How to make a Rusty Nail Cocktail | Bar Talk & Cocktails 

i could listen to you talk all day.. interesting voice and stories.

Great story, Bruce! As a sentimental guy myself, I know how hard it can be to say goodbye to a familiar place and close a chapter of your life at the drop of a hat. I always like the mix of history with the drink recipes. All the best!

In a different reality, he bought the bar, plays the piano on Saturday nights and serves great high-brow cocktails

I know you said I'm to young to watch your r video's but I love seeing u making drinks even if I can't have them ❤

Kudos on adding the lemon twist. It really adds another dimension to this drink.

What an amazing story! Love hearing about your experiences back in the day. It must have been hard to have to leave a place where you put so much of your blood sweat and tears. Thanks for sharing your memories as well as tying to a cocktail. Cheers!

This is my favorite episode! A Master story teller with wonderful soft piano in the background. It was very comforting during quarantine. (I worked a Covid ICU and was removed from friends and family) As the weather is getting cooler again, I find myself re-watching it. Thank you Bruce and every one at Bartalk&cocktails.

I love your passion for the bar hopefully I can expand my passion like yours as well to maybe opening a bar myself ! Great vid !

I have my own "version" of this drink, spawning from my two favorites - I call it the Highlander: two ounces Of Meyers Dark rum one ounce of Drambuie the juice of one lemon wedge and one lime wedge two dashes of Angostura bitters one to two ounces ginger ale one lemon peel twist Mix liquors, liqueurs, fruit juices and bitters; pour into a double rocks glass filled with ice; add ginger ale to taste; garnish with lemon peel twist.

Bruce, you're like the Casey Kasem of bartending my friend :). love it!!

Great video. Still remember my first Rusty Nail April, 1970. While in Vietnam I had pulled courier duty and had a layover in DaNang. I was Army and didn’t have many comforts. The Air Force on the other hand knew how to live. The set me up with a place to sleep, showed me where to eat and where to drink. Went to the club and saw they had Scotch. So I’m sitting there drinking Scotch and an airman comes over and we start talking. Tells me about this drink called a Rusty Nail so I tried it. Was really good. Flash forward to 1971 and I’m home in Michigan. My dad and I went out for a drink and I told him about the Nail. Order 2 but the bartender didn’t recognize the drink. Told him the ingredients and he said you want a Knucklehead. Regardless of the name a great drink.

You have such a story to tell. Absolutely fantastic and you have a new fan.

Hey Bruce, I enjoy watching all your videos and certainly this Rusty Nail one along with your interesting story about the bar you worked for 17 years, make it a perfect combination of cheerful bartender and how much passion you put into your work with additonal interesting facts behind the cocktail itself, keep up the good work man 👌 👏

Bruce: I'm sure you've heard of this, but I just made a "Mandarine Old Fashioned" using Mandarine Napoleon. Here's the recipe: 1 oz Mandarine Napoleon 1 oz Bourbon Whiskey 3 dashes Angostura Bitters (I use their orange bitters) orange peel for garnish Put the bitters and orange peel in an old-fashioned glass with two ice cubes, add two ounces of Mandarine Napoleon and two ounces of Bourbon and stir. It's quite nice!

Great video Bruce! Really enjoy watching your videos

Thank you for making this video its my new favorite drink n i love ur storys that gos with the cocktails

Good story. Thank you for sharing.

Still experimenting with this. Blended Scotch to Drambuie 2:1 right now. I also strain it into a fresh glass. Love your Zappa and Janis references and fellow Canuck as well. 👍

I really like the stories he tells that give a background to the drinks. Very educational and enjoyable!

Such a awesome video! I’m in bartending school and I’m searching for different drinks and I absolutely love how you explain the drink and tell your story! I was happy to subscribe!❤️🥳

Great bar talk as i stay up late making italian food and having a fine rusty nail. Doing a 3 part compass box peat monster to 1 part drambuie! Been watching these videos for years and thank you for them!

Just saying hey from a young bartender, I love the history of our industry and enjoy hearing the stories firsthand from you, here's to keeping the chain of knowledge alive!

a very easy sipper for those nights after a long day at work. The whisky type plays the lead role, can be smoky, salty or even spices... Love all the hard work.

