Atholl Brose
A storied Scottish honey-and-oat whisky cream: part drink, part dessert, and the hero of a 500-year-old legend. Ingredients: oatmeal brose (the liquid from steeped oats), heather honey, single malt Scotch whisky and cream. Method: 1) Steep oatmeal in water and strain off the silky brose. 2) Stir in honey until dissolved, then whisky, then fold in lightly whipped cream. 3) Chill and serve in small glasses. The experience: soft, honeyed and warming — whisky wrapped in velvet, made for winter nights and Hogmanay toasts. History: the brose takes its name from the Earls of Atholl; legend says that in 1475 the Earl filled a well with the mixture to slow a rebellious rival's men, who stopped to drink instead of fighting. Whether or not the tale is true, Scots have been making it ever since.