Rob Roy MacGregor was an early 18th-century outlaw, the Scottish version of Robin Hood.

After Rob Roy died, the story of his life was made into an operetta by the American composer Reginald De Koven.

During the late 19^th century, it was common for drinks to be created in honour of new musicals or plays like Blood & Sand, Greta Garbo and Mae West.

This cocktail is thought to have been created at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York where Rob Roy’s show first opened.