Tonight, January 25, is Burns Night — the traditional Scottish celebration of beloved national poet Robert Burns. Many Scots celebrate the event with a Burns supper, eating a meal of haggis plus neeps and tatties, and dinners are often punctuated with bagpipe music, poetry recitals, and toasts. So of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without raising a dram or two of Scotch.
If you’re looking to celebrate Burns Night for yourself, you can raise a glass of your favorite Scotch and enjoy some of Robert Burns’s poems. And if you’re looking for recommendations, then the global ambassador of Orkney-based Highland Park distillery, Martin Markvardsen, has some tips too.
“Since the first Burns dinner in the Orkney Isles of Scotland, back in 1898, there’s been a tradition for live music and singing Burns songs to celebrate Robert Burns,” Markvardsen said. “Today, most restaurants will do special Burns Night menus as well, so that tradition very much goes on.”
“The richness of dried fruit, a bit of spice, heather honey sweetness and a delicate subtle smoke makes Highland Park 18 ideal for the spicy grainy haggis. It binds the flavors together to make a wonderful, complex experience.”
Though if you’d rather have a cocktail, he has a tip for that too: “For a Burns Night cocktail, I prefer a twist on the Bobby Burns.”
Markvardsen’s Bobby Burns
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of Highland Park 12
- 3/4-ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 dash of orange bitter
- 1 dash of absinthe
Method:
Chill a coupe glass by filling it with ice water. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir well. Throw the ice water out of the coupe glass and strain the drink into it. Garnish with a lemon twist or a cherry.
