Rusty Nail Cocktail Recipe
Scotch and Drambuie over a big cube — two ingredients, heather honey and smoke.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 30%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Scotch whisky45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Drambuie25 ml (0.8 oz)
How to Make It
- Add both ingredients to a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
- Stir gently.
- Express a lemon twist over the drink and drop it in.
Garnish
Lemon twist
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced, it has a green, botanical backdrop and the spirit is right out front.
The technique
Stirring. All-spirit drinks are stirred — shaking whips air into them and ruins both the clarity and the texture. Thirty to forty seconds in a mixing glass, the spoon tracing the wall. You are after the same ~20% dilution, just slower and under control.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Scotch whisky
- Scotch. Blends are soft and grainy, single malts have more character. Unless the recipe says Islay, picking a smoky bottle will throw the drink out of balance.
The Story
A Rat Pack staple by the 1960s, though the pairing had been served under a dozen other names since the 1930s.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Rusty Nail mixed?
- It is stirred and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Rusty Nail?
- Roughly 30% ABV as served — a spirit-strength drink — sipped slowly, and it wants a glass of water beside it.
- Can a Rusty Nail be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Rusty Nail hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.