The Bonnie Prince Charlie

Believe it or not, I do not keep orange juice around very often. I’m not entirely sure why, but I just don’t. As a result, when we end up with some in the fridge, I usually like to experiment – cocktail-wise. The last time this happened, I played with a few oldies but goodies – the Monkey Gland, Satan’s Whiskers and the Blood and Sand. All quite nice potations that have a Summery splash to them.

I felt like going off book tonight, so I thought about what might be fun. As I looked across the mess that is my bar, I saw it… Drambuie. The history of Drambuie purportedly goes back 267 years. According to the Drambuie website, the origins are thus:

The story of Drambuie begins over 267 years ago in July 1746. Prince Charles Edward Stuart (known also as Bonnie Prince Charlie) was on the run, after defeat at the Battle of Culloden had ended his hopes of restoring the Stuarts to the throne of Great Britain.

The Prince was pursued by the King’s men across the Highlands and Islands of Western Scotland, bravely aided by many Highland Clans. Among them was Clan MacKinnon whose chief, John MacKinnon, helped the Prince escape from The Isle of Skye. In thanks for his bravery the Prince gave John MacKinnon the secret recipe to his personal liqueur, a gift that the Clan were to treasure down the generations. An extraordinary elixir that would, many years later, become known to the world as Drambuie.

Brings a tear to one’s eye… At any rate, I thought about what might work and I decided to riff on the Blood and Sand. Instead of Cherry Heering, I substituted Drambuie. Toss in a dash of something earthy, like Angostura bitters and voila, we have The Bonnie Prince Charlie:

1 oz Scotch Whisky (I used Johnny Walker Red)

1 oz Fresh orange juice

.75 oz Drambuie

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: Luxardo Maraschino cherry

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish.

Cheers!