Welcome to The B&B Speakeasy Spirit of the Month for November 2008!
[imga=left]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/13441/full[/imga]
Russell's Reserve Rye is a small-batch rye from the master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell at Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Rye is certainly undergoing a resurgence in popularity, as evidenced by the fact that Russell's Reserve Rye has only been a staple in the WT line for about a year. In that short time, Russell's Reserve Rye has won numerous awards, including a Gold medal from the Beverage Tasting Institute. Russell's Reserve is bottled at 90 proof and aged 6 years. Interested imbibers may be interested in trying its higher-proof, 4-year-old cousin Wild Turkey 101 Rye (which mixes brilliant Rye sours, IMHO).
Curiously, Rye was widely popular throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries in America, but only a few brands survived prohibition. By law, rye mash is made from a majority of rye grain (whereas bourbon is distilled from a majority of corn mash), distilled to a maximum of 160 proof and barrelled at no more than 125 proof. Rye can be easily substituted for Bourbon in most cocktails, and its important to note that the original recipes for many classic cocktails called for rye, however other varities of American whiskey are commonly used nowadays. Its resurgence is sorely deserved -- rye seems to add a peppery twang to otherwise sweet cocktails. Go ahead -- try it against the Rare Breed we tippled on a few months ago. You'll see what I mean.
I've been on quite the rye kick recently, so Tim and Bob basically let me have my way with this month's selection. So, despite it being our second selection from Wild Turkey, I picked my personal favorite rye. To me, I've yet to try another rye that sips so smoothly neat yet still retains the dry, spicy character to make a fantastic Manhattan.
Fortunately, RR Rye is fairly inexpensive ($26 for me in Ohio, and my liquor prices are consistently at the high end) and WT products are usually easy to find. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, gents. Please feel free to use this thread to discuss other rye whiskeys, cigar and food pairings, and cocktail suggestions as well! Cheers!
Suggested cocktails:
Manhattan:
3:1 Rye to sweet red (Italian) vermouth
1-2 dashes Agnostura bitters
[imga=right]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/14589/full[/imga]Can be shaken, but better tasting (and looking) when stirred and strained into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. For my sake, I'm careful not to take the stingy, dry martini route when adding the vermouth. Spring for the good stuff (Cinzano or Boissiere for me) and add a full measure.
Rye Sour:
3:2:1 Rye to lemon juice to simple syrup
Garnish with a cherry/orange slice. I personally allow no deviations from what I believe is the perfect sour recipe: Add the ingredients into a shaker without ice, add a tsp of egg white, and shake 4-5x without ice. Then add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a fresh glass (no rocks). Some people don't care for the foam and texture brought on by the egg white, but regardless, mixing the ingredients at room temperature before chilling makes for a much more flavorful and consistent cocktail. And at this point, do I even need to tell you to squeeze a fresh lemon?
Old-Fashioned:
The traditional way: saturate a sugar cube with agnostura bitters, add a splash of club soda and muddle until dissolved. Drop in ice and fill to top with whiskey.
However, I find simply adding a couple dashes of bitters to 1 measure of simple syrup makes a more consistent drink from first to last sip than using a sugar cube. Garnish with a marachino cherry and an orange slice.
This month's selection is
Russell's Reserve Rye Whiskey
Russell's Reserve Rye Whiskey
[imga=left]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/13441/full[/imga]
Russell's Reserve Rye is a small-batch rye from the master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell at Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Rye is certainly undergoing a resurgence in popularity, as evidenced by the fact that Russell's Reserve Rye has only been a staple in the WT line for about a year. In that short time, Russell's Reserve Rye has won numerous awards, including a Gold medal from the Beverage Tasting Institute. Russell's Reserve is bottled at 90 proof and aged 6 years. Interested imbibers may be interested in trying its higher-proof, 4-year-old cousin Wild Turkey 101 Rye (which mixes brilliant Rye sours, IMHO).
Curiously, Rye was widely popular throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries in America, but only a few brands survived prohibition. By law, rye mash is made from a majority of rye grain (whereas bourbon is distilled from a majority of corn mash), distilled to a maximum of 160 proof and barrelled at no more than 125 proof. Rye can be easily substituted for Bourbon in most cocktails, and its important to note that the original recipes for many classic cocktails called for rye, however other varities of American whiskey are commonly used nowadays. Its resurgence is sorely deserved -- rye seems to add a peppery twang to otherwise sweet cocktails. Go ahead -- try it against the Rare Breed we tippled on a few months ago. You'll see what I mean.
I've been on quite the rye kick recently, so Tim and Bob basically let me have my way with this month's selection. So, despite it being our second selection from Wild Turkey, I picked my personal favorite rye. To me, I've yet to try another rye that sips so smoothly neat yet still retains the dry, spicy character to make a fantastic Manhattan.
Fortunately, RR Rye is fairly inexpensive ($26 for me in Ohio, and my liquor prices are consistently at the high end) and WT products are usually easy to find. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, gents. Please feel free to use this thread to discuss other rye whiskeys, cigar and food pairings, and cocktail suggestions as well! Cheers!
Suggested cocktails:
Manhattan:
3:1 Rye to sweet red (Italian) vermouth
1-2 dashes Agnostura bitters
[imga=right]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/14589/full[/imga]Can be shaken, but better tasting (and looking) when stirred and strained into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. For my sake, I'm careful not to take the stingy, dry martini route when adding the vermouth. Spring for the good stuff (Cinzano or Boissiere for me) and add a full measure.
Rye Sour:
3:2:1 Rye to lemon juice to simple syrup
Garnish with a cherry/orange slice. I personally allow no deviations from what I believe is the perfect sour recipe: Add the ingredients into a shaker without ice, add a tsp of egg white, and shake 4-5x without ice. Then add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a fresh glass (no rocks). Some people don't care for the foam and texture brought on by the egg white, but regardless, mixing the ingredients at room temperature before chilling makes for a much more flavorful and consistent cocktail. And at this point, do I even need to tell you to squeeze a fresh lemon?
Old-Fashioned:
The traditional way: saturate a sugar cube with agnostura bitters, add a splash of club soda and muddle until dissolved. Drop in ice and fill to top with whiskey.
However, I find simply adding a couple dashes of bitters to 1 measure of simple syrup makes a more consistent drink from first to last sip than using a sugar cube. Garnish with a marachino cherry and an orange slice.
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