How to Drink This Whisky-Based Liqueur

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In the wonderful world of booze, Drambuie is one of those quiet achievers. It's had a colourful history – it was invented by a Scottish prince in the 1740s and spent years in the spotlight as the key ingredient in classic cocktail The Rusty Nail. It's been a back bar staple for decades, but it often hides in the background, subtly sneaking into your cocktails without drawing attention to itself as the star.

Just like all of the best old-school gems, Drambuie is making a comeback. Bartenders all over the city are getting creative and giving the whisky-based liqueur screen time in their contemporary cocktails, shaking and stirring it into popularity once again. Sydney jazz club The Swinging Cat is celebrating the notorious liqueur with A Night With The Nail, a series of Prohibition-themed pop-ups every Thursday night throughout October and November.

Peter Fischer, owner of The Swinging Cat, tells us that Drambuie is infused with a blend of heather honey, herbs and spices. It's 40% alcohol per bottle (that's high), but it has a sweetness that balances out the intensity of the whisky and the alcohol content. Historically, Drambuie is a solo drink, usually served neat or on the rocks. For those keen to try out an old-school Drambuie fix at home, Fischer recommends serving 60mL on the rocks, with a lime wedge to cut through the liqueur's sweetness. Passionfruit or other citrus works brilliantly too. It's not a liqueur that's renowned for being used in cocktails, but that's something he is trying to change.

Drambuie plays the starring role in the specially curated cocktail list served at A Night With The Nail. To help you acquaint yourself with Drambuie, Fischer has kindly provided us with a couple of cocktail recipes. The first is the Rusty Nail, in which Drambuie is mixed with a dark spirit like Monkey Shoulder whisky – the Swinging Cat's bartenders are tipping this as their personal favourite match.  It's sophisticated and complex, yet simple enough for you to whip up at home after a long day at the office.

The second cocktail is the Ella Fitzgerald – a blend of passionfruit and caramel. With it's vodka base, it's perfect for those curious to try Drambuie, but who aren't so keen on those dark spirits. So head to the bottle shop, grab a bottle of Drambuie for your cocktail cabinet and get experimenting.

THE RUSTY NAIL

40ml Scotch Whisky
20ml Drambuie
Lemon twist

Method:

Serve in a rocks glass. Build over ice in a rocks glass and stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.

THE ELLA FITZGERALD

30ml Vodka
30ml Drambuie
20ml Passionfruit puree
Dash Lemon juice
Dash Apple juice
Edible Orchid (for garnish)

Serve in a Martini glass. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice, shake and double strain into Martini glass. Serve with an edible Orchid garnish.

A Night With the Nail is on at The Swinging Cat every Thursday for three months from September 7.