Robert Burns Night

On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the annual Burns Night celebration hosted by our good friends, Rob and Shelley (that's Rob with the bagpipes). There was haggis (and of course the Address to a Haggis), neeps and tatties, and many other delicious treats. Searching for something to bring, I put myself in charge of Scotch-based cocktails. As many have found, Scotch is not the easiest thing to mix with, but I knew some of the folks at the party would not be sipping it neat, so I went on a search.

I found two fun mixed drinks from fellow bloggers, and they worked out very well. I made the Blood and Sand, which is a very nice and balanced drink using Paul Clarke's recipe (which borrows from Ted Haigh's recipe), and the Robert Burns Cocktail (which seemed only natural given the occasion). For that cocktail, I used Marleigh at Sloshed's recipe. Those recipes are:

Blood and Sand
1 ounce blended Scotch (I followed Paul's recommendation of Famous Grouse)
1 ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice (After we ran out of oranges, I had to use Minute Maid)
¾ ounce sweet vermouth (Noilly Prat)
¾ ounce Cherry Heering

Fill shaker with ice, and shake well, strain into a chilled cocktail glass (or a rocks glass if you've run out of cocktail glasses). I garnished with fresh orange peel. I liked this version far more than previous attempts at this drink - partly due to the proportions in this version and partly due to the blended Scotch.

Robert Burns Cocktail
1½ oz Scotch (Famous Grouse again)
½ oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
Dash orange bitters (Fee Brothers)
Dash Pernod

I shook this one with ice, and strained into an ice-filled glass. I garnished with either regular orange peel or flamed orange peel, depending on my mood (and whether I still trusted myself with the lighter).

Both drinks were popular, although the Blood & Sand was a bit easier drinking for those who are not accustomed to glasses of pure alcohol. All in all, a very fun night with just a few cups o' kindness taken for auld lang syne.