With the temperatures shifting down, it’s time, I think, to also shift drinking habits, moving from the sunny clear-spirit-based cocktails and highballs into those darker-based mixes. Or, to simplify, moving from gin, vodka and occasionally tequila drinks into whiskey and brandy cocktails (provided you haven’t forgotten reliable brandy). These darkly-shaded mixes not only add a bit of extra warmth on the inside as they’re consumed but also help to add a bit of metaphysical warmth, taking the chill off the depressing thoughts that often accompany the oncoming winter months.

One of my favorite ways to celebrate this changing of the drinking seasons is by sipping on a Bobby Burns. Once ordered more regularly at bars and lounges, today the Bobby Burns has fallen out of many imbibers’ menus, which is a shame for two reasons: First, and most importantly, is because it tastes wonderful on a crisp fall day, with the heartiness of Scotch rhyming alongside sweet vermouth and Benedictine’s herbal accents. Secondly, because it’s one of those cocktails that goes so well with a little bit of poetry (perhaps all of them do in some way, but this one in more specific ways).

The reason, naturally, is that this drink may have been named for Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet from the latter 1700s who wrote often and glowingly about drinks, mainly whiskey of the Scotch variety. This cocktail connection may not be verifiable, as the drink could also have been named for another Bobby Burns, this one the late-1800s-early-1900s-cigar-salesman who used to buy drinks for folks at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria bar. If you go with the lyrical history of the drink, though, that gives you license to spout a little poetry the next time you make a Bobby Burns cocktails for pals (the handy recipe, from "Dark Spirits: 200 Classy Concoctions Starring Bourbon, Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey, Rum and More" is below) or order one at your favorite watering hole. And really, is there anything better then bursting out with a few memorable lines when holding a drink in one hand? I suppose there may be, but I am having a hard time thinking of something better – though, I have had a few Bobby Burns while writing this.

If you aren’t sure which poetic lines to trot out this Fall, I suggest reading the following, from Robert Burns’ fine poem “Scotch Drink.”

"O thou, my muse! guid auld Scotch drink! / Whether thro' wimplin worms thou jink, / Or, richly brown, ream owre the brink, / In glorious faem, / Inspire me, till I lisp an' wink, / To sing thy name!"

Bobby Burns Cocktail

Ice cubes

2-1/2 ounces Scotch

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1/4 ounce Benedictine

Lemon twist, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Scotch, vermouth and Benedictine. Shake well.

2. Strain the mix into a cocktail glass. Squeeze the lemon twist over it and let it float into the glass.

A Note: You can also stir this one over ice, instead of shaking. But I think the poets like to show off their shaking skills.