Category — Rye

Rye whiskey is back, and in a big way.  The recently released 2010 edition of the Whisky Bible, the prominent whiskey book by Jim Murray, has named Kentucky’s 18-year-old Sazerac Rye  as the finest whiskey on the market.  It edged out Scotland’s second-place Ardbeg Supernova—which has dominated the awards for several years—and a relative newcomer to the mix, third-place Amret Fusion from Bangalore, India.

Jim Murray described Sazerac’s 18-year-old Rye as “reaching previously unknown heights,” and mentions that by being named the world’s top whiskey, Sazerac 18 has “set the bar for rye whiskey, and it will be fascinating in forthcoming years to see what is bottled to at least match it.”

Regarding Amret Fusion, Murray said, “It makes no matter where in the world a whisky is made. If it is magnificent, then it stands a chance of being recognized in the Whisky Bible Awards. Amrut has been bottling astonishing whisky for a few years now. But this particular bottling just made my hairs stand on end. It is hard to find a whisky with better balance. India has unquestionably arrived as a whisky nation.”

While many rare, expensive whiskies comprise the winners, there are several inexpensive, household names representing various categories.  For example, Johnny Walker Black Label was named best blended scotch aged 5-12 years, and Jim Beam Rye was awarded best rye aged 10 years or younger.

The full list of winners includes Murray’s top-rated whiskies from a pool of nearly 4,000 bottles.

The Manhattan, a classic cocktail and a favorite among serious drinkers, is a great way to pass the time.  Traditionally composed of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters, the Manhattan is a perfect drink to enjoy on a cool fall day.  Or any day.

But with the onset of fall, one might elect to change up the tried-and-true Manhattan to create a drink even more indicative of the season.  By using tawny port in place of sweet vermouth, the traditional Manhattan becomes a bit more complex and warms the soul as it soothes the thirsty drinker.  Subbing orange bitters for Angostura bitters adds a zesty citrus note to the drink, which balances nicely with the buttery, oaky flavors imparted by the port.

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce port
2 dashes orange bitters

Directions:

Stir all ingredients with cracked ice until cold.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

The word “scofflaw” applies to one who flouts the law.  During the dark days of Prohibition, this term was a popular one, thrown at those brave, thirsty souls forced into hidden speakeasies by their own government.

With a disapproving nod to the west, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris created the Scofflaw cocktail in 1924, giving a new, tasty meaning to the term.  Traditionally composed of rye, dry vermouth, fresh lemon juice and grenadine, some modern interpretations have substituted Canadian blended whiskey for straight rye and Chartreuse for grenadine.  I prefer to stick with the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces rye
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce grenadine

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The Blinker dates back to the 1930s and was traditionally composed of rye, grapefruit juice and grenadine.  After hiding in obscurity for decades, the Blinker has seen a resurgence of late due to its inclusion in Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

Ted Haigh’s alter ego, Dr. Cocktail, substitutes raspberry syrup for the grenadine, which lends the drink a distinctive sweetness and melds well with the tart grapefruit juice.

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye
1 ounce grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup

Directions:

Shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The Vieux Carré was born sometime prior to 1937 in New Orleans at what would later become the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel.  According to Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, the cocktail was named for the old French term for New Orleans’s French Quarter—le Vieux Carré—which means “The Old Square.”

Ingredients:

1 ounce rye whiskey
1 ounce cognac
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice, then strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass.  Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The Manhattan is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury’s classic book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. The origin of the Manhattan is a bit cloudy, but popular history suggests that it first appeared around 1870 at the Manhattan Club in New York City. The name stuck, and the Manhattan remained a popular drink throughout the decades, further immortalized by the Rat Pack—a band of formidable, professional drinkers secondarily known for their music and movies.

Some bartenders use American whiskey or bourbon in Manhattans, and sometimes, inexcusably, craft the drink without bitters, but the drink is traditionally made with rye whiskey and should contain bitters. I’m a fan of Rittenhouse Rye and Sazerac 6-year, but experimenting with ryes and various bitters—like Angostura, orange bitters and Peychaud’s—can result in many tasty Manhattans with subtle differences.

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes bitters
Cherry or orange peel

Directions:

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop in cherry or a strip of orange peel.

While the origins of many cocktails are heatedly debated, clouded in  mystery or just plain lost in a boozy fog, the source of the Sazerac is one thing drinkers can agree upon. Born in New Orleans in 1859, the Sazerac was named by John Schiller, proprietor of the Sazerac Coffee House. While Schiller’s version used cognac as the base spirit, the cocktail evolved to replace cognac with rye whiskey and include a dash of absinthe on top of the traditional sugar and Peychaud’s bitters.

After being banned in the United States for nearly a century, absinthe was legalized in 2007, but many Sazerac recipes continue to call for Herbsaint or Pernod. These anise-flavored liqueurs offer a similar flavor but lack the punch of absinthe. Unlike the Sazerac’s other ingredients, the absinthe is used as a rinse – a small amount is poured into the glass, swirled around to coat the inside of the glass and then poured out (or poured down your throat, if you’re opposed to discarding booze).

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye whiskey
Absinthe (or Herbsaint/Pernod)
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 teaspoon bar sugar or simple syrup
Twist of lemon

Directions:

Add rye, sugar and bitters to mixing glass and stir with ice.  Pour small amount of absinthe or anise substitute into a chilled old-fashioned glass.  Swirl to coat the glass and discard the remaining liquid. Strain rye mixture into glass and drop in a twist of lemon.

As one of the first cocktails in America, the Old Fashioned pays  tribute to the drinking prowess of our ancestors. Whether sipping whiskey in the 1800s or tippling in the twenties amidst the watchful eye of prohibition, our thirsty forebears counted the Old Fashioned as a favorite.

Great debate has surrounded the Old Fashioned over the years, as drinkers and bartenders argue whether to use rye or bourbon—or even brandy—and what fruit, if any, is an appropriate garnish. The use of water or club soda to mellow the cocktail is also a point of contention for many whiskey purists, while others contend that up to 50 percent water is necessary to dilute the high alcohol content.

I prefer to concoct the drink with just enough water to fully dissolve the included sugar without diluting the whiskey, and I find a fruit garnish unnecessary as the cocktail is tasty enough without it.

Ingredients:

2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 sugar cube
Water

Directions:

Place sugar cube into an Old Fashioned glass. Add 3 dashes Angostura bitters and a small splash of water. Crush the sugar with a muddler until fully dissolved with the bitters/water mixture. Give the glass a little swirl to coat the inside with the mixture. Finally, add a couple ice cubes and pour in the rye or bourbon.