I’m still on a
chestnut-colored drink kick, long past the restoration of power after Hurricane
Sandy made it possible for us to drink cocktails on the rocks again. Dan and I
had been forced by circumstance to imbibe our drinks neat; we had no choice,
given that we had no ice. (Nor electricity, nor running water.) Since vodka and
gin tend to lose a little something when served at room temperature, we’d stuck
with Scotch, Jameson Irish whiskey and finally cognac as we grew increasingly
filthy and piggish in our safe, dry, but hygiene-compromised apartment. It’s
just as well
nobody climbed the 12 flights of emergency-exit stairs to visit us during our
confinement. We’d have sent them reeling with our reek (unless of course they
were into piggy stuff, in which case we’d have been fragrant sexual
superstars).
In any case, once
we were able to shower, shave and shop, I brought back to the apartment a
bottle of Chivas Regal and a bottle of Drambuie, a liqueur made from Scotch.
Drambuie has a sweetish, resinous quality to it. It’s unctuous in the best
sense of the word. But a little goes a long way, which is why the Rusty Nail is
such a delightful cocktail. You get the best of Scotch – peaty, smoky, and
strong – and the best of a good complementary liqueur all in one wee glass. Or
not so wee, as the case may be.
Rusty Nails are
a 9 to 5 drink, meaning not the raucous Dolly Parton song of that name but the
proportions: 9 parts Scotch to 5 parts Drambuie, or so a popular website
advises. Oh, gimme a friggin’ break! Who on earth either mixes such a vast
Rusty Nail or calculates the math for a normal-size cocktail? For you sticklers
out there, that’s 1.8 parts Scotch to 1 part Drambuie. Phooey!
To top it all
off, this inane proportion makes a far too cloying cocktail. If you want to sip
a bonnie Drambuie, do. But if you want a good Rusty Nail, I advise a smaller
proportion of liqueur to Scotch. In fact, I make my Rusty Nails by pouring a
healthy amount of Scotch into a glass full of ice (or, if you’re making a round
for a crowd, into an icy cocktail shaker) and adding just a thimble full of
Drambuie for each drink.
One of the side
benefits of the Rusty Nail is that you don’t need to invest in a top shelf
Scotch. Let’s face it: You’re adulterating the Scotch by adding a liqueur,
albeit one made of Scotch. So there’s no reason at all to splurge on a fine
single malt only to kill its well-crafted flavor notes with a foreign
substance, however delicious that substance may be. I chose Chivas, because I
didn’t plan to use the whole bottle on Rusty Nails. But if I were you, I’d just
as soon go with a good, drinkable blended Scotch like Ballantine.
The Rusty Nail
(classic version)
1.8 parts
blended Scotch
1 part Drambuie
The Rusty Nail
(my variation)
2 parts Scotch
1/4 part
Drambuie
Pour both
ingredients into either a glass full of ice and stir; or, for a crowd, pour the
contents into a cocktail shaker full of ice and shake, then decant into Martini
glasses.