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, 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 most popular 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- 1 serving
- 60ml Scotch Whisky
- 20 ml Sweet Vermouth
- Dash Orange Bitters
- Dash Absinthe
Method:
Add ingredients into a mixing glass with ice, then stir well and strain into a tumbler. Ice and orange twist optional. If you do not have absinthe, try an anise-flavoured liqueur as a substitute.
Rusty Nail Cocktail
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 serving
- 45 ml Scotch Whisky
- 20 ml Drambuie
Method:
Simply combine the liquids into a mixing glass and stir well before pouring over ice into a tumbler.
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- 1 serving
- 60ml Scotch Whisky
- 25ml Sweet Vermouth
- Dash Angostura Bitters
- Cherry (Garnish)
Method:
Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice (minus the garnish) and stir well before straining into a cold Nick and Nora or Martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.
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- 1 serving
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Lemon Peel
- 2 TSP Demerara Sugar
- ¼ Ounce / 8ml Lemon Juice
- 2 Ounces / 60ml Whisky
Method:
Grab your favourite mug and heat it with some boiling water. After a minute or two, throw away the water and build your drink in the same mug by combining your spirit with sugar, lemon juice and peel, cloves and more hot water.
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 serving
- 1 ½ Ounces / 45ml Scotch Whisky
- 1 Ounce / 30ml Fresh Red Beetroot Juice
- ¾ Ounce / 25ml Honey Syrup
- ¾ Ounce / 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh Dill or Tarragon (Garnish)
- Lemon Twist (Garnish)
Method:
Combine everything except the garnish into a shaker with ice, shake for 30 seconds, then strain and pour into all tall, high-ball style glass. pour and shake like any other drink and you will have a savoury drink that will rival any Bloody Mary.
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- 6 servings
- 2 ounces/55 grams steel-cut oatmeal (or pinhead oatmeal)
- 8 ounces/250 grams fresh raspberries (Scottish if possible), divided
- 1 pint /475 ml double cream
- 3 tablespoons malt whisky (good quality)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon honey or Scottish honey (plus more for serving)
Method:
- Gather the ingredients and heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan until hot. Add the oats and, while stirring, toast until they have a light, nutty smell and are only just beginning to change colour.
- Once toasted remove from the pan. Crush your raspberries in a food processor or using a fork, then in a separate bowl whip the cream along with the whisky and fold in the honey and the oats.
- To finish, layer the dessert into either a large glass trifle bowl or individual serving glasses, starting with either a layer of the cream or raspberries and finishing with a layer of the cream.
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- 2 servings
- 3-4 Tbsp Whisky
- 100ml Double Cream
- 50ml Stock
- Knob of Butter
- 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
Method:
-Heat the fry pan/pot to medium and add the knob of butter and melt and add 3 tbsp of your choice of whisky then light the whisky with the lighter and allow it to burn off the alcohol. This makes the sauce less bitter.
– Add the cream, stock, and mustard to the pan once the flame is out. Allow to thicken and reduce while continuing to stir then add salt and pepper to taste
-If you would like a stronger whisky taste then you can add another tablespoon of whisky at the end too.
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
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.
Ingredients- 8 servings
- 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
Method:
- Line a baking tray and rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry. In a bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, peppercorns, and juniper berries. Sprinkle half the salt mixture onto the zprepared baking sheet and spread one bunch of dill on top.
- Lay the salmon skin-side down on the dill and drizzle with the whisky. Cover with the remaining dill, and top with the rest of the salt mixture.
- Wrap the salmon in a tight plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the salmon. Using the back of a knife scrape the cure mixture off the fish and lay on a large wooden board. To serve, thinly slice the salmon into diagonal strips leaving the skin behind.
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”
The Bottle Club: https://www.thebottleclub.com/