Lovers of Rye cocktails: Utah DABC loves you in March, 2010

The Utah DABC State Stores have a pleasant surprise this month for lovers of Rye Whiskey and Rye Whiskey cocktails. Whether you love a great, old-style cocktail like the Sazerac (pictured) or the Manhattan, or a relatively new cocktail like the Rimshot, you’ll want to get yourself down to your favorite outlet store to pick up a bottle (or two or three) of (ri)1 Rye Whiskey that has been put on clearance this month (March 2010) for little more than half ($24.30) of its normal price ($44.99). Now that’s a deal. Sometimes items go on clearance, but are still sold in the system later on. The bad news this time is that (ri)1 has been coded “D” for Discontinued… a bad sign. We can only wait and see, but if you’re a fan of (ri)1 Rye (or just a fan of good Rye Whiskey), you might want to stock up. When the Utah Mixologist saw this bargain, he made his way to the store through a raging blizzard to pick up a few bottles. This Rye is highly rated on Tastings.com, where it scored an impressive 93 points.

It’s never a waste of time to download the sale book to see what’s marked down during the current month. (You can also download the price spreadsheet, but that’s a topic for another post.) Every once in a while you can find a great bargain like (ri)1 Rye is this month. If you don’t know how to obtain this useful information, check out the post on “What’s on sale” at the Utah DABC, and see the associated posts for more information. As always (and especially on clearance items) call ahead to your favorite store and ask if they have CS Code # 027081 in stock. Avoid serving any blue cocktails at your Oscar party. Instead, class it up a little with one of the great Rye cocktails linked to above. In any case, here’s a recipe for a Sazerac to get you in the mood. Enjoy!

Sazerac

2 ounces Rye whiskey

1 tsp bar sugar or simple syrup

3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters (or substitute Angostura)

½ tsp. Absinthe (or other anise-based liqueur like Pernod, Ricard, etc.)

lemon twist

Chill an old-fashioned glass in the freezer. Put the sugar or syrup in a mixing glass; add the bitters (and a couple of drops of water, if using sugar), and stir until you have a smooth liquid. Add the whiskey and some ice cubes and stir briskly for at least 30 seconds. Retrieve the chilled glass and add the Absinthe; roll the glass to coat the inside with Absinthe and dump (or drink) the excess. Strain the whiskey mixture into the prepared glass; twist the piece of lemon peel over the glass, rub it once around the rim, and drop it in.