That was the Best Rusty Nail in depth video ive seen on youtube. Im subing today 🥃🍻

Love this bittersweet story. Love a Rusty Nail and all the bye gone vibes it seems to give. I like mine with a dash of Islay and a float of Angostura bitters for the “rust”! Thanks Bruce for this video, rewatched many times.

Strange coincidence, I had one tonight , not even an hour ago and didn't even realize i was making a Rusty Nail 😄. Love your content by the way 👍👍

I discovered the Rusty Nail back in the 1990s. I tried it with Johnnie Walker Red and Black but, settled on a 1:1 mix with Glenfiddich. Totally smooth. Thanks Bruce for bringing back some good memories.

Ive have the luxury of enjoying a Rusty Nail made by Bruce himself. Can't be beat!

Another great vid Bruce. Not much of a Bourbon man, but think i"m gonna try this one. All your side stories are great ! Keep up the great work and thanx for all the cool recipes.......Bill

Man we need a whole series thats just nothing but the first half of this video. Put a drink in your hand, some lounge music in the background, dim those goddamn lights and just go on about the old days for like twenty minutes a pop. A+ companionship for sullen, solitary, locked-down drinking sprees.

Drambuie with a little bit of ice is just perfect.

Oh so good !

Your Videos are veeeryy underrated. I love your storys, it's what makes your Videos special.

Wow im was suprised how much you put into this episode awesome job ^-^

"It really kicks me in the face...I love it." Ha, brilliant!!!

Great video Bruce! I’m a younger guy and learned about the rusty nail because it’s made by the main character in “better call Saul” While I love the original rusty nail I also love to sub bourbon for scotch (that’s the American in me!) and mix it with the drambuie . If you’ve never tried it, it’s spicy and the sweetness of the dram really balances out bourbon

Oh how I had a pang in my heart for you. I wish you did take a memento. They would tear it down anyway. I don't think anyone would mind. Loved the 'stache.😉

Thank you so much

There is a Masonic ritual called "The Rusty Nail." it's for Brothers who have not attended meetings in a long time and have trouble remembering some of the rituals needed to participate. This would be awesome for the informal meeting at the local bar after.

Had these today after a convention show. Holy crap, they're amazing! Great drink after a long day.

My first rusty nail I was 19 y/o mowing the backyard on a 2x4 with a 3 inch nail puncturing directly through my shoe and sock into my skin like butter 🧈

my drink for a broken heart :D beautiful!

No way! I was just scrolling through videos and came across this… had it playing in the back and heard cafe 13. I thought there was no chance you were talking about Cambridge! I used to bartend downtown Galt as well and have spent many times (before and after hours ;) ) there!

This guy is my hero

Gotta meet ya Bruce!! You’re what RU-vid is all about !

Sir you deserve 100.000x times more subscribers than you have now, awesome show!

Great story!!

Ahh yes the nail! Aye make a lot of them in the small bar aye work for here in the North East of Scotland!! Love hearing the history behind them bar tending is history!

i'm gonna have to go buy some drambuie and give this drink a try. You always have a way of making those stiff drinks look so interesting. Keep up the awesome work Bruce and Crew!

Great cocktail with an even better story. Rusty Nail is one of my favourite cocktails right along side the Godfather and the Rusty Compass. Try a rusty nail with Aberlour A’Bunadh (cask strength) some time. Just one goes a loooong way but it tastes amazing.

Elegant

I come here to hear the stories first.. Then the cocktail recepies!💚☀️

Bruce, during Vietnam there was a large unit of combat pilots based in Thailand with the Nail callsign. Their bar was the Nail Hole and their designated unit drink was...you guessed it. In tribute to it and them, I named the protagonist of my two novels Rusty Naille. And it's one of my favorite drinks.

Love the Rusty Nail in a pinch. Wonder what kind of history you know about the Bénédictine and Brandy. Maybe a nice winter drink. Salute! 🥂

Bruce - do you still tend bar anywhere? Would love to have a dram with you one day.

I came her for the rusty nail recipe. Subscribed for the story.

Hey bruce i'm a bartender too love the vide I'm from Jamaica

nice!!

