Traditional Scottish recipe: How to make Atholl Brose whisky liqueur | Scotsman Food and Drink (2024)

A traditional whisky liqueur recipe, Atholl Brose is steeped in rich history and combines Scotland's love of whisky with its love for all things sweet.

Perfect as an after dinner treat, Atholl Broseis usually served during Hogmanay and Burns Night celebrations.

There are many stories of how Atholl Brose came to be, though one of the original tales is that of Dougal and the Giant of Atholl.

A long timeago, a great giant was said to terrorise the land of Atholl (what is now the upper parts of Perthshire). The giant - creatures that were apparently a common problem in those days - had nothing but contempt for humansandwould often steal cattle.

Worse, he would empty any grain stores he found, filling his greatsack and leaving entire communities to struggle to survive through winter.

Fed up with the constant predations of this bothersome giant, Dougal, a young hunter from one of the many clachans surrounding the giant's glen, hatched a daring plot to rid the lands of this nuisance.
Dougal was smart enough to knowthat to fight the creature head on would be foolish, as many had tried and their bodies were by now scattered across the glens.

Instead, Dougal sneaked down to where the giant kept his ill-gotten gains, finding there sacks of oats, jars of honey and incredibly, several small casksof whisky. It was then he began to formulate a plan.

Using his knife he cut open the sack of oats, he poured them into what was clearly the giant's drinking cup (a hollowed out boulder that rested before a stone well), before adding the honey and both of the casks of whisky.
Coming across this bountiful surprise the giant drank his fill, and eventually fell asleep beneath an ancient oak tree. Seeing his chance, Dougal slipped out from his hiding place beneath the sacks of oats and slew the giant as he slept.
Dougal returned to his homestead as a hero and his recipe for the Atholl Brose was passed on from generation to generation.

The first official recipe for Atholl Brose was recorded in 1475, when Iain MacDonald, the Lord of the Isles was leading a rebellion against the king. The Earl of Atholl, who had been dispatched to capture the errant chieftan, discovered that MacDonald regularly used a well near where the rebels were said to be encamped.

The Earlordered his scouts to stealthily fill the well with whisky, oats and honey (perhaps Atholl himself took inspiration from Dougal's story). When MacDonald and his troops stopped to use the well, the recipe was so delicious they tarried there and were captured by Atholl's troops.

Our step by step guide shows you how to create your very own Atholl Brose:

Ingredients:

• One bottle of Scotch whisky (A decent blend will do)
• (Optional) 1/2 Pint of double cream
• 450g of clear Scottish honey
• One handful of fine ground oatmeal

Pick whichever whisky takes your fancy but a decent blend will work just as well as a good malt. We recommend that you perhaps don't use a peaty whisky as this can detract from the sweet flavour.

Atholl Brose also works well as a dessert just add raspberries and drizzle over a nice ice cream.

Step 1:

Combine the oatmeal and whisky in a shallow container. Cover with linen and leave in a cool place for several hours or overnight.

Step 2:

Remove the liquids from your oatmeal and whisky mixture.

Uselinen or a spoon and strainerto squeeze every last drop of whisky out of the oatmeal solids. Discard the oats.

Step 3:

This step is optional, some more traditional recipes don't use cream, while others even recommend mixing the cream with egg whites.

This step can be used or left out as per your preference.

Add cream and stir.

Step 4:

Gently whisk in honey, until dissolved.

Step 5:

Stir the final mixture well (according to tradition, this should be done with a silver spoon).

Pour the brose into a bottle for storage.

Step 6:

Store bottle in thefridge for up to a week,Atholl Brose is at its best when given a few days to mature, howe,verit tastes great freshly made too.

Step 7:

Serve chilled from the fridge or over ice. Enjoy!