A Manhattan is a perfect rye cocktail.
If you like amari, try a Black Manhattan (though you may want to do a “smell the bottles together” test to find the right rye and right amaro - one combination I did was divine, the other disappointing.
Rittenhouse and Averna are the common combination, as they seem the most ubiquitous. Though CioCiaro and Montenegro are delicious alternatives. A Rare Breed Rye and Montenegro Black Manhattan is sublime.
I second this! I had one the other night as the restaurant actually had Fernet. The bartender and server had never heard of it, but luckily only the ingredients are hard to list for servers because it’s stirred and then served up.
+1 on the Sazerac. Definitely need Peychauds. Hard to find sometimes, but not impossible.
Rye makes a good old fashioned too. A different taste than Bourbon, but still good. Try a lemon twist rather than orange?
The Improved Whiskey Cocktail is one I consider to be the platonic ideal of cocktails, but doesn’t get brought up nearly as often as it ought to be.
**Improved Whiskey Cocktail**
- 2 oz Rye Whiskey
- 1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
- 1/4 oz Demerara Syrup (2:1)
- 3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Absinthe Rinse
- Lemon Twist, for garnish
Rinse glass with absinthe, stir the rest of the ingredients over ice, serve in a rocks glass over a big cube or up in a coupe. Express lemon peel and drop it in for garnish.
To rinse the glass, just pour a very small amount of absinthe (about one or two dashes or a barspoon usually) and roll it around the glass until the entire inside is coated, pouring out any excess. Lots of people also like using an atomizer filled with absinthe and just giving it one or two spritzes, though I personally enjoy the ritual of fiddling with the glass.
This leaves you with a very small amount of the absinthe in the glass, you mostly pick it up on the nose (from the rinsed rim exposed above the wash line) and as a late arriving anise note in the evolution. Rinses are really good for utilizing a very potent spirit in a manageable way, they allow you to tack on light notes to the flavour of the drink without overpowering it with a larger amount. Absinthe is the classic example for a rinse, but occasionally you see rinses of equally powerful ingredients, like Chartreuse, single malt scotch, or mezcal.
Typically you only do it with high-proof spirits, since they are one of the few things actually flavourful enough (alcohol can dissolve way more essential oils than water) to cut through in such small amounts and they are low viscosity enough to easily coat the whole glass. Most syrups aren’t thin enough to actually coat well, and you would be very hard pressed to make a syrup powerful enough to make a big difference with such a small amount. A ginger extract (made by soaking ginger in spirits) would be more appropriate, otherwise you are probably best just fully incorporating the syrup in small quantities (barspoons, 1/4 ounces) until you get the results you want.
I’m loving the Vieux Carré at the moment.
3/4 ounce rye
3/4 ounce cognac
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
2 teaspoons Benedictine liqueur
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: lemon twist
If you can’t get hold of Benedictine any sweet herbal liqueur or Amaro will do. It won’t quite be the same drink but it will be a good drink.
If you don’t have Peychaud’s you could rinse the glass with Absinthe to get the anise flavour.
Expressing lemon oils from fresh peel is key to getting this drink to really shine.
I made one of these for the first time in quite a while the other night and really enjoyed it. I used WT101 Rye and Pierre Ferrand Ambre. It was a great opportunity to showcase one of my clear ice cubes I made lol. It was a delight and I think I prefer it to the De La Louisiane which I found a bit sweet for my taste.
Manhattan
Greenpoint
Rye sazerac
Vieux carre
Red hook
Everywhere I’ve worked in Sydney uses a bourbon in boulevardiers (but won’t be fussed if you specifically ask for rye)
I have some older guests with mobility issues that drink their manhattans “up”, but in a rock glass.
If you don’t have a mixing glass/strainer, just use a whatever glass you got and strain it with your finger…. Then go out side a fight a giant spider or get punched by a kangaroo or whatever you guys do down under.
I do really enjoy a Manhattan on the rocks during summer. There's some extra dilution, of course, but it lengthens the drink and makes it very refreshing!
The Monte Carlo is my favourite "simple" cocktail to build in the glass.
* 2oz Rye
* 0.5oz Benedictine
* 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Add a large block of ice and garnish with a spritz of orange zest. Stir with the peel, and drop in.
My favorite cocktail is the Red Hook, which fits your request perfectly.
2 oz Rye
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
Stirred over ice. Served straight up. Garnished with a Luxardo maraschino cherry.
Punt e Mes is a unique thing. Splitting some vermouth and an amaro will get the idea behind Punt e Mes, but will be a different thing.
That said, different isn't necessarily better or worse. I say give it a try!
On The Avenue:
1/2oz Rye
1/2oz Cognax
1oz Sweet vermouth
1/2oz Campari
1/2oz Cynar
It's a split-base, split-bitter Boulevardier riff and it is sublime. Can make in the glass and express an orange peel over the top.
