It's like sitting in a fine leather chair, listening to great jazz, while making this Bobby Burns recipe.

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There is often the saying that you shouldn't waste a nice bottle of liquor when making a cocktail. If you have an exceptionally nice bottle of whiskey, for example, the right way to enjoy it would be to serve it in a glass, without ice, presumably with an eyedropper of branch water and a tasting notebook titled "How to Get Out of Drinking" on it. This opinion is typically offered with the authoritative weight of fact.

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As much as it is always wrong to tell others how to drink, the advice against mixing drinks with a pricier spirit is especially false in the case of Scotch whiskey, and monumentally false in the case of the Bobby Burns, a mixture of Scotch whiskey, sweet vermouth and Benedictine, a herbal French liqueur made from herbs.

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As it turns out, the drink has a sinewy, unsatisfying history, but the most famous form is from Harry Craddock's 1930 book The Savoy Cocktail Book. It is the concentration of flavor and herbal charm that sets Bobby Burns apart. A Scotch Manhattan, often referred to as a Rob Roy, is an excellent drink; however, if you add honeyed, herbal complexity from Bénédictine, you completely change the game.

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Despite being a robust slow-sipper, the liqueur still offers a persistent sweetness, almost a warmth, that is charming to the point of enchantment. Having a glass of Rob Roy is like sitting in an old leather chair as you sink into it, and sipping a glass of Bobby Burns is just like listening to great jazz while sitting in that chair.

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In another blow to the rule-makers, this cocktail is equally amazing with long-aged sherried single malts as it is with entry-level scotch. A Bobby Burns, by contrast, celebrates the very notes you get from aged scotch in sherry barrels rather than clashing with the lemon juice of a Whiskey Sour. Sherry's dried fruit is enhanced by the vermouth; butterscotch and custard flavors are highlighted by the Bénédictine; and French oak flavor is highlighted by the bitters. 

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These notes would pop more in the cocktail if there was a strong sherry influence in the scotch; the Macallan, Glendronach, and Glenfarclas that are heavily sherried would all be amazing—and very expensive. Feeling bold? Put aside a couple shots of the $112,000 Generations 2021. However, sometimes you just want to drink a fine spirit in a cocktail. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

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The Bobby Burns cocktail recipe can be found below:

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• 2 oz sherried single-malt Scotch whisky
• 3/4 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (or other sweet vermouth)
• 1/4oz Bénédictine
  2 dashes Angostura Bitters

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In a mixing glass with ice, add all the ingredients and stir until well combined, then strain into a stemmed glass with a twist of lemon. Garnish with a lemon twist and serve immediately.