As in every field, there are coincidental things that happen in the world of drinks. One day, you mix tomato juice and vodka in a bar in Paris. and there you have it: You have a Bloody Mary. This can then be customized and improved with additives, but that’s the basics. There’s also the serendipity: Does your beer expire when transported from England to India? You have an IPA beer. Quite the opposite: a lot of preparation, research, and a complex methodology went into creating the drink of the future.

In the world of cocktails (or the resulting concoctions), there are almost as many stories as there are mixed drinks, but sometimes, in addition to luck or hard work, a cocktail also has a legend behind it. Or several. That’s what Atholl Brose has.

Atholl Brose. It’s a cliché, but the Scots know a bit about whisky. Hundreds of years ago, they decided it would be a good idea to mix whisky with oats and honey to create a sweet combination. It can be complicated by adding egg whites and cream, but the drink remains the same: a smooth drink that could be considered a predecessor to Baileys.

Myth. Atholl Brose is the protagonist of a Scottish tradition called Hogmanay, which is New Year’s Eve and is celebrated with torches, parades, and fireballs. This drink will keep you warm on a cold, dark night, but… who thought of mixing oatmeal with whiskey? We know the drink is at least 650 years old, and it’s not that strange to see these ingredients mixed together. Not so many years ago, alcohol had no pleasant flavor and was masked by other ingredients. Tell that to the English and their endless variety of punches.

But it seems that Atholl Brose was not born as a recreational drink, but as a weapon. According to legend, Iain MacDonald, Earl of Ross, intended to betray Scotland by signing a treaty with the English king. James Stewart was Earl of Atholl and had no intention of allowing such treachery, so he devised a plan to capture MacDonald. The earl’s informants reported that MacDonald’s forces were supplied with water from a nearby well and that Stewart had devised a plan to get the enemy army drunk.

Whiskey in the well! The problem was that the flavor would come through, so they added honey and oats to mask the alcohol. Enemy soldiers tried the drink, got drunk, and when MacDonald sent them into battle, they were so drunk that Stewart’s troops captured the Earl of Ross.

Giant, army… what difference does it make?. One version of the legend claims that only MacDonald was drunk, but here the victory was twofold: they won the war and invented a cocktail, which they named Atholl in honor of Count Stewart – Brose, after the traditional Scottish oatmeal broth. We now have oats as a grain for all kinds of uses, but in the Middle Ages it was used to feed livestock and provide for people.

That’s it, in 1495 this cocktail was born. As is always the case with such events, it is not known to what extent this is a myth and everything is made up, and how much truth there is in the story, but there is another legend about the origin of Atholl Brose, more fanciful, but also fun to know. In the land of Atholl there lived a giant who terrorized the surrounding towns. All the knights who hunted him ended up in his cauldron.

But Dougal the hunter thought it best to put the giant to sleep so that it would be easier to kill. When the monster emerged from its cave, Dougal poured a mixture of whisky, honey and oats onto a rock that served as a watering hole. When the giant returned, he did not leave a drop and fell asleep. It was then that Dougal finished him off and Atholl Brose was born.

RecipeIf either story is true, I am more inclined to the well water adulteration, but what is more documented is that King George IV was a consumer of this drink and the recipe has not changed much (although there have been some variations in versions). Ingredients:

• 750 millilitres of whiskey (Scotch, of course).
• About 250 milliliters of heavy cream
• Half a kilo of honey
• A cup of ground oats

And the steps are as follows:

• Cook the oats in boiling water and when ready, let it sit overnight. The next day, we drain it, throw away the oats (we can make muffins, cakes or cookies with it) and save the liquid.
• Mix water and honey in a saucepan over low heat and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, mix the reserved oatmeal with the honey and whiskey. Blend for a few seconds until combined and foamy.
• We strain it into a glass and drink it.

Another less complicated recipe is to mix the whisky with oats (I don’t think you can use this oatmeal then) and let it sit for a few hours. When the oats release their water, strain it until the oats are removed and add the cream and honey to the liquid. We whisk until it is slightly smooth and ready.

And if you’re wondering, I’ve made it at home. Twice. It’s sweet and not my favorite flavor, but it’s not bad either. There are more recipes like the ones Ballantine’s has published, but I won’t be the one to try it anymore.

Images | Schaer Chris, Ballantine’s, Bing Image Generator

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