PERFECT SERVE
NAILED IT! A RUSTY NAIL SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO ONE’S HEALTH – ESPECIALLY IF IT’S STICKING OUT OF A PIECE OF WOOD! IN ACTUAL FACT IT’S A RATHER TASTY DRINK WITH AN INTERESTING HISTORY.
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ean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop were a group of carousing, fun-loving entertainers who dominated the headlines and the social scene in Las Vegas in the Sixties. They were dubbed the Rat Pack and were renowned for their love of a good time. That they were all good looking, charming and talented men no doubt helped grab their share of the headlines – as did Lawford’s political connections: he was John F. Kennedy’s brother-in-law and the President-to-be was a drawcard in himself. The story goes that the Rat Pack loved the Rusty Nail cocktail – no doubt along with Martinis, Bourbon and a host of other drinks too! A Rusty Nail is a really simple but tasty mixed drink, made using Scotch whisky and Drambuie. No shaking or vigorous mixing is required, just a gentle stir for 20 seconds or so. This uncomplicated cocktail makes it into Difford’s Top 100 Cocktails on the basis of its unpretentious appeal. In an article about the origins of this particular cocktail, Laura Dawson of ConcretePlayground.com wrote in 2016 that there are a few popular theories of how the name Rusty Nail came about. “One story mentions rusted nails on the wooden cases of Drambuie that were dropped off in the Hudson and East Rivers in New York City during the Prohibition era, while another cites a bartender stirring the cocktail with a nail. 30 w w w .t o p s a t s p a r. c o . z a
ABOVE: Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
“It’s most likely that the name has to do with the golden hue Drambuie gave to young Scotch whisky when it was mixed. All good stories, so we don’t mind which one is true, and we’ve probably told all three as gospel after we’ve indulged in a few Rusty Nails,” she wrote. What is known about the drink is that the blending of Scotch and Drambuie first came about in 1937 at the British Industries Fair – and it was given the rather unflattering name of BIF as a consequence. Cocktail historian David Wondrich discovered that the man who first put Scotland’s favourite Scotch-based liqueur with yet more whisky was a Mr F Benniman. Other sources believe the Rusty Nail was revived by the
bartenders at Manhattan’s 21 Club in the early 1960s, which gels with its Rat Pack popularity and timing. It’s also documented in the New York Times that the chairwoman of the Drambuie Liqueur Company, Gina MacKinnon, endorsed the Rusty Nail cocktail in 1963, seeing the obvious benefit of doing so in boosting sales of the liqueur. Drambuie has an interesting back story itself: legend has it that a Scottish prince was exiled to Rome around 1740. When his time in exile was up and he returned to the craggy Highlands he’d adopted the Roman custom of enjoying saffron and honey with his spirit. That is apparently what formed the base of this Scottish liqueur.
