A whisky Macdonald, more commonly known under the shortened name whisky Mac, is a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

made up of

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

and

ginger wine Ginger wine is a fortified wine often made from a fermented blend of ginger, raisins, sugar and yeast, that is often fortified by being blended with brandy. It is one of the main ingredients of the Whisky Mac cocktail. Ginger wine originate ...

. The whisky is expected to be a

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

, usually a blended type. The ginger wine should be green ginger wine. Recipes vary from those having equal parts of each ingredient to those that use a ratio of 3 to 2 of whisky to wine. A common recipe is to take Scotch whisky and green ginger wine. Pour both of the ingredients into a wine goblet with no ice. A hot version can also be made, akin to a

hot toddy A hot toddy, also known as hot whiskey in Ireland, is typically a mixed drink made of liquor and water with honey, (or in some recipes, sugar), lemon, herbs (such as tea) and spices, and served hot. Hot toddy recipes vary and are traditional ...

, made with the addition of boiling water. The invention of it, and its name, is attributed to Colonel

Hector MacDonald Major-General Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald, ( gd, Eachann Gilleasbaig MacDhòmhnaill; 4 March 1853 – 25 March 1903), also known as Fighting Mac, was a Scottish soldier. The son of a crofter, MacDonald left school before he was 15, en ...

, who devised it during the days of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

in India.
/ref> The mixed drink is sometimes referred to as "The Golfers' Favourite". Apparently, golfers drank whisky macs to ward off the cold after a chilly round on the links. It was famously the favourite drink of

Rosaleen Norton Rosaleen Miriam Norton (2 October 1917 – 5 December 1979), who used the name of Thorn, was a New Zealand-born Australian artist and occultist, in the latter capacity adhering to a form of pantheistic / Neopagan Witchcraft largely devoted to t ...

who preferred it with the addition of dry ginger ale.

References

Cocktails with whisky Cocktails with wine {{cocktail-stub

See also

References