Atholl brose is a Scottish liqueur. Brose (also brewis, browse, or brewst) is a traditional Scottish dish made by pouring water or milk over grains, such as oats or oatcakes, that may be served plain or with simple embellishments. Atholl brose liqueur, however, combines the same oatmeal and water with honey and scotch whisky. See whisky, scotch. Variations are legion. Some contain no oats, while others include cream, milk, or eggs. Some are spiced; most are not. Modern executions sometimes deploy oat or nut milks and veer into the realm of desserts with whipped cream. All, however, boast whisky and honey. Beverages such as Atholl brose may have existed previously, but John Stewart, the first earl of Atholl, is credited for its invention. In 1475 Atholl captured the renegade earl of Ross, Iain MacDonald. Custom holds that Atholl’s spies discovered a well where MacDonald drank at night, then spiked the well with a mix of honey, oatmeal, and whisky. Rendered unconscious by the resulting nectar, the rebel earl was readily seized. That boozy brose has been dubbed Atholl ever since. During her 1842 visit to Scotland, England’s Queen Victoria sampled the famous liqueur. History does not record whether the monarch also succumbed to the brose.
Recipe: Soak ½ cup steel-cut oats in 360 ml water overnight. Strain the oats from this concoction, then stir 30 ml heather honey and 240 ml single-malt Scotch whisky into the “brose,” or oat water—with a silver spoon, some insist—until the blend is homogenous. A day’s rest allows the mix to achieve a more harmonious balance.See also liqueur; Scotland; and whisky.
Atholl, J. Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine families, vol 1. Edinburgh: Ballantyne, 1908.
Baker, Charles H. The Gentleman’s Companion, vol. 2. New York: Crown, 1946.
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
“The Queen’s Progress.” Yorkshire Herald, September 17, 1842, 2.
Wilson, C. Anne. Food and Drink in Britain. Constable, London, 1973.
By: Matthew Rowley