A bar in Edinburgh added a haggis cocktail to its menu this month during Diageo’s GB World Class competition … would you be game to try it?

Returning for its second year in the UK, the competition has been hosting the World Class Cocktail Festival, which is running from 14-27 April. The vibrant celebration of mixology is showcasing the unique cocktail creations on offer in the bars of this year’s World Class GB Top 100.

Consumers can sample creations from 87 bars in 23 cities, including London, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Manchester.

Diageo GB advocacy manager Jo Last said: “The talent on show across the country this year has been fantastic to see. It’s time to get out and show your local bars how much you love them! We have passionate bartenders showcasing their unique talents in some of the best bars in Edinburgh. Let’s show them all some support.”

At Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh, top 100 bartender Jack Smith created a cocktail called Fire and Thistle, featuring Don Julio tequila, a haggis ver sous (a sous vide technique to extract flavour), tortilla and guacamole syrup, raspberry syrup, acid adjust agave and a raspberry powder.

That’s quite the combo … so how does it taste?

According to Rosalind Erskine at The Scotsman the result is a “vibrant, sweeter than you might expect drink”.

“There are hints of spice here and not a huge hit of tequila, but the overall is fruity sweetness that belies its Scottish influence of haggis so no one should be put off by its inclusion,” she said.

It’s not the first time haggis has appeared on a cocktail menu in Scotland. In 2017, Scotch whisky Glen Grant partnered with Edinburgh bar Bon Vivant bar to create the ‘The Chieftain’, a haggis cocktail named after Robert Burns’ famous description of Scotland’s national dish, the “great chieftain o’ the pudding race”.

Created by bartender Will Cox, The Chieftain featured an an oat-washed Glen Grant 10 Year Old combined with an offal stock syrup to replicate the unique meaty flavour of haggis. It was served with a pickled red onion, representing the ‘heart’, a salt and pepper air, representing the ‘lungs’, a turnip cordial, a nod to the famous ‘neeps’ accompaniment and a haggis rim.

We might stick to Margaritas …