Scotts Restaurant & Bar Beverage Manager Jimmy Ponce has this to say about the luxury libation: “If paired properly with the right ingredients, Scotch [whisky] can come to life in a way you would not have expected.” His modern riff on the Rusty Nail uses Cotswolds single-malt whisky, which has flavors of honey, butterscotch, dark sugar, spice and Seville orange marmalade. It's stirred with Lagavulin 16-year single malt Scotch whisky, Becherovka liqueur, Drambuie and whiskey barrel-aged bitters; served on an ice sphere; and garnished with an orange peel. 927 F St. NW, 202.628.7000, scottsrestaurants.com

ODE TO DALE Neighborhood Restaurant Group Spirits Manager Nick Farrell's summer elixir is an homage to legendary American barman Dale DeGroff's Whiskey Smash. At Vermilion, Farrell shakes bourbon and Laphroaig single-malt Scotch whisky (which has black pepper and cardamom notes in addition to peatiness) with strawberries, lemon wedges, mint leaves, saba and lemon. “Scotch has a lot going on... but all those flavors also have affinities,” he says. “Islay single malts like Laphroaig can stand up to stronger flavors.” 1120 King St., Alexandria,703.684.9669, vermilionrestaurant.com

SPILL THE TEA The Next Whisky Bar's chief mixtress, Rachel Sergi, says the three types of casks used to finish Auchentoshan single-malt Scotch whisky—bourbon, oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximenez sherry—add complexity to this seasonal cocktail. She builds the drink in the glass over ice with Lillet Blanc, burnt orange cordial, lemon verbena tea, and expressed lemon and orange oils, adorned with a long orange horse_neck garnish. Her inspiration? “A summer sweet tea with depth.” The Watergate Hotel, 2650 Virginia Ave. NW, 202.827.1600, thewatergatehotel.com