Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

We absolutely love these rye whiskey cocktails (and you will too)

Add these rye whiskey cocktails to your repertoire

By
Manhattan cocktail
Drew Beamer / Unsplash

When crafting whiskey-based cocktails, nobody will blame you for heading directly to bourbon before any other whiskey. The mellow, sweet corn flavor of a well-made bourbon whiskey is difficult to beat as the base for your favorite cocktail. But if you want a change of pace that is sure to add a little spice to your mixed drinks, you’ll use rye whiskey instead.

It helps that the spirit that’s known for its cracked black pepper, herbal, caramel, vanilla, oak, and spiced flavor is the base for some of the most well-known cocktails ever created. This includes myriad classic drinks like the Old Pal, Manhattan, Vieux Carré, and Sazