Another in the group of 'just a cube or two' is the Scotch based Blood and Sand. Often served as a Cocktail, I feel this does it injustice because the viscosity and sweetness are too high - not too high to drink, just too high to drink without ice. Frankly if you can master this AND the Old Fashioned, you can go a long time without opening another recipe book. So . . .

BLOOD AND SAND
1.5 oz    scotch
.5 oz      red vermouth
.5 oz      cherry liqueur
.75 oz    orange juice

Making this drink is a lot like visiting Disneyland. You can buy a map and join a tour group and come away with some sense of the truth of it. But in the end you're ahead to throw caution to the winds and go with the Force. Every element is a variable that creates a new drink. The upside is none of them are bad.

To start, conventional wisdom calls for Blended, but I have found that Glenlivet Nadurra, for example, makes a powerful drink, tempered by honor rather than grace. Say, Achilles more than Hector. Recently I have been making it with Swing, a Johnnie Walker Gold-like product. Your blend must have strength to work, and by the same token your single malt must be very subtle.

For a cleaner version, use a nice Irish in place of the scotch. Same drink but more modern if you will. Without the heathery peat elements you end up with Saab rather than a Peugeot.

Second, the red vermouth is mostly a bone structure element, but your choice will alter the direction of the drink [as opposed to the cherry choice which will alter the depth]. Traditional French ones are too herbal/floral and I think tangle with the scotch. Two I have found that work marvelously, are the Carpano Antica, which lends a very elegant richness to the drink, and Vya's Red. The California brashness gives it body without foral or sweetness - kind of a young-ish Paul Newman quality.

Finally the cherry liqueur matters. The original called for Cherry Heering.Truly a unique and useful liqueur. The cherry flavor is solid, but for me there is a raisiny spice component that demands too much attention. A half step to the center is Combier's Roi Cherry from France. Same bitter pie cherry taste but without the raisin spice element. Another half step away from the center, is Milady's Cherry from Moldova. A very bright fresh blood color that is pure sweet cherry. As you move from Heering to Combier to Milady's the resulting drink gets bright and lighter. And the scotch shows up a bit more.

The orange juice is what it is. Stay away from the pulpy stuff; it clogs up the drink. This needs an orange more toward the citrus end to work. Blood orange or any hybrid is either too pronounced or too sharp.

The prep is quite simple:
Add ingredients to shaker
Add ice
Shake till moderately chilled [per instructions on Shaking]
Add 1 2" cube to a rocks glass.
Strain drink into rocks glass.

It needs more ice than the Old Fashioned but less than a packed glass. All 4 of the elements are big. They need containment but should not be numbed into submission.