One measure is always equal to 25ml or 1 fld oz. A cocktail ‘jigger’ pours out one measure easily.
A Dash is a always just a few drops from the bottle. Bitters etc. are called for in dashes.
THE BEST SCOTTISH (& ST ANDREW’S DAY) COCKTAILS
Atholl Brose
Great For All Things Scottish – New Year’s, St Andrews Day And Burn’s Night etc.
Ingredients: Makes 1.2 Litres (2 pints).
- thick-cut porridge oats 500g (1 lb)
- Scottish whisky 750ml (1.3 pints)
- Scottish heather honey 250g (1/2 lb)
- boiling hot water 200ml (1/3 pint)
- single (light) cream 600ml (1 pint)
- muslin cloth or fine meshed sieve
- large wide necked preserving jar
Directions: Place the porridge oats and whisky in a large covered bowl to soak overnight. In a large preserving jar, combine the heather honey and boiling hot water. Stir until the honey is completely dissolved, allow to cool. When cool add the single cream and stir well. Next wring the oatmeal and whisky mixture through muslin or press through a fine meshed strainer into the cream mixture – strain out all the liquid. Stir to combine all the Atholl Brose fully. Seal the jar and refrigerate to chill. Shake before serving. Pour into ‘old fashioned’ whisky glasses over a few ice cubes.
Rob Roy
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 1 dash of Angostura bitters
- 1 measure sweet vermouth
- 2 measures scotch whisky
Directions: Into a cocktail shaker half filled with ice-cubes pour the ingredients. Shake well then strain into an ‘old fashioned’ rock’s glass.
Rabbie Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) was also known as ‘Rabbie’ Burns, and is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, whose birthday is celebrated worldwide as ‘Burn’s Night’.
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 2 measures whisky
- 1 measure sweet vermouth
- 1/2 measure ginger liqueur
- dash of orange bitters
- twist of orange peel
Directions: Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked ice. Stir well (not shaken) until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with a twist (done over the glass) of orange. And a longer thinner piece of orange peel, curled, draped half in and half out, balanced on the glass rim.
St Andrews Cross
A St Andrews cocktail commemorates the Saint of Scotland, adopted in around the tenth century. Drink this on November 30th or at any Scottish themed event. The blue and white flag of Scotland is reproduced in this drink.
Ingredients: Makes 2 Drinks.
- 4 measures of Drambuie
- 4 measures of Blue curacao
- 8 measures of lemonade
- Ice
- dash of coconut cream
Directions: In a cocktail shaker add some ice cubes and the drambuie and curacao. Shake it up. In two stout, wide rock’s glasses, add some ice cubes and pour in the lemonade. Pour (straining) in the cocktail mix, gently stir with a stick, and carefully pour on top a dash of coconut cream, in a St. Andrews cross, over the floating ice cubes.
The Glasgow
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 2 measures blended Scotch whisky
- 1 measure dry vermouth
- 1/2 measure absinthe
- 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
Directions: Stir (not shaken) Scotch, vermouth, absinthe, and Peychaud’s bitters well with some cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Serve with a twist of lemon peel.
Auld St. Nick’s (Black Donald)
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 1 measure whisky
- 1/2 measure Drambuie
- 1 measure fresh apple juice
- 1 measure barley wine
- 1 tsp of Scottish Heather Honey
- splash of ginger beer to top off
For the Glass Rim & Garnish
- Scottish Heather Honey
- Finely crumbled shortbread biscuits (cookies)
- frozen raspberries
Directions: Spread a little Scottish heather honey on a plate and dip the rim of an ‘old fashioned’ rocks glass into it to lightly coat the edges. Then spread the crumbled shortbread biscuits (break the biscuits up very fine, almost like dust) on another plate and dip the coated rim into the crumbs so that they adhere and coat the rim. In a cocktail shaker, half filled with cracked ice, add the whisky, Drambuie, barley wine, honey and apple juice and shake for thirty seconds. Pour into the decorated glass, straining the drink in. Top with ginger beer and add a couple of frozen raspberries. Serve.
Fionn’s Punch
Ingredients: Makes 2 Drinks
- 4 measures whisky
- 2 measures ginger liqueur (or see directions)
- 4 measures fresh pear juice
- 4 measures fresh apple juice
- 1 tbsp Scottish heather honey
- 1/4 tsp ground mixed spice
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- Orange peel for garnish
Directions: Warm the ingredients with the cinnamon sticks and spice together in a saucepan on the hob (but do not allow the mixture to boil). Pour the warmed punch into two heat-proof hot toddy glasses. Add a cinnamon each stick to the glasses from the saucepan for added spice, and garnish with orange peel to add citrus aromas. If you have no ginger liqueur then muddle (bruise) 6 very thin slices of fresh ginger and 15ml of a simple sugar syrup into the saucepan first.
Black Tartan
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 1 measure Johnnie Walker Black whisky
- 1 measure Drambuie
- 1 & 1/2 measures Kahlua
Directions: In a cocktail shaker, half filled with cracked ice, add the ingredients and shake for thirty seconds. Strain the drink over a few ice cubes in an old fashioned rock’s glass.
Auld Christmas Pud
Ingredients: Makes 6 Drinks
- 150 ml (1/4 pint) Scottish Blended Whisky
- 150 ml (1/4 pint) Drambuie
- 1.8 Litres (3 pints) Guinness stout
- 115g (4oz) raisins
Directions: Add the Blended Whisky and then the Drambuie into a serving jug with the raisins – stir and leave in the fridge for the raisins to plump up and the whisky to chill. Pour the chilled whiskey into tall high-ball glasses, one-third of the way, and add a few of the raisins. Then slowly and carefully top up with chilled Guinness.
A Scottish Breakfast (‘Hair Of The Dog’)
Drunk for breakfast after a rowdy New Year’s Eve in Scotland this is a classic restorative, or ‘hair of the dog’. It is also great as a bed-time night cap at other times of the year.
Ingredients: Makes 1 Drink
- 1 measure Whisky
- 2 measures single (light) cream (or milk) warmed
- 1 tbsp Scottish heather honey.
Directions: Warm the cream (or milk). Pour everything into an old fashioned rock’s glass, or hot toddy glass, stir, and drink somewhere quiet.