Bobby Burns Recipe: Scotch, Vermouth and Bénédictine

Bobby Burns

Take a Rob Roy, add a little Bénédictine, and the whisky suddenly tastes of honey, saffron and warm spice. The Bobby Burns is proof that blended Scotch shines in stirred drinks. Serve it very cold, with lemon oil sprayed across the top.

4.1Editors’ rating

Taste4.1

Balance4.1

Easy to make3.9

Popularity22

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GlassCoupe

TechniqueStirred

DifficultyEasy

Time3 min

StrengthStrong (approx. 27 % ABV)

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Ingredients

1½ oz blended Scotch whiskye.g. Johnnie Walker · Chivas Regal · Famous Grouse · Monkey Shoulder · Dewar's
1 oz sweet vermouthe.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
¼ oz BénédictineBuy on Amazon →

Garnish: Lemon twist · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Chill a coupe or cocktail glass.
Add Scotch, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine to a mixing glass with ice.
Stir for about 25 seconds until very cold.
Strain into the chilled glass.
Express a lemon peel over the drink and use it as garnish.

Watch it made

Bobby Burns

Taste

Rich and rounded, with malt and a whisper of smoke, dark fruit from the vermouth and honeyed herbs from the Bénédictine. Strong, silky and slightly sweet.

History and origin

The Bobby Burns is named after Robert Burns, the eighteenth-century Scottish poet, and it appears in bar books from the early twentieth century. Early recipes vary: some season the Scotch and vermouth with absinthe and orange bitters, but the version that stuck uses Bénédictine, the French herbal liqueur.

The Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 printed the Bénédictine version and praised it among whisky cocktails. Today it is a natural choice for Burns Night on 25 January, when Scots and friends of Scotland celebrate the poet's birthday. Like the Rob Roy and the Blood and Sand, it is one of the few classics built on blended Scotch.

Bartender tips

Go easy on the Bénédictine: one or two barspoons is enough; more turns the drink syrupy.
A blend with a little smoke adds depth, but heavily peated whisky overwhelms the vermouth.
The lemon twist is not decoration: its oil lifts the drink noticeably.

Variations

Rob Roy: Scotch and sweet vermouth with Angostura bitters, without Bénédictine.
Drambuie Bobby Burns: Replace the Bénédictine with Drambuie for a more honeyed, whisky-driven drink.