- 60mL scotch
- 22mL sweet red vermouth
- 15mL Benedictine
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir over ice, serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry, an orange peel, or both.
Ah Burns Night. A night to celebrate the life and poetry of the famous Scotsman, Robert Burns. And such celebrations often include the consumption of much scotch1and haggis, but we’ll leave that alone for right now. Every January 25th, people gather to celebrate, read poetry, and get drunk, not always in that order. This year, Mrs. Cocktail Dork and I joined in a (slightly early) virtual celebration hosted by our good friends over at Adult Juice Box. Naturally, I was making Bobby Burns cocktails to celebrate.
The above recipe is how I learned to make a Bobby Burns, but I’ve seen many variations. Sometimes it’s with absinthe instead of Benedictine, or Drambuie2which does seem more appropriately Scottish. Harry Craddock’s recipe in The Savoy Cocktail Book calls for equal measures of scotch and vermouth with a few dashes of Benedictine. And the usual garnish instructions call for a lemon peel. Jim Meehan gets into the history of some of these variations in Meehan’s Bartender Manual. As with all things, I recommend trying out the many variations and deciding for yourself which you like best.
The Bobby Burns lives in the fun and limitless space of variations on a similar theme. It is similar in many ways to a Manhattan, a Rob Roy, or a La Louisiane. It’s stirred and boozy and features many of the same features that I love about a Manhattan. Scotch instead of rye makes it a bit maltier and bit chewier; it has less of that bite that I associate with a good rye. But then the Benedictine comes in and adds some really delightful bitter herbal flavors to bring that kick back in a different way.
Of course, the garnish makes a big difference. I love the sweetness that a cherry or an orange peel (properly expressed, of course) add. If you go the lemon peel route instead, that can nicely punch up your drink with a little extra acidity.
However you enjoy your Bobby Burns, it’s a great beverage for getting boozed up on Burns Night as you regale your compatriots with poetry. And it’s a great digestif after a nice haggis dinner.
Slàinte mhath!