Last Updated on January 17, 2022
Burns Night at Home with Dewars and Allinabox
Are you a fan of Burns Night? For me, it’s the perfect Post Christmas celebration, coming just as the shops start to fill up with Valentine’s gifts but without that pressure of the ‘perfect date night’. Essentially a Scottish themed dinner, sometimes with a Ceilidh for good measure, Burns Night celebrates Scotland’s most-loved Bard, Robbie Burns, on 25th January each year. The first Burns supper was held in 1802 and over the next 200 plus years, new traditions have been added, while the sentiment remains the same – to pay tribute to Scotland’s national poet.
A formal Burns Night dinner will include the address to the Haggis – you’ll need bagpipes and someone on hand with a good Scottish accent who can recite one of Robbie Burn’s best-loved poems.
“Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware, That jaups in luggies: But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer, Gie her a Haggis!”
After everyone has eaten, there are more toasts – Immortal Memory, a short speech about Burns followed by a Toast to the Immortal Bard. Then, an Address to the Lassies – original to thank the women who had prepared the meal. Finally (as women should always have the last word), the Reply to the Laddies.
Of course, the whole evening is washed down with whisky.
Now, this year, if you fancy an easier way to enjoy a Burns Night supper, Allinabox have worked with DEWAR’S Caribbean Smooth, a blended whisky aged in rum casks, to create a cook at home meal-kit with cocktails. Needless to say, the menu has a Caribbean twist to it with jerk chicken served with neeps, tatties and plantain, haggis Scotch eggs to start and a Cranachan inspired cocktail to finish. There’s also an intriguing Manhattan inspired cocktail made with Irn Bru! And, there’s a specially curated playlist to help you move to the ultimate rhythm as you cook.
If you’d like to try this fusion of cultures for yourself, with both the cocktails made using DEWAR’S Caribbean Smooth, blended whisky aged in rum casks, you can order online for delivery. The Burns Night box will be available for nationwide delivery at £70, pre-order from January 10th ahead of Burns Night on January 25. Or, just grab a bottle of DEWAR’S Caribbean Smooth and make yourself one of the cocktails. We’re sharing the recipe here for the ‘New Town’ cocktail with Irn Bru and a spice mix including mace, nutmeg, black pepper, fresh ginger, orange peel and bay leaf.
- 50 ml Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth Whisky
- 15 ml Sweet RedVermouth
- 10 ml Spiced Irn Bru Syrup*
- 100 g Irn Bru
- 50 g White Sugar
- 50 p-Sized Piece of Orange Peel
- 50 p-Sized Slice of Fresh Ginger
- 2 cm Piece of Cinnamon
- 1 x Star Anise
- 1 x Piece Whole Mace
- 2 x Cloves
- 1 x Bay Leaf
- 2 g Blade Mace Ground Mace also works, but will leave powder in the mix
- Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth
- 50 g Cherries and Syrup
-
Combine all ingredients and pour into a rocks glass over ice. Stir briefly to chill and dilute. Garnish with a mace infused cocktail cherry.
-
Combine in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool fully and fine strain/coffee filter to remove any solids.
-
Combine ingredients together and leave to infuse for a minimum of 24hrs. Store somewhere dark and cool indefinitely. Liquid can be topped up with additional cherries for further infusions.
“Sláinte Mhath!”
Leave a Reply