Wine and Whisky Cocktail: the Tam O'Shanter

On January 25th, we celebrate our favorite mid-winter holiday, Burns Night, commemorating the birth of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns (I'm sure you've all sung Auld Lang Syne at the strike of 12 o'clock on New Years, well, that's Burns). This holiday dates back to 1801, five years after his death, when some of Burns's best friends decided to celebrate his birthday. For over 220 years, fans of Robert Burns have celebrated his birthday with fantastic dinner parties, serving a traditional Scottish plate of haggis, neeps (rutabagas) and tatties (potatoes), LOTS of Scottish whisky, and recitations of Burns's poetry. Robert Burns's poetry is written in Scots, which is one of the native languages of Scotland. It takes a bit of practice (or a lot of whiskies) to get the hang of reading Scots, but I don't think Burns would mind our terrible pronunciations!

This year, we wanted to make a welcome cocktail to start the party. While Eve loves Scottish whiskies, Ivy is not so much a fan. After a bit of searching, Eve found the perfect cocktail that combined our love of Robert Burns and our truest love: Wine. Enter the Tam O'Shanter. 

The Tam O'Shanter is a whisky and wine cocktail named after one of Burns's most famous narrative poems. It tells the story of a farmer named Tam and a night of drunken adventures, which includes dancing witches and the Devil playing the bagpipes. What's not to like?! We love this cocktail for its exciting combination of whisky and wine, the smooth sweetness of Drambuie, and the freshness from orange zest. 

xxx Ivy & Eve

This recipe makes one cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Scottish Whisky (If you like it smoky/peaty, go for Laphroaig or Lagavulin, for something smoother, try Jura or Glenmorangie)

• 1 oz red wine (we suggest a Bordeaux blend)

• 0.5 oz Drambuie

• 3 dashes of orange bitters

• Cup of ice

• Orange peel garnish

Directions: 

1. Measure out ingredients into a cocktail pitcher with ice.

2. Stir all ingredients well with a cocktail spoon.

3. Strain and serve in a coupe or martini glass. 

4. Garnish with a flamed orange twist. Watch the how-to here.

5. Cheers!