Gastro

How to prepare the Rusty Nail, Frank Sinatra’s favorite cocktail

This simple drink made with only two ingredients was a favorite of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.

Click here to read the Spanish version.
It is common for certain celebrities to trend what they eat, their clothes or their hobbies -that’s where the concept of influencer comes from in the strictest sense of the word-. And that’s something that has been happening all our lives. For example, Frank Sinatra was one of those artists who had a large legion of fans and was able to make fashionable a simple cocktail based on only two ingredients. It is the Rusty Nail, a cocktail that caused a sensation in the 60s and 70s, as Sinatra and the Rat Pack drank it whenever they frequented PJ Clarke’s, one of the most fashionable bars of that time.

Frank Sinatra visitaba habitualmente el bar PJ Clarke’s.

Frank Sinatra, along with his colleagues Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis Jr. or Dean Martin, among other artists, were great fans of the Rusty Nail, which was simply made with a little whiskey, a dash of Drambuie (a Scottish liqueur containing whiskey, honey and aromatic herbs) and a little lemon peel, which gave the cocktail a fresh and acidic aroma to balance the sweetness of the alcohol.

There are several theories about the reason for its particular name. Rusty nail’ translates as ‘rusty nail’. Some say it refers to the utensil used by bartenders to stir the cocktail, while others are more inclined to the theory that speaks of the color of the drink.

Although today the Rusty Nail is a rare cocktail in bars, if you want to feel like Frank Sinatra himself, you can prepare it at home. All you need is 60 ml of whiskey, 22 ml of Drambuie and a lemon peel.