Kilmarnock Kebabs with Tzatziki

Cooking with Johnnie Walker Red like it's 1975.

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I recently came across the inspiration for this recipe in an ad for Johnnie Walker Red in a 1975 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It stuck out to me for a few reasons: I don’t typically see scotch in non-drink recipes, it references Kilmarnock, and the fact that I could receive a booklet of additional recipes if I mailed my information to an address on Park Avenue in New York City.

I don’t really enjoy whiskey (et al), but all of these things intrigued me enough to try it out. I couldn’t find an explanation why Johnnie Walker Red was the spirit of choice for this marinade — it’s the brand’s best selling blend and is one of its older offerings — so there was no need to promote a new or poorly-performing product. I searched the reference to Kilmarnock only to learn that it is the town in Scotland where the brand was founded.

I had lost interest in trying to uncover any pieces of history when I realized that someone must have a copy of the booklet. Sure enough, a seller on Etsy dot com had a copy and for the low price of $6 plus $6.13 in shipping, Gourmet Cooking with Johnnie Walker Red was mine.

Unfortunately, the booklet didn’t provide any additional context. It’s 20 pages of recipes featuring the sprit, and not much else. I accepted that the kebab recipe was just a pure advertising play. Kebabs are a universally loved food, so the recipe is reminding readers that they can make them with their favorite (or soon-to-be) Scotch Whiskey.

The original recipe featured lamb, but to be honest, I was already spending a lot at the butcher shop the day I shopped for this, so I went with pork to bring my bill down. I thought the pork played well here, but I am sure lamb would be good too.

Kilmarnock Kebabs with Tzatziki