Scorpion
Serves 5 small drinks · 5 minutes · Five small rocks glasses
Last updated 1 November 2026
This Scorpion follows the contemporary Trader Vic-style bowl recipe published by PUNCH and updated by Richard Boccato. Rum, Cognac, almond orgeat and citrus form a shared batch, divided into five small individual drinks. There is no flaming garnish or additional overproof pour.
Ingredients
- — 300ml rum (40% ABV assumed)
- — 60ml Cognac (40% ABV assumed)
- — 90ml almond orgeat syrup
- — 120ml fresh lemon juice
- — 90ml orange juice
- — 1 cup crushed ice for blending
- — Ice cubes for serving
- — Citrus peel, optional garnish
Method
- Set out five small glasses. Measure the rum, Cognac, orgeat, lemon and orange into an ice-rated blender.
- Add one cup crushed ice and blend briefly to combine. Stop the motor before opening or scraping the jug.
- Divide the entire mixture, including its ice, equally between the five glasses. Add a few fresh ice cubes to each and optional citrus peel.
- Serve the five measured portions. Do not pour the whole batch into one large glass or add an alcoholic flaming garnish.
The classic vs the spiced version
The batch follows PUNCH’s liquid proportions, converted at 30ml per ounce, with five individual servings and a no-flame garnish. Use 300ml Dilay instead of the batch’s rum only for a labelled spiced adaptation; do not add it on top. This is our proposed substitution, not a kitchen-tested claim.
Tips for getting it right
- — PUNCH lists four to five servings and says to divide by five for an individual portion. We fix the yield at five so the units have one clear denominator.
- — The batch contains 360ml spirits. At 40% for both, it is 14.4 UK units in total, not 2.88 units for the bowl.
- — Orgeat contains almond; check allergies. Our no-flame garnish deliberately omits the source’s optional extra overproof alcohol.
Related serves
Related recipe: Fog Cutter
Related recipe: Spiced Rum Punch
Frequently asked questions
How many servings does this make?
Five small drinks, divided equally. Each receives the equivalent of 60ml rum and 12ml Cognac. At the assumed 40% strengths that is 2.88 UK units each.
Does a Scorpion need to be lit?
No. Fire is optional in the source and omitted here. There is no extra overproof garnish in these ingredients or unit calculations.
Dilay 1949 is our own spiced rum, for sipping as well as mixing. Any substitution described above is a maker’s adaptation, not part of the credited specification.
BUY DILAY 1949 PANJABI SPICED RUMRecipe references
Our method and spiced adaptations are described separately from the referenced classic specifications.
Approx. 2.88 UK units per serving from the measured alcoholic ingredients. Where a source gives US fluid ounces, our rounded conversion uses 30ml per ounce. Stated strengths are calculation assumptions, not verified specifications for every bottle. Bitters use an explicit house measure of 1ml per dash, not a universal dash conversion. Check all labels; dilution does not remove alcohol.
Please drink responsibly. 18+. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.