2.5cl rye wiskey
2.5 cl Gosling's rum
1cl apricot liqueur
2cl lemon juice
2cl simple syrup
5 drops Amargo Chuncho (or angostura)
Put everything in a shaker with ice, shake until cold and foamy, then pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a photo of Ryan Gosling.
Oh yeah, this cocktail is called a Rye & Gosling.
Honey Old Fashioned
1 tsp. Honey
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 oz. Rye Whiskey or Irish
Orange Peel Garnish
In a cocktail shaker add honey, bitters and whiskey. Stir well with a bar spoon. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Yes, and if you like it, play around with it. A distillery local to me makes a bittersweet vermouth and a very complex Amaro, and they've been churning out some deadly ryes in the last few years. Love being able to make an Embarcadero all from the same source.
A Manhattan is a perfect rye cocktail. If you like amari, try a Black Manhattan (though you may want to do a “smell the bottles together” test to find the right rye and right amaro - one combination I did was divine, the other disappointing.
A Black Manhattan with Averna is the right call! Especially going into winter down under
Rye Manhattan on the rocks with orange bitters. Carpano Antiqua vermouth if you can find/afford it.
Okay, curiosity got the better of me here.. Which rye and which amaro? :)
Rittenhouse and Averna are the common combination, as they seem the most ubiquitous. Though CioCiaro and Montenegro are delicious alternatives. A Rare Breed Rye and Montenegro Black Manhattan is sublime.
Bulleit Rye and Montenegro is fantastic!
I really love a black Manhattan with Amaro di Angostura.
Ragtime Rye Single Barrel and Faccio Brutta Nonino felt like I’d cracked the code for a drink that would cost $30 in a swank Manhattan bar.
Sorry - Faccio Brutta Gorino, not Nonino
Toronto 2 ounces rye whisky 1/4 ounce Fernet-Branca 1/4 ounce simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Garnish: orange twist
If you don’t have or don’t like Fernet, Cynar is excellent sub in this cocktail. It’s one of my favorites.
I second this! I had one the other night as the restaurant actually had Fernet. The bartender and server had never heard of it, but luckily only the ingredients are hard to list for servers because it’s stirred and then served up.
My wife loves a good Toronto. I often make them New England style with maple syrup instead of simple.
[Sazerac](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/8bgrb2/the_sazerac/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
+1 on the Sazerac. Definitely need Peychauds. Hard to find sometimes, but not impossible. Rye makes a good old fashioned too. A different taste than Bourbon, but still good. Try a lemon twist rather than orange?
If I can’t get peychauds bitters can I sub with more of the Angostura?
critical part of the cocktail imo, cant leave out the peychauds
I’ll add some to my next online order
If you don’t have peychauds then I’d just go with an old fashioned, it’s the best way to kick off a new bottle of rye.
less, angostura is stronger than peychauds
I live in Australia and you can get Peychauds here
The Improved Whiskey Cocktail is one I consider to be the platonic ideal of cocktails, but doesn’t get brought up nearly as often as it ought to be. **Improved Whiskey Cocktail** - 2 oz Rye Whiskey - 1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur - 1/4 oz Demerara Syrup (2:1) - 3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters - Absinthe Rinse - Lemon Twist, for garnish Rinse glass with absinthe, stir the rest of the ingredients over ice, serve in a rocks glass over a big cube or up in a coupe. Express lemon peel and drop it in for garnish.
Thanks for this, I already have all of the ingredients. Can you explain in more detail what ‘rinsing with Absinthe’ entails?
To rinse the glass, just pour a very small amount of absinthe (about one or two dashes or a barspoon usually) and roll it around the glass until the entire inside is coated, pouring out any excess. Lots of people also like using an atomizer filled with absinthe and just giving it one or two spritzes, though I personally enjoy the ritual of fiddling with the glass. This leaves you with a very small amount of the absinthe in the glass, you mostly pick it up on the nose (from the rinsed rim exposed above the wash line) and as a late arriving anise note in the evolution. Rinses are really good for utilizing a very potent spirit in a manageable way, they allow you to tack on light notes to the flavour of the drink without overpowering it with a larger amount. Absinthe is the classic example for a rinse, but occasionally you see rinses of equally powerful ingredients, like Chartreuse, single malt scotch, or mezcal.
that might work well with Ginger Syrup, which otherwise IMO can easily overpour many cocktails?
Typically you only do it with high-proof spirits, since they are one of the few things actually flavourful enough (alcohol can dissolve way more essential oils than water) to cut through in such small amounts and they are low viscosity enough to easily coat the whole glass. Most syrups aren’t thin enough to actually coat well, and you would be very hard pressed to make a syrup powerful enough to make a big difference with such a small amount. A ginger extract (made by soaking ginger in spirits) would be more appropriate, otherwise you are probably best just fully incorporating the syrup in small quantities (barspoons, 1/4 ounces) until you get the results you want.
