3 Righteous Rye Whiskey Cocktails

Savor this power trio of 110-proof Rye drinks

Sometimes you just don’t want to chill out, even in the heat of summer. Take, for instance, the “Room Temperature Manhattan” served at New York City cocktail newcomer Slowly Shirley. Co-owner Jim Kearns doesn’t stir his superior version with ice; he adds a splash of tap water instead. Any good rye whiskey will bring this balmy Manhattan to life, but Kearns recommends Pikesville Straight Rye, a 110-proof, six-year-old whiskey that recently rolled out of Louisville’s Bernheim Distillery.  


If you’re actually in Manhattan and crave the island’s namesake cocktail, Kearns’ sultry interpretation is definitely worth a try (don’t forget to pair it with the bar’s In-N-Out-inspired Happiest Burger, which rightly received a gushing review in the New York Times). Otherwise, make it at home with the recipe here, along with his rye-or-die twists on an Old Fashioned and a Boulevardier. 

Room Temperature Manhattan  (pictured above)

3 dashes Angostura bitters


3/4 oz. water


2 oz. Pikesville Rye Whiskey (preferred, but any good rye will do)

1 oz. Carpano Antica Vermouth


Stir and strain into a wine glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.



Old-Fashioned 

3 dashes Angostura bitters


2 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters


1/4 oz. Demerara syrup


2 oz. Rye whiskey


Stir and strain on a large rock of ice. Garnish with orange twist and lemon twist. 



Boulevardier 

1 oz Carpano Antica


1 oz Campari


1-1/2 oz. Rye whiskey


Stir and strain on a large rock of ice with an orange twist.

Share: 
Tags: