Sweet Rob Roy

Hocus Pocus, Kurt Vonnegut, 1990

2 oz. Scotch whisky

1 oz. sweet vermouth

2 drops of Angostura Bitters

1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

Place the Scotch, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass, fill it two-thirds of the way with ice, and stir until chilled.

Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with the maraschino cherry, and enjoy.

If I could order any drink I wanted now, it would be a Sweet Rob Roy on the Rocks, a Manhattan made with Scotch. That was another drink a woman introduced me to, and it made me laugh instead of cry, and fall in love with the woman who said to try one.

Vonnegut’s experimental novel tells the tale of Eugene Debs Hartke, a Vietnam vet and teacher who gets in over his head while teaching at a segregated prison. He enjoys drinking a sweet version of the Rob Roy cocktail, only to find out that he has a son he never knew about. The son’s name? Rob Roy.

The Rob Roy is made up mainly of Scotch and vermouth, and was invented in 1894 in New York, in honor of the premiere of the operetta Rob Roy, by Reginald De Koven, which is based on the life of the Scottish folk hero. The drink is “sweet” because it’s made with sweet vermouth, and needs no additional ingredients, though dry versions exist, as well.