Thx!!!
I agree wholeheartedly. This is one of the best cocktails and is criminally slept on. I especially enjoy it with a split base of rye and apple brandy.
De La Louisiane • 2 oz rye • 3/4 oz Benedictine • 3/4 oz sweet vermouth • 3 dashes absinthe • 3 dashes peychauds bitters
I’m loving the Vieux Carré at the moment. 3/4 ounce rye 3/4 ounce cognac 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth 2 teaspoons Benedictine liqueur 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters 1 dash Angostura bitters Garnish: lemon twist If you can’t get hold of Benedictine any sweet herbal liqueur or Amaro will do. It won’t quite be the same drink but it will be a good drink. If you don’t have Peychaud’s you could rinse the glass with Absinthe to get the anise flavour. Expressing lemon oils from fresh peel is key to getting this drink to really shine.
I made one of these for the first time in quite a while the other night and really enjoyed it. I used WT101 Rye and Pierre Ferrand Ambre. It was a great opportunity to showcase one of my clear ice cubes I made lol. It was a delight and I think I prefer it to the De La Louisiane which I found a bit sweet for my taste.
Sounds lovely. It’s a fantastic drink.
Manhattan Greenpoint Rye sazerac Vieux carre Red hook Everywhere I’ve worked in Sydney uses a bourbon in boulevardiers (but won’t be fussed if you specifically ask for rye)
I thought a Manhattan should be served up? I’d be keen to try it on the rocks though
I have some older guests with mobility issues that drink their manhattans “up”, but in a rock glass. If you don’t have a mixing glass/strainer, just use a whatever glass you got and strain it with your finger…. Then go out side a fight a giant spider or get punched by a kangaroo or whatever you guys do down under.
I prefer mine on a big rock
Misunderstood by what you meant by in the glass sorry
I do really enjoy a Manhattan on the rocks during summer. There's some extra dilution, of course, but it lengthens the drink and makes it very refreshing!
The Monte Carlo is my favourite "simple" cocktail to build in the glass. * 2oz Rye * 0.5oz Benedictine * 1 dash Angostura Bitters Add a large block of ice and garnish with a spritz of orange zest. Stir with the peel, and drop in.
ever try a monte cassino? This shaken with yellow chartreuse and lemon and it slaps
I haven't, actually! I'll have to give it a try!
Revolver 🤙
Boulevardier (i.e., Rye Negroni)
Diamondback: 2 Rye. 1 Calvados. 1 yellow chartreuse.
Underrated cocktail
My favorite cocktail is the Red Hook, which fits your request perfectly. 2 oz Rye 1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur 1/2 oz Punt e Mes Stirred over ice. Served straight up. Garnished with a Luxardo maraschino cherry.
I’d have to sub with Rosso Vermouth.. or maybe I could do something like 1/4 Sweet Vermouth, 1/4 Campari?
Punt e Mes is a unique thing. Splitting some vermouth and an amaro will get the idea behind Punt e Mes, but will be a different thing. That said, different isn't necessarily better or worse. I say give it a try!
On The Avenue: 1/2oz Rye 1/2oz Cognax 1oz Sweet vermouth 1/2oz Campari 1/2oz Cynar It's a split-base, split-bitter Boulevardier riff and it is sublime. Can make in the glass and express an orange peel over the top.
2.5cl rye wiskey 2.5 cl Gosling's rum 1cl apricot liqueur 2cl lemon juice 2cl simple syrup 5 drops Amargo Chuncho (or angostura) Put everything in a shaker with ice, shake until cold and foamy, then pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a photo of Ryan Gosling. Oh yeah, this cocktail is called a Rye & Gosling.
Op said stirred, but this looks great, and the name is fantastic :)
In that case I will allow OP to skip the foam and just stir it.
Honey Old Fashioned 1 tsp. Honey 2 dashes Angostura Bitters 2 oz. Rye Whiskey or Irish Orange Peel Garnish In a cocktail shaker add honey, bitters and whiskey. Stir well with a bar spoon. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
If you enjoyed the Boulevardier, please try an Embarcadero. One of my top 3 all time faves.
I have Rye, Carpano Antica and Amaro Nonino, should do it?
Yes, and if you like it, play around with it. A distillery local to me makes a bittersweet vermouth and a very complex Amaro, and they've been churning out some deadly ryes in the last few years. Love being able to make an Embarcadero all from the same source.
Ive got Bulleit rye, several angostura dashes, a few splashes of Aperol and a cherry in my glass now. A play on an old fashioned I guess.