There is possibly no single spirit more synonymous with a cult classic cocktail than Drambuie to the Rusty Nail. Drambuie is a honeyed, herbal Scotch Whiskey Liqueur, dating back to Bonnie Prince Charlie. It shot to prominence with the Rat Pack in the 1960s and their thirst for the cocktail.

This is a great build-in-the-glass cocktail that, like the Old Fashioned & Sazerac, has really stood the test of time taste-wise but has fallen off the cocktail zeitgeist, with no re-runs. Much like big-band music and a overly-crooning dose of suave. But this stuffy rep is a bit unfair. Break down the profile and there’s a lot of good behind the brass trappings: honey, herbs and peat, stirred down with blended scotch for a heathered-Highland Old Fashioned reel.

When a liqueur and a cocktail are so intwined as the big D with a permanently out-of-fashion Rusty Nail, is there any merit in stocking something that last truly boom-bopped with Sinatra, Dean and all that jazz? So, can you make a Rusty Nail without Drambuie? We tried and the results surpassed even our wildest expectations.

At the base we’ve taken a cut of one our favourite peated Single Malt Scotches to ensure we have the right smokiness in the drink - Port Askaig 8yo. While a lot of people baulk at Islay drams, this one is smooth and supple with the peat present and pleasant, rather than hitting you like waking up in a fumidor. With this we mix an equal part of Pig’s Nose blended Scotch to round out the foundations and give good depth to the the cocktail.

To modify, we’ve gone for a combo of two of our favourite liquers. Combier’s Original Triple Sec for that fresh-orange sweetness that never cloys, and Strega - an incredible Sicilian Herbal liqueur made by witches with saffron (one of the key components in Drambuie).

On the nose, it’s two dashes of Bittermens Krupnik bitters that get stirred in with the drink and a lemon zest to finish as per the classic. The bitters are built around a Belarussian recipie with ginger, pine & juniper playing with honey and black tea. They’re great in Hot Toddies and really add a herbal, honey profile to match that of Drambuie.

You can order all the products to try this at home via the Whiskey Exchange, we’ll drop in a link for that. Or, be sure to order one of these next time you’re down at the bar!

RUSTY NAIL

Method: build-in-the-glass on ice, stir all ingredients until diluted and chilled.

Glass: Rocks Glass

Ingredients:

1oz / 30ml Peated Single Malt (we use Port Askaig 8yo)

1oz / 30ml Blended Scotch (we use Pig’s Nose)

1/2oz / 15ml Combier L’Original Triple Sec

1/4oz / 7.5ml Strega

2 dashes Bittermens Krupnik Honey Tea

~ Garnish with a zest of lemon