This drink sounds right up my ally.

i like the way u explin clear

I made an Irish whiskey version with Irish whiskey and Irish mist which I think is the Irish version of Drambuie.I heard it was called a Green nail or The Quiet man.Garnished with an Orange twist so it looks different.Try it

I started drinking these when I heard the late great Bobby Keys 🎷 of the Rolling Stones drank these often. Keith Richards even commented he tried’ to hang with Bobby when he drank them the best he could. Lol

I have an alternate history that makes sense. When I was younger and the world was different we used to occasionally stalk red deer on the Highland estate that belonged to a friend of my late father. On these stalks that could last "can see to can't see" the Ghillie used to carry two large flasks along with his own rifle, spare telescope etc. The flasks contained a single malt (his choice was Caol ila, my late father's was old style Tamdhu my choice was moot as I was legally too young to drink at that stage but it varied as I aged) in one and what he referred to as "half and half" in the other. The half and half was half Lagavulin and half Drambuie. He claimed the half and half was for American and some English clients who bought a day or week's stalking as they could not handle a heavily peated scotch (see my late father's dram of choice- distinctly unpeated), but he claimed a peated dram was needed in case of bad weather. He claimed his father and other ghillies of that generation did the same, so this would put it into the 20s and before the B.I.F. I picked up a taste for it (we won't mention my age) after the gralloch on my first successful stalk and still make mine half and half (Talisker in autumn and Ardbeg in winter).

Just had two of those yesterday...

Another great video, I enjoyed the backstory. A shame you didn't keep the Churchill bust. :)

Starts at 7:00

I dream of having an oak bar of my own one day !

My bar, the Doll Hut in Anaheim is haunted too. Stop by if you ever come out to California to see the mouse.

Will drambui and pineapple juice work? Also on average how much does drambui cost? Is there anything similar and cheaper? Or is it Drambui or nothing for that gold tint

Since I'm out of Scotch (except for some Laphroaig, which does not play well with others), I've made a Rusty Nail using Maker's Mark Bourbon. Not bad, actually.....

Beautiful glass, is this a Drambuie glass Bruce?

THIS DRINK IS THE BEST FOR REALLY MONSTEROUS BAD SNAKES

I have a lemon in the kitchen ..... I just need to pop to Tesco to pick up the rest of the ingredients. Cheers!

Hey Bruce, have you checked out GinJoe from gin reviews from South Florida?? Omg both of your personalities are amazing and would love to see a mash up!! Love you Bruce

I came up with a drink inspired by this n the stinger video its 2oz cognan 1/2 to 3/4z black berrybrandy brandy n 8 dashes of angostura bitters orange or regular can you name it Bruce?

Theres a bar at are local mall here called the rusty nail. Great story though, my father showed me dambuie.

Is there a cocktail made with amaretto , Drambuie and Scotch together ?

Oh yah

Where was Cafe 13 located?

I know that generally it's considered that a cocktail is Strong, Bitter/Sour, and Sweet. So, such as the Rusty Nail and B and B (as opposed to B&B) still earn the category because the sweet is pre-mixed with the bitter? Same for the Old Fashioned? And what would it be w/o the bitters (and bit of citrus), then?

If this isn't the Cafe 13 in Cambridge, ON I'll be damned... Interesting episode. Give a hint where you work now? I've got a few bucks looking for a rusty nail made by an expert.

Great drink just be careful one is usually enough

I just do Drambuie on the rocks

I like em stiff, I pour over only 2 or 3 cubes, barely stir it, and my scotch of choice is Talisker. The first sip curls your nose hair for sure! That said, there is no such thing as a bad rusty nail, no matter how you make it!

Geese! You going to drink all that by yourself! 🤣🤪

I could listen to Bruce telling stories all day long. But I just cant get with a Rusty Nail. Its just too rough for me. I've tried it with a varieties of scotches just trying to like the drink. But I just cant do it.

So basically this is Scotch with Scotch? 😅👍

Not bad, old man...

Cigarette smoke, pretzels, the bar ghost, and all the black and white photos beside all the bottles of booze on the wall. Back when bars were bars.

We have a lot of sightseeing to do and I just added tetanus shot to the list.

Nothing like getting kicked in the face!!!

WHALES EXIST THEY ARE OUT THERE

"use a single malt for a smokier drink"..eeh not all single malts are smoky?

Can't drink my scotch neat, I need to make cocktails. Been looking for more than just the old fashioned and I can't wait to try this

Bro,,, just make the fucking drink! Went to an actual,How to, video after 1:50!