I have some dim and dusty memories from my childhood of my father and gradparents regaling the family with stories of their favorite (and defunct) bars. Out of these memories come exotic and interesting drink names that have always captured my fancy: Fuzzy Navel, Navy Grog, Suffering Bastard, Rusty Nail. It has been a great pleasure to rediscover these drinks as I learn to navigate my way along the back side of a bar, so this was a fun way of reliving some childhood memories.

Now, if I could just find the recipe for a Suffering Bastard…

2 oz scotch
1 oz Drambuie

Pour scotch and Drambuie over ice in an old fashioned glass. Stir and serve.

I’m a scotch fan and long have been, but Drambuie is a new one for me. I was excited and interested when I read that it is made from scotch, so I figured this drink was a win-win setup. After breaking out the glass and stirring up a dram of this very strong mixture, I realized two things: 1) there is a reason I only drink scotch in the winter, and 2) this drink definitely needs to be stirred a bit to melt the ice and mellow the flavors together. I’ll be breaking this one out again come November when the weather turns frosty.