By Elizabeth McQuillan
A golden elixir that claims a royal pedigree no less, Drambuie is indeed a fancy little tipple. Surrounded by myth and legend, this Scottish liqueur has been around for over 250 years and allegedly owes its origins to Scottish rebellion and Charles Edward Stewart.
When French support failed to arrive to assist Bonnie Prince Charlie and his rebel army at Derby, they had to retreat back to Scotland. There they fought their last stand at Culloden Moor, where they could not implement their usual tactic of charging straight into the enemy line due to the marshy conditions. With the opposing cavalry and heavy artillery, and being fantastically outnumbered, the Jacobite army didn’t stand a chance. The bloody battle took less than an hour. It was never simply a battle of "Scots versus the English", as many Scots fought on the government side and the Jacobite army had French and some English support.
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The bravery of the men at Culloden is recorded in the Skye Boat song:Many's the lad that fought on that day, Well the claymore could wield, When the night came, Silently lay dead in Culloden's field.Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to Skye disguised as a serving wench. This must have proved a tad embarrassing, but the exhausted and beleaguered Prince and his attendants were fortunate enough to be received by Captain John MacKinnon of Strathaird, a loyal Jacobite, who accommodated and entertained the royal party in his castle. MacKinnon gave the Prince the use of his boat to carry the fugitives off the island (there was a £30 000 bounty on the head of Charlie), escorting the group himself to the country of MacDonald of Boisdale, to whom he resigned his royal charge. Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart was undoubtedly a brave chap but, prior to engaging in battles to win back his throne, he had heartily embraced the courts of Europe. In that time he became fluent in a number of languages, had a jolly old time and quaffed more than his fair share of exotic alcoholic beverages. One such mixture was supposedly the Prince’s favourite. He was seen slugging the mixture from a bottle he carried with him and all that was known for sure was that the mixture came from the Royal Apocothecary. In recognition of Captain John MacKinnon undoubtedly saving his life, he gave him the recipe. It’s quite possible that the clansman was left rather aghast at the strange gift, when a few coins might have of better use at the time, but it has become a legacy that the current MacKinnon ancestors must be delighted with. The recipe has been allegedly handed down from father to eldest son through the generations, and has continued until this time. The recipe is lodged with a bank in Edinburgh, and only the eldest MacKinnon son will know the secret contents of that precious scrap of paper. A selection of herbs - possibly including saffron and cloves - along with pure heather honey are infused by hand into a malt whisky base that is sourced from Speyside and the Highlands. That’s all we know. Initially small quantities were made for family use only, but by 1906 Malcolm MacKinnon was seeing a wee gap in the market and started to commercially produce the recipe, with a resulting12 cases being sold in Edinburgh. In 1916 the cellarman at the House of Lords must have been sampling the wares and gave Drambuie a resounding thumbs-up. Within a couple of years the royal legacy was being knocked back in officers’ mess and gentlemen’s clubs throughout the UK. Drambuie is perhaps best drunk on its own after a meal, but is good over ice and can make some interesting cocktails. A Rusty Nail is 50:50 Drambuie and good Scotch whisky, stirred gently and served in a chilled glass. This, in my own experience, should be served along with a government health warning.
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