What's your favorite RYE-centric cocktail?

There is a thread about Rye, and a cocktail thread, but I’d like to consolidate recommendations for cocktails that feature Rye. I have a nice, shiny bottle of Sazerac waiting for this weekend. Not fancy, I know, but cheap and great for cocktails. TIA

manhattan

Me too. I want to get out of the rut, if possible. With that said, though, some cocktails require such obscure ingredients, that I keep going back to the classics.

Sazerac

My favorite cocktail of all.

I like a rye old fashioned. A little spice with the sweet.

Old fashioneds should only be made with korbel.

my single favorite manhattan variation which shines with spicy rye is the modern classic, Greenpoint, made famous by the amazing Michael McIlroy of Milk & Honey.

Rye+Ice

+1 It’s Louisiana’s state drink.

John/Craig, what’s a widely-available Absinthe that might play nicely with Sazerac Rye?

This is my go to but I’m no expert:

I use Lucid.

If you can find any Absinthe in 50ml bottles you can try those, since it takes very little to make a Sazerac.

years ago i filled a tiny spritz bottle with it and use that for a sazerac. works perfectly. spray the inside of the glass, then build the cocktail.

The New Pal, which is “Negroni and Sazerac had a baby and it tastes better than either.”

I generally use equal parts of the main three ingredients, but this recipe is heavier on the rye than the other two.

I also use 1 tsp of absinthe instead of just a dash. I wouldn’t go any heavier than that, as it can overwhelm everything else, but I don’t have that issue at 1 tsp.

Tweak to your taste, of course.

Boulevardier

I’m jamming on the Brooklyn (or my riff on it). I up the maraschino and china china just a bit to add sweetness and viscosity. Try the original (.25oz of the last two ingredients) first and decide. China China is sometimes hard to find but worth a pick-up if you haven’t tried it. It’s great in boozy whiskey based cocktails.

2 oz rye
.75 oz dry vermouth (I use dolin)
.5 oz maraschino liqueur (I use luxardo)
.5 oz china china (or amer picon)
Stir and serve up

Totally second the spray bottle for your Absinthe rinse for the Sazerac (or Corpse Reviver #2). I use Pernod at home. It works great and is kind of a fun party trick too. Use the spray bottles to top off a Penicillin w/peaty scotch or tequila based cocktails with Mescal.

top 5 cocktails for me

I found some St George absinthe available in a 200 ml bottle. Use it primarily for sazeracs and have had it for quite some time now…

My two favorite rye cocktails have been mentioned here - boulevardier and sazerac. For my sazeracs, I try to stay true to the long ago roots of it (originally a cognac cocktail) and use equal parts rye and cognac.

I forgot this cocktail!! Just made one (well, two) and am loving it. Rittenhouse might not be the best rye for it, but that’s our go to.

Thanks for the reminder Yaacov!