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In my previous post, I went on an adventure in the Scottish countryside looking for an elusive cave hideout of Rob Roy MacGregor. Rob Roy was a rebel, outlaw, and Jacobite supporter during the early 1700s. With a price on his head for banditry and treason, old Rob spent years on the run hiding out in a series of caves in the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs area of Scotland. The romanticized folklore that emerged from Rob Roy’s tales turned him into a folk hero. Not only was he an inspiration in literature, Rob Roy was an inspiration to both local cuisine and cocktails.
Mild disclaimer: this post is probably not the best for vegetarians or vegans,
as it has quite a “significant [amount] meat”.
Life in the time of covid requires a certain level of self amusement, that which my friend and I are rarely short of. Following our hunt for Rob Roy’s cave near Loch Ard, she casually mentioned, “We should get a Rob Roy Chicken sometime.” Woah, woah, woah… no one told me he had a chicken!
Table of Contents
1. Introducing the Rob Roy Chicken
Ok, so that was a little misleading, but amusing. While I’m sure Rob Roy may have owned chickens at one point in his pre-outlaw days, this is in fact not what I am referring to.
A turducken is a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Rob Roy Chicken is a turducken-like meat dish. Similar to the turducken, the Rob Roy Chicken comprises of three layers of meat. And it is a hearty dish! Haggis stuffed into a chicken breast, then wrapped in two pieces of back bacon. Broken down by animal, it is sheep offals (haggis), wrapped in chicken, wrapped in pork (bacon). So, while this post is not intended for vegans, vegetarians, or the faint of heart, the Rob Roy Chicken is similarly not intended for people who don’t just absolutely love meat. And me? Guilty, as charged.
One of my favorite highlights of living in Scotland are the local butchers. In a village, they are the source for deliciously fresh cuts of meat. But also, they continuously supply me with local Scottish delights, such as amazing haggis or black pudding.
For my friend’s birthday, she decided on the Rob Roy Chicken for her birthday dinner. When we walked into the butcher shop, maintaining a socially responsible distance from the counter, we asked the butcher if we should buy one or two Rob Roy Chickens. And in case he didn’t know, it should feed the both of us. His response was, “I can easily eat one by myself.” We both looked at each other… two it is.
Your burning Rob Roy Chicken questions answered
- How did we cook it? Wrapped in aluminum foil, in the oven.
- How long did we cook it for? Well, 180ยฐC / approx 360ยฐF… maybe 20 – 40 minutes. Unfortunately, we hit a snafu and the oven shut off half-way through. Therefore, I can only give you a guestimate.
- Was the whisky cream sauce necessary? Yes. We made the sauce, initially fearing the chicken would turn out dry. However, with bacon juices seeping into the chicken, that may not have been the case. Trust me though, the sauce was great!
- Was it an extremely heavy meal? YES.
- Was it absolutely delicious? ABSOLUTELY YES.
- Would we eat it again? OF COURSE.
And now, for your drink pairing…
2. The Rob Roy Cocktail
Created in 1894, by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan and obviously named in honor of the outlaw rebel that we now all know and love, Rob Roy continues to delight people to this day. Why was the cocktail created? For the New York opening of the Rob Roy operetta, of course! (Composed by Reginald De Koven and lyrics by Harry B. Smith). In case you’re wondering, New York Times review called it, “a thoroughly good operetta … clean, frank, manly, bright, and winsome … a right good comedy”.
For this section, I would like to introduce you to Kevin from Cocktails and Carry-Onsยฎ, who enthusiastically answered my call on Twitter to make this cocktail pairing for my post.
๐ฅ๐ธ๐น๐ฅ๐ธ๐น pic.twitter.com/spNKAil9pA
โ Kevin | Cocktails and Carry-Onsยฎ (@CocktailCarryOn) April 19, 2020
Thank you for this fun collaboration!
Without further ado…
Introducing Cocktails and Carry-Onsยฎ
While quarantined in our Swiss apartment for the past forty days, we have been testing out classic cocktails and firming up our ‘house recipes.’ As we make our way through familiar classics, we have been eager to learn about a few more of which we are less familiar.
When Lannie’s Food & Travel mentioned an upcoming article on Rob Roy, we were thrilled to participate in the fun! Lovers of a classic Manhattan or Old Fashioned are assured to enjoy this delicious cocktail!
The Usual Recipe
- 2oz / 60ml Scotch
- 1oz / 30ml Sweet Vermouth
- 2-3 dash Angostura Bitters
- Cherry, for garnish
Cocktails and Carry-Onsยฎ Recipe
- 2oz / 60ml Aberfeldy 16yr Single Malt Scotch
- 3/4oz / 22ml Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 2 Cherries, for garnish
Preparation: Add scotch, sweet vermouth, and bitters over a large ice cube in a mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds or until very cold. Strain with a Hawthorne strainer into a cocktail glass and garnish with cherries.
Enjoy and Drink Responsibly.
Parting Thoughts
Hope you enjoyed my dinner and drink pairing for this outlaw adventure. Life in the time of corona can be strange, but themed dinners may be one way of having a little fun in life! For anyone looking for some at-home cocktails to add to their own themed night, Nio Cocktails have the best ones! I always keep a few around, just in case I want a little cocktail!
Until next time, stay safe and cheers!
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Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.ย She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!ย She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.
Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!
Donโt know if that cocktail is for me, but count me in for the chicken. Tasty. With lots of that sauce all over. And a mound of potatoes.
We needed some roasted veggies, just so that it wasn’t 100% meat and potatoes. But a mound of potatoes would be absolutely delicious….. ๐ I’m not a big drinker, but hey, lockdown does make people do things for comfort ๐
I skipped the chicken and went straight for the cocktail. Vegetarian doesn’t mean teetotaller, for dog’s sake. A cool pairing idea: I mean your Rob Roy post and this one. Again!
well, it’s just a lotta meat hehe.. ๐ but glad you got to the important bits! there’s going to be another travel + food/drink pairing coming soon.. but no promises as to when ๐
Suddenly I’m hungry and thirsty for some reason! Beautiful post, Lannie! Thanks for the fun collaboration and for introducing me to the wonderful Rob Roy cocktail! This will be a fixture now for us given our love for Old Fashioned and Manhattan cocktails. I will be sampling the Rob Roy Chicken on my visit!!
wonderful to have you on this post, Kevin! and hooray for new cocktails and new foods to try in Scotland! ๐
This is an entertaining post. And i must say that the the rob roy chicken dinner looked delicious. i think it definitely needs to be washed down with cocktails!! Love the look of your cocktails, however not a scotch drinker. perhaps will try with rum!
Thanks for reading! The dinner was absolutely delicious. ๐ Although, I can’t take the credit for the cocktails. All the photos and the taste testing was done by my dear friend from Cocktails and Carry-Ons!
You had me at Bacon. The meat dish definitely seems like something an outlaw might chow down on. The drink makes it seem like he must have been a really refined type of gentleman while hiding out in those caves.
hahahah, well no one ever said that outlaws can’t have their refined gentleman moments.
can we be bacon buddies? ๐