glass
Garnish: None
Ingredients
50ml
Blended Scotch at 40% ABV, the traditional choice. A fruity Speyside malt suits the raisin in the wine; a heavily peated one clashes with the ginger.
25ml
Stone’s, the familiar brand, is 13.5% ABV and dates its recipe to 1740. It is made from a raisin base with ginger. Stone’s declares sulphites; check the bottle.
Instructions
Pour the Scotch and the green ginger wine into a rocks glass.
Stir once with a bar spoon.
Serve without ice, or add a single large cube on a mild evening.
Expert Tip
Use a recently opened bottle of ginger wine. Once open it fades, losing ginger heat before it loses sugar, so an old bottle makes a sweet, flat drink with nothing obviously wrong. Pour it at room temperature and skip the ice if you can. The drink is there to warm you, and chilling mutes the ginger. On a mild evening, one large cube is fine. If it tastes harsh rather than warming, look at the whisky before the ratio. Peat argues with ginger; a plain blend or a fruity Speyside sits with it.
Behind the Whisky Mac
Flavour Profile
The Origin
The Whisky Mac is attributed to Colonel Hector MacDonald, said to have devised it while serving in India during the British Raj. Nothing written at the time confirms it, and the story is better known than any evidence behind it.
Ginger wine predates the Whisky Mac. Stone’s, the familiar name on British shelves, dates its recipe to 1740.
Ginger Wine Is Wine
Green ginger wine is made from a raisin base with ginger, at about 13.5% ABV in the case of Stone’s. It is not a cordial, and in law it is neither a wine nor a fortified wine.
Because both bottles are still and neither needs lengthening, the drink sits closer to a stirred spirit than to a highball. That is why it is served short and at room temperature: chilling mutes the heat it is meant to bring.
The Ratio
Published recipes go from equal parts to three of whisky to two of wine. Two to one keeps the Scotch in front; equal parts is sweeter and hotter, a drink for the coldest night.
Whisky Mac ratios, with green ginger wine at 13.5% ABV
Two to one
- Scotch
- 50ml
- Ginger wine
- 25ml
- UK units
- About 2.3
- Character
- Whisky in front, least sweet
Three to two
- Scotch
- 45ml
- Ginger wine
- 30ml
- UK units
- About 2.2
- Character
- Even
Equal parts
- Scotch
- 45ml
- Ginger wine
- 45ml
- UK units
- About 2.4
- Character
- Sweetest, most ginger
| Ratio | Scotch | Ginger wine | UK units | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two to one | 50ml | 25ml | About 2.3 | Whisky in front, least sweet |
| Three to two | 45ml | 30ml | About 2.2 | Even |
| Equal parts | 45ml | 45ml | About 2.4 | Sweetest, most ginger |
The Whisky
Blended Scotch suits it and loses nothing here: the ginger is loud enough to cover the detail of a fine malt.
A fruity Speyside is the step up, because its dried fruit and honey meet the raisin in the wine. Heavy peat is the one to avoid, since smoke and ginger fight each other.
For a long, sparkling drink of Scotch and ginger, make a whisky and ginger ale instead.
How to Serve It
In a rocks glass, unchilled, stirred once and handed to someone just in from the cold. It takes no garnish.
Make it at home
The Spirit
Whisky (Scotch)Scotch is whisky distilled and matured in Scotland, kept in oak for three years at the least, and bottled no weaker than 40% ABV. The law allows only three ingredients, water, malted barley and whole grains of other cereals, and only water and plain caramel colouring may be added later. Fifteen recipes in our library call for it, from the Penicillin and Hot Toddy to the Rob Roy.
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Whisky Mac?
Ice or no ice?
What whisky suits it?
What ratio should I pour?
How strong is a Whisky Mac?
Who was the Whisky Mac named after?
Is a Whisky Mac the same as whisky and ginger ale?
Does green ginger wine contain allergens?
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 12 October 2026