Whisky is often enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but cocktails aren’t just for Gin, Rum or Vodka.
With a breadth of flavour combinations, and Burns Night just around the corner, it’s time to make Whisky the star of your cocktail bar. Even if the spirit isn’t your go-to tipple, there are plenty of flavours to explore that will tickle your taste buds.
As you raise a toast to Robert Burns, you want to honour him with the good stuff. The team at drinks retailer Bottle Club have compiled their mostpopular scotch whisky cocktails, along with recipes for you to try at home.
Popular Scotch Whisky Cocktails:
Robert Burns Cocktail
The Robert Burns is one of the classic cocktails that pays tribute to another of Scotland’s finest exports.
The drink itself is a delightful, sophisticated mix that builds on the scotch-vermouth combination of Rob Roy. The addition of absinthe brings in a nice contrasting flavour, though be sure to keep this accent to a dash, as it can easily overpower the drink.
If absinthe is a bit too much for your taste, there is a variation called the Bobby Burns which omits absinthe for Bénédictine.
It is a Scottish tradition to celebrate the poet Burns’ birthday on January 25th of each year, and whether this drink was named for him or not, it is a fantastic choice for the evening’s libation.
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces Scotch Whisky
- ¾ Ounce Sweet Vermouth
- Dash Orange Bitters
- Dash Absinthe
Rusty Nail Cocktail
Image: The Spruce
The Rusty Nail is the ultimate Scotch cocktail. It’s a very simple mix of scotch and Drambuie that is served on the rocks. This is designed to be a sophisticated, slow-sipping drink, and it’s excellent after dinner.
Feel free to switch from blended to single malts and explore various brands, choosing a variety that is as top-shelf as you wish. You may also want to adjust the ratio of the two spirits to fit your taste, as well as the type of whisky you’re pouring at the moment.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Ounces Scotch Whisky
- ¾ Ounce Drambuie
The Rob Roy
The Rob Roy cocktail was named after an operetta that narrated the story of a great Scottish folk hero who supported the poor.
Image: Pexels
A Scotch version of the classic Manhattan cocktail, a Rob Roy replaces bourbon or rye whisky with Scotch. The Rob Roy ingredients are also similar to that of a classic Old Fashioned, but the Rob Roy recipe uses sweet vermouth instead of sugar syrup for a richer flavour.
Best served by putting the cocktail glass in the freezer to ensure the Rob Roy stays cold, as the drink is served without ice. Stirring a Rob Roy cocktail rather than shaking is critical in delicate cocktails with few ingredients, so not to over dilute the drink.
Ingredients
- 60ml Scotch Whisky
- 25ml Sweet Vermouth
- Dash Angostura Bitters
- Cherry (Garnish)
Hot Toddy
A good Toddy has been said to jump-start mornings, cure colds and play furnace on a frigid evening. Many people believe that its first use was as a medicinal aid, as liquor was known to numb pain, while citrus and sugar (or honey) could soothe a sore throat.
Image: Millennial Magazine
This recipe comes from San Francisco bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout and features whiskey, hot water, demerara sugar and a clove-studded lemon peel. Fortunately, the Toddy is very easy to make.
Grab your favourite mug, and heat it with some boiling water, similar to how you chill a Martini glass. After a minute or two, throw away the water, and build your drink in the same mug by combining your spirit with sugar and more hot water.
Ingredients
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Lemon Peel
- 2 TSP Demerara Sugar
- ¼ Ounce Lemon Juice
- 2 Ounces Whiskey
Ruby Queen
The Ruby Queen recipe was developed by Rob Krueger of Extra Fancy in New York City.
Though it is filled with a couple of unusual ingredients, the Ruby Queen is quite easy to mix up. You will need to prepare or acquire fresh beet juice and take a few minutes to make a fresh honey syrup.
Image: Pinterest
It’s a surprise when you taste just how well scotch works against this sweetened vegetable profile, whilst most of us will prefer a more neutral spirit for such a distinct flavour like beets, the whisky adds a depth that vodka and gin cannot.
Simply pour and shake like any other drink and you will have a savoury drink that will rival any Bloody Mary.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Ounces Scotch Whiskey
- 1 Ounce Fresh Red Beet Juice
- ¾ Ounce Honey Syrup
- ¾ Ounce Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh Dill or Tarragon (Garnish)
- Lemon Twist (Garnish)
Burns Night Recipes
Cranachan
Scotland has a wonderful relationship with desserts and none more so, or more traditional, than with Scottish cranachan. A cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe that includes oats, raspberries, cream, malt whisky, and honey; the ingredients are then layered for a pretty presentation. It’s a festive sweet that is perfect to round off a Burns’ Night supper beautifully.
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces Steel Cut Oats
- 8 Ounces Fresh Raspberries
- 1 Pint Heavy Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Good Quality Malt Whisky
- 1 Tbsp Honey (Optional)
NOTE: Many recipes suggest a malt Whisky, and good quality – a few recipes have specifically specified Glenfiddich or Glenlivet.
Tips for cooking with whisky: ““Many chefs compare using whisky to using salt, as it brings out the flavor of the food. During cooking, the evaporation of the alcohol concentrates the barley malt and then caramelizes sugars in the spirit”
Whisky Sauce
Whisky sauce for haggis. It’s a no-brainer, right? Two of Scotland’s finest products paired together in a delicious meal! Of course, this whisky sauce can also be a great accompaniment to other meats like steak or chicken, or even a nut roast.
Ingredients
- 3-4 Tbsp Whisky
- 100ml Double Cream
- 50ml Stock
- Knob of Butter
- 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
Tips for cooking with whisky: “If you’re going to cook with whisky, always use a good quality bottle. You won’t need to use much and it will make all the difference”
Whisky-Cured Salmon
Image: Rocky Luton
For those growing up in Scotland, long summer days are often spent fishing salmon in the fast-running local rivers. Whisky-cured salmon is a Scottish favourite, served on a large wooden board with a range of accompaniments: oatcakes, thinly sliced pumpernickel bread, small bowls of assorted homemade pickles, crème fraîche, and lots of lemon wedges.
- 1 Two Pound Wild Salmon Fillet (Boned, Skin On)
- 1 Cup Coarse Sea Salt
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Black Peppercorns (Crushed)
- 2 Tbsp Juniper Berries
- ½ Cup of Whisky
- 2 Bunches of Dill
Tips for cooking with whisky: “The flavours of a single malt Scotch whisky, for example, are derived from malted barley fermentation, the distillation process and maturation in oak casks over several years, which makes it ideal to boost a wide variety of flavours in foods”
All credit to The Bottle Club: https://www.thebottleclub.com/
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