Sip On Audrey Hepburn's Favorite Scotch Without Breaking The Bank

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When she wasn't having breakfast at Tiffany's, it was 5 o'clock somewhere for the midcentury film icon Audrey Hepburn — albeit in pretty petite quantities, according to her partner. "She had a finger or two of Scotch at night," Robert Wolders, Hepburn's longtime love and fellow thespian, once told People magazine. Now, very literally applied, "fingers" serve as an old-school booze measurement that might sound familiar from old Cowboy movies. Depending on the size of the appendage, a single finger might not even amount to the more common, current liquor quantity of a shot.

While Wolders didn't specify which Scotch Hepburn might have been sipping, internet sleuths point to J&B Rare. This blended spirit claimed Rat Packers and other stars of the era as fans, so the possibility tracks. It was also the favorite of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" author Truman Capote.

J&B Rare blended Scotch whiskey is still sold today, and you can likely pick up a bottle for around $40. It also has a fairly broad appeal that anyone new to Scotch might want to consider, with neither the pronounced peatiness that many associate with Scotch, nor the heavy presence of what's sometimes described as smoke. It's definitely plenty boozy, but it also packs a noticeable sweetness. And you can always thin your Scotch out with a bit of soda if you just don't love the stuff on its own.

Whiskey isn't the only thing you can try to get a taste of Audrey Hepburn's life. In the same People piece, Robert Wolders said that a typical day with Hepburn might begin with brown bread and jam, include something like pasta with vegetables from the pair's own garden, and maybe conclude with a nice soup for dinner. He also remarked that she'd enjoy a taste of baking chocolate now and then — an atypical choice, but one that might have been convenient to keep around for Audrey Hepburn's eight-egg chocolate cake.

Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti, also published a book titled "Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen" in 2015. In addition to a ton of family photos, personal anecdotes, and notes from Hepburn herself, the book contains recipes for some of her favorite meals. Spaghetti al pomodoro, sea bass, and boeuf à la cuillère — a braised beef preparation — are all among the foods that you can recreate at home. "Audrey at Home" also includes instructions for one pretty unconventional dish that Hepburn might have made for an easy weeknight dinner: penne with ketchup. If it doesn't at first appeal, a finger or two of J&B might fortify your nerves for a taste.