“Hey, wait a minute,” you might say, “wasn’t the whole point of this blog that you would craft cocktails around current events and news stories? Why haven’t you actually done that at all yet?” Fair point, dear reader. But now things are changing! It’s a news story, that’s happening right now, and now I have a cocktail! Hurray!

As you may know, tomorrow (the 18th) is the date of a potentially historic vote that’s going to be taking place in Scotland. They’re deciding whether or not to remain as part of the United Kingdom, or split off into their own country. This of course has all sorts of geo-political ramifications, from currency exchange to energy rights and so on. Last time I checked, the poll was at 51% for independence and 49% to stay together. So we’ll see what happens!

In the meantime, I’ve made a cocktail. Now, I don’t know where I stand on the actual issue, but in terms of ingredients, Scottish and English are better together. To that end, I’ve made a quick and simple cocktail with scotch (what else can you pick?) to represent Scotland, and Earl Grey tea (which is apparently named after a British prime minister) to represent England. The campaign slogan for sticking together is apparently “No Thanks,” hence the name of the cocktail. Here it is!

The No Thanks

• 2 oz single malt scotch (I picked the Balvenie Doublewood because a) it’s good and b) it’s smoky but not too much so)
• 1.25 oz Earl Grey simple syrup (I used this recipe though it makes a very large amount)
• 1 oz lemon

Easy enough preparation: mix together, serve with a big ice cube in a rocks glass. (But see the notes below…)

Tasting Notes:

BN: I really liked this. My only issue was that the Earl Grey flavor didn’t quite come through as much as I wanted in the actual drink. The syrup was very flavored, but I couldn’t put any more in the cocktail without making it too sweet. Perhaps a blended scotch might overpower the light tea flavor a little bit less. The lemon was good to add a little acidity and balance to the palate (don’t I sound fancy). I think the syrup also had a tendency to sink to the bottom, despite a lot of stirring. Perhaps a shaken preparation might work better, if you’re allowed to do that with scotch.

PiC: I don’t normally like scotch, and I actually like this! Well done!

So we’ll see what happens with the vote. Whatever side you’re on, pour yourself a nice big glass of scotch when you watch the results!