The Ingredients
50 ml Scotch whiskey, 20 ml Sweet Vermouth, dash of Orange Bitters, dash of Absinthe
Quick List
How to make
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Social and Cocktail says:
The Rob Burns is classic whisky cocktail which has great depth and the aroma of orange and anise. The drink is quite complex in flavour and is also difficult to balance, as one ingredient can overpower if the measurements are not exact (particularly the Absinthe)– hence not one for the cocktail making novices. The cocktail is often served as a digestif served after a meal or as a late night sipper.
Did you know
The famous poet Robert Burns fathered 13 children.
The origins of the Robert burns cocktail
There has always been debate as to the origination of the Rob Burns cocktail, or the Bobby Burns as its known to friends. The main thinking, and most obvious link, is that the cocktail was associated with Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet of the 1700s who had a penchant for whiskey. However, in its book The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, it is stated that the drink is named after a cigar salesman who regularly frequented the bar.
There are a huge selection of Scotch whisky you can use to create the Rob Burns cocktail, with some of the more popular brands being Chivas Regal, Dalmore and Cutty Shark.
There are a couple of variations on the Rob Burns cocktail, one which is made with Scotch Whisky, Italian vermouth and Benedictine and the other which pairs the whisky and vermouth with Drambuie, which is a sweet, golden coloured liqueur made from malt whisky, herbs, honey and spices.
