Three Scotch Whisky cocktails for Bobby Burns Day

Saint Andrew’s Societies across the USA celebrate the Scottish holidays like Saint Andrew’s Day (November 30) and the bard’s birthday on Bobby Burns Day (or Robert Burns Day or Burns Nicht on January 25) with a Burns Dinner.  Salt Lake City Scots should be no different, and if they follow the traditions of these holidays they might be found partaking of some Scotch Whisky to assist their celebration, be it neat, on the rocks, or in a well-mixed cocktail.  Celebrating Burns Nicht is an excellent excuse for toasting Scotland with a some good Scotch Whisky.  The Utah Mixologist usually uses a blended Scotch in cocktails.  If you have a favorite blended Scotch, stick with it, but if you don’t have one yet, you might want to give Dewar’s™ White Label (CS# 004866, $25) a try.  Once you have a bottle of blended Scotch in hand, you are ready to select a cocktail.  Here are three classics that you should enjoy that all have three things in common.

In honor of the day, let’s start with the Bobby Burns cocktail.  This delicious offering has been around for a while; there is a recipe for the Bobby Burns in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930).  This delicious cocktail contains Scotch and Vermouth and has a little Benedictine thrown into the mix to reflect Bobby Burns poetic nature.  You should enjoy the interesting blend of herbals in the Vermouth and Benedictine combined with the peaty taste of the Scotch. 

Our second cocktail can also be found in the Savoy, although the proportions of Scotch to Italian Vermouth (1:1) are not the ones in general use today (2:1).  The venerable Rob Roy is over 100 years old.  This is perhaps the classic Scotch Whisky cocktail.  If you enjoy making Manhattans, you already know the recipe: just substitute Scotch Whisky for the Bourbon or Rye.  If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a treat. 

My final cocktail suggestion is the Blood and Sand.  Don’t let the color put you off, the flavor will surprise you.  The Blood and Sand is the youngest of the trio and is more of a concoction: it contains Scotch, Vermouth, Cherry Heering Liqueur®, and Orange Juice.  You have probably noticed by now that all three of these cocktails have Scotch and Vermouth in common, and yes, the Blood and Sand may also be found in the Savoy.