photo by woodcock johnson via flikr.com
Happy Birthday to Scottish National poet Robert Burns, born this day in 1759. The celebrations of “Burn’s Night” have a 200 year history in Scotland and were started by friends of the bard to mark his memory a few years after his death in 1796. Though the bill of fare may vary from one Burn’s supper to another, the haggis and scotch are mandatory.
The usual order of the night (again this can vary) starts with a general welcome that concludes with the Selkirk Grace (aka Covenanter’s Grace). The haggis is then ushered in under bag-pipe fanfare and Burn’s own Address to a Haggis is recited as the haggis is cut. After the meal, the “immortal memory” chronicling Burn’s life is read and the evening is concluded with the guests singing “Auld Lang Syne”
Robert Burns Cocktail
- 2 oz Scotch
- 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
- dash of orange bitters
- dash of absinthe (also seen with Drambuie and Benedictine)
Glass: Cocktail
Garnish: None
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
