Burns Night and the Smoking Bowl

Millions will gather on (or around) Thursday, January 25th, to celebrate Robert Burns, considered by most to be Scotland’s national poet. The tradition began in 1801 upon the fifth anniversary of Rabbie’s death (as his friends and contemporary admirers called him). Born January 25th, 1759, Burns was a prolific poet, lyricist, composer, and collector of folk music,” and generally credited as a pioneer of the Romantic movement. Internationally, his highest following has been in the UK, Canada, the USA. He was also highly regarded in Russia, where he was deemed “the people’s poet” for his egalitarian ideology, his revolutionary spirit, and his ability to lift the oppressed people through his writing. He’s perhaps best remembered as the author of the song “Auld Lang Syne,” a traditional tune sung on the new year’s eve. Burns passed away at the young age of 37 from medical complications likely stemming from a rheumatic heart disease.

Each year since 1801, Scots and others interested in Burns, Scottish tradition and culture, and those steeped in a love for Scotch whisky, gather to celebrate Burns’ life by serving a traditional Scottish meal of haggis (a savory “pudding” style sausage wrapped in shepps intestines), neeps (rutabaga) and tatties (potatoes). More traditional celebrations include pipers, reading “Address to a Haggis,” readings of Burns’ works, and much toasting. Many such suppers celebrate with Scotch whisky and coffee.

To help celebrate this year, Ardbeg Distillery created a unique cocktail as an homage to the Burns poem “The Jolly Beggars.”

“See the smoking bowl before us,
Mark our jovial ragged ring!
Round and round take up the chorus,
And in raptures let us sing-”

THE SMOKING BOWL COCKTAIL

50 ml (1.5 oz) Ardbeg Ten Years Old
25 ml (0.75 oz) Cacao-nibs infused Sweet Vermouth
(Smoked cacao-nibs infusion adds an extra depth of flavor but is not essential)
25 ml (o.75 oz) Palo Cortado Sherry
7.5 ml (dash) Pimento dram (aka Allspice dram)

Stir ingredients together and strain over ice in an Ardbeg glass

This is not a typical home bar concoction, but it is well worth the effort. I didn’t have a bottle of the Ardbeg 10-year-old on hand, so I substituted Ardbeg Coryvreckan, a worthy substitute, in my humble opinion. Making a cacao-infused sweet vermouth is relatively easy but requires some planning. An and iSi siphon. And cacao nibs. Or you can buy it). I used plain sweet vermouth. Palo Cortado sherry is a lighter style oloroso sherry. I had a bottle of Lustau Don Nuno dry oloroso sherry, which is a bit heavier but worked. Finally, I picked up a bottle of St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram at Total Wine for $25. I’d never tasted it before – it’s very… interesting!

I can honestly state that I’ve never had a cocktail quite like this! Sweet and savory, with the Ardbeg pitching in more than a tad of smoke! Like Ardbeg whiskies, this is an edgy cocktail that conjures up the romanticism of Robert Burns while imparting a modern take on the Scotch cocktail. Happy birthday, Rabbie!

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?”