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Of Course Saul Goodman Drinks Rusty Nails
By
Nell Casey
Published Feb 9, 2015
Modified Feb 9, 2015
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By
Nell Casey
Published Feb 9, 2015
Modified Feb 9, 2015
Share
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Last night's premiere of Better Call Saul taught us that Life After Heisenberg means a middle management job slinging dough at Cinnabon by day and reliving one's glory days of jarring television ads over a cocktail by night. Locked away in his Omaha apartment, "Jimmy McGill" resignedly pours himself a tumbler of Scotch and Drambuie with lemon juice, also known as a Rusty Nail, the preferred drink of depressed old men. Of course the man formerly known as Saul Goodman drinks Rusty Nails.
A+ bartending skills
The drink's origin is somewhat muddled, but Dale DeGroff notes that the 1967 edition of the Old Mister Boston Official Bartender’s Guide includes a recipe for the Rusty Nail; a similarly composed drink called a Little Club #1 appears in a 1951 cocktail book as well. Most recipes call for equal parts Scotch and Drambuie, a sweet, scotch-based liqueur that's infused with honey, though a drier version with more scotch may be preferable to seasoned whiskey drinkers.
Saul takes his with a generous squirt of concentrated lemon juice, but the most common garnish would be a twist of lemon rind. That's how my high school boyfriend's father always drank them and the same way I ordered it on an ill-advised teenage trip to the Virgin Islands. After half a glass, I imagined myself engaged in a telepathic conversation with a friend back in the States. Bottom line: they're really, really strong.
It's a drink that makes you think
It's a damn shame Walter White contributed to the death of his brother-in-law, otherwise there might have been a happier reality where everyone drank Schraderbrau.
Tagged
better call saul
cocktail
drambuie
old man drinks
rusty nail
scotch
original
Nell Casey
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