Drambuie is probably the most famous Scottish liqueur, made from aged Scotch whisky, heather honey, herbs, and spices.
Its name comes from the Gaelic “An Dram Buidheach”, meaning “the drink that satisfies.” A fitting name, I must say.
Drambuie owes its presence in our glasses today to the historic struggle between the Stuart and Hanover dynasties—a power clash rooted in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants for control of Great Britain.
By 1688, Britain was ruled by the Stuart dynasty, who were mostly good Catholic, at a time when England was becoming increasingly Protestant. That year, the Glorious Revolution took place. King James II and his descendants were deposed and exiled. His Protestant daughter and her husband, William of Orange, ascended to the throne. From then on, Catholics were legally excluded from the British line of succession. Starting in 1714, the Hanoverian dynasty solidified its hold on the throne.
But James II’s descendants and follower—known as the Jacobites—did not accept defeat. They led three uprisings, all aiming to restore the Stuarts. Each time, they found support in the Scottish Highlands, where loyalty ran deep. The Scots were not only mostly Catholic, but also viewed the conflict as a struggle for independence from English control.
The final uprising came in 1745, led by Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of King James—better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
In 1746, after the disastrous Battle of Culloden, the prince fled to the Isle of Skye, where he was sheltered by the MacKinnon clan, until he could escape to the mainland.
Now, Prince Charlie had with him a pharmacist, likely French, who prepared a restorative elixir for him—something he drank daily to strengthen his health and spirit. When he left the Isle of Skye, the prince gifted the recipe for this elixir to the head of the MacKinnon clan, in gratitude for their loyalty.
This, according to the official Drambuie story, is how the elixir’s recipe came into MacKinnon hands. It was first told in Drambuie’s 1920 advertisement, and it remains the company’s official version to this day.
For the next 150 years, the MacKinnon clan passed the recipe down through generations. They prepared the liqueur for themselves—and occasionally for friends and fellow clan members.
In 1872, Alexander Kenneth, the head of the MacKinnon clan, gave the recipe to his friend John Ross, the owner of the Broadford Hotel on the Isle of Skye, for broader use.
John’s son, James Ross, and his wife Eleanor developed and improved the recipe—most notably by replacing the original brandy base with Scotch whisky, a much more logical choice for Scots on the Isle of Skye. They also refined the herbal composition.
The couple began preparing the liqueur and serving it in their hotel, which they had inherited.
It was actually one of their hotel guests who coined the name “An Dram Buidheach”, giving the Rosses the inspiration for the liqueur’s official name.
In 1893, James Ross registered the trademark, giving the drink its Anglicized name—Drambuie. The Ross family then began selling the liqueur commercially.
In 1909, after James’s death, Eleanor Ross moved to Edinburgh and began working with Malcolm MacKinnon to produce Drambuie there. Malcolm MacKinnon belonged to a different MacKinnon clan than the one that had rescued Prince Charlie, but the shared name provided a great marketing advantage.
In 1912, Malcolm MacKinnon purchased the recipe outright, and in 1914, the Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd. was officially founded.
At the time, Malcolm was also a partner in Macbeth & Son, a whisky blending and distribution company. This connection proved invaluable: he promoted Drambuie to existing whisky clients, helping the liqueur quickly gain popularity.
By 1916, Drambuie had made its way into the cellars of the House of Lords, becoming the first liqueur ever allowed into those prestigious halls.
During both the First and Second World Wars, Drambuie was supplied to officers in the Highland regiments stationed abroad, which significantly helped build its international reputation.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s elixir had now achieved worldwide recognition.
A century later, in 2014, the recipe passed from one family-owned company to another.
Drambuie is now produced by William Grant & Sons.
Drambuie is a richly honey-sweetened whisky liqueur with a complex aroma of herbs and spices. Distinct notes include saffron, orange peel, clove, vanilla, and fennel.
The exact recipe, of course, remains a closely guarded secret.
Drambuie is typically enjoyed neat as a digestif, either with or without ice. It’s also a popular ingredient in many cocktails.
Perhaps the most famous of these is the Rusty Nail.
The Rusty Nail is a simple blend of Drambuie and Scotch whisky—in essence, Drambuie diluted with its own base spirit.
Many believe the cocktail was first created in 1937 by F. Benniman for the British Industries Fair, and was initially named after the event—B.I.F.
However, it only rose to major fame in the early 1960s, when it appeared at Manhattan’s legendary Club 21.
The cocktail’s name was firmly established in 1963, when Gina MacKinnon, then chairman of the Drambuie Liqueur Company, publicly endorsed the Rusty Nail in the New York Times.
The origin of the name “Rusty Nail” remains unclear. According to one legend, the first cocktail was stirred with a rusty nail. Another version claims the name came from the rusty nails used to secure the Drambuie crate that held the bottle from which the first cocktail was made. A third explanation suggests the name refers to the color of the drink, supposedly resembling rusted metal—though, personally, I think rust has a different shade altogether.
Whatever the truth, the name stuck, and the cocktail has been known as the Rusty Nail ever since.
The drink’s popularity exploded thanks to the Rat Pack—an informal group of Hollywood stars and showbiz icons that formed in the 1940s around Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and lasted into the early 1990s.
In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra became the group’s leading figure. Once the Rusty Nail appeared at Club 21, it quickly became the signature cocktail of the Pack. They frequently drank it in public, which helped catapult the drink to mainstream fame.
Though its popularity later waned, the Rusty Nail remains a respected classic, and may well be poised for a revival.
Today, the Rusty Nail is officially recognized by the IBA in its “Unforgettables” category.
Ingredient:
-5/6 oz/ 25 ml Drambuie
-1 1/2 oz/ 45 ml Scothch whisky
This is IBA recommended ratio, but feel free to adjust it depending on how sweet you prefer your cocktail.
Process:
Pour Drambuie and Scotch into a glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.
Garnish: A twist of lemon or orange zest.
Drinkware: Old Fashioned glass.
