Welcome back, friends - it's Anders. Today I'm going to show you how to make the Rusty Nail.
Which dates back to 1937, but it really had its heyday in the 50s and 60s.
It's a sweeter, strong, after dinner drink that's perfect for cold weather.
And it's just two ingredients, so it's extremely simple. I'm going to show you the ratios that I use.
And stick around for my personal Rust Nail story in which my life was threatened.
Also, if you're new to the channel, welcome. We're happy to have you.
Hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recipes. And let's make a Rusty Nail.
To the bar.
[intro music]
Okay, we will be stirring this cocktail, so I've got my mixing glass, a bar spoon,
my jigger, julep strainer - I also have a peeler because I'm going to do a little lemon oil on top,
and a lowball glass. This drink will be served on the rocks.
Now the booze.
Two ingredients.
We are going to need blended scotch, and Drambuie.
The blended scotch I'm using is Monkey Shoulder, and the Drambuie is Drambuie.
Drambuie is Drambuie.
Drambui is a scotch-based liqueur, and it's sweetened with heather honey - which is a very special honey.
I had to read up on what this is because I've actually never had heather honey.
If you have..
..and you want to send me some.
Heather is this little purple flower that grows in the highlands of Scotland,
but the beekeepers keep their bees in the lowlands. Every year, for just a few days, the beekeepers have to
transport their bees to go get the honey. And then when that's over, they transport them back.
On top of that, it's very labor intensive because the honey itself is almost a solid
And it's what makes Drambuie so special. That, and the fact that the recipe itself is highly secret,
and it dates back to the 18th century. As far as the scotch, I'm using a blended scotch, and that's most common.
But if you wanted bigger flavor, I'd go with a single malt.
A really big, peaty scotch would hold up really well to the sweetness. So your call. I'm going blended.
Let's build.
Tthe original recipe for this is equal parts - one to one. Which is really easy to remember,
but it's very sweet, and if you like a really sweet cocktail that's what you should try.
I'm cutting that back a little bit, which is common. Over the years the ratio of the Drambuie has kind of dropped a bit to make a drier cocktail.
I'm still keeping it pretty sweet though. I'm just gonna go two to one.
So we'll start with two ounces of blended scotch,
and one ounce of Drambuie.
You can add ice, and stir.
Stir for about 30 seconds - just to get it nice and chilled.
Add ice to your glass,
and then strain off the cocktail.
For a garnish I'm going to just do a little bit of lemon oil on top.
I'm not going to actually keep the lemon rind, but because it is a little sweet,
I think that the lemon oil just brightens it up a little bit. I suppose you could do orange too.
I've never done an orange - I bet that'd be good.
It's that simple.
Cheers!
It's really nice - really nice with the the lemon.
Mmm - delicious!
Yeah!
This is seen as an "old man drink,"
and I would agree with it
because it reminds me of a specific old man.
Which brings me to my Rusty Nail story!
I was just starting out bartending. So I was young - 21. Didn't really know what I was doing,
but I was working at a little fine dining restaurant, and this guy rolls up who was known as the Colonel.
Everybody knew who the Colonel was, but I didn't. And he walked in, and I just thought he was drunk.
And he ordered a Rusty Nail, and I thought the responsible thing to do here is tell him no.
So I told him no, but that did not go over well.
He called out the owner, and the owner sat down and chatted with him for a while.
And when I looked over to see how it was going, The Colonel was staring at me in the eye.
And while he was talking to the owner said,
"Your bartender over there is looking at me like he knows what he's doing. Tell him to knock it off or I'll slit his throat."
Which -
First of all it didn't make any sense, but I was scared because I'm just a kid.
And the owner came over to me and said, "Make the Colonel a Rusty Nail."
I had to look it up in my little bar guide.
Throw it together in glass - he takes one sip and looks at me and goes,
"Good nail."
And he ended up becoming a regular at this bar, and he would always order a good nail.
He was an old WWII vet. Yeah, nobody will ever forget him.
So glad he didn't slit my throat.
I will say, if you are tending bar and somebody comes in, and is inebriated, and you say,
"No, I'm not going to serve you."
You are doing the right thing, and you have every right to deny them service.
That was a unique situation, and I was young and I wanted to live.
Like and subscribe, hit that notification bell
or I'll slit your throat.
No I won't, I won't.
And I will see you next time!
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