Ten years ago, if you went to your local liquor store looking for rye whiskey, you’d be lucky to find one or two brands gathering dust somewhere between the bourbon and Scotch sections. Once the whiskey of choice for most imbibing Americans, rye was eclipsed in popularity by bourbon and Canadian whiskeys after Prohibition, and for decades it was relegated to the margins of the spirits market. But as craft bartenders have begun to recreate vintage cocktails and put the spotlight back on neglected spirits, rye is making a big comeback.
How big a comeback? Look no further than the “Art Of The Cocktail” coming-out event for a new designer rye, confusingly named (ri)1, at Simyone Lounge, a hotspot in NYC’s fashionable meatpacking district. Models, corporate types and other trend-hoppers not known for their cocktailian expertise mixed, mingled and looked fabulous while sipping designer (ri)1 drinks and noshing on hors d’ouevres. Who woulda thunk it?
Why did rye whiskey disappear in the first place? Well, it’s not for everyone – friends of mine have gone so far as to call the stuff “evil.” Distilled from a mash that’s at least 51% rye (bourbon must use at least 51% corn), it’s a spicy, complex whiskey, and can initially be overwhelming to imbibers accustomed to the smoother, sweeter flavors of bourbon or Canadian blends. But cocktail artists and historians like Dale DeGroff, Audrey Saunders and David Wondrich have helped to make our palates more sophisticated in recent years, and as a result, rye’s complexity is no longer off-putting, it’s downright enticing.
Not that you would have known it from the cocktails on offer at the (ri)1 tasting, which diluted the kick of the rye with sweeter ingredients like blackberry liqueur, honey syrup and pear eau de vie, to name a few. The party may have been a coming-out fest for (ri)1, but rye whiskey in its unadulterated form seemed to not be the focus of the event. Is the message that its only good for mixing?
To get a real sense of how rye can transform a cocktail, use it in a tried-and-true classic like a Manhattan or a Sazerac, both of which originally incorporated rye before switching to bourbon. The rye’s bold, powerful flavors will add new dimensions to cocktails you thought you were familiar with. Free your mind and your taste buds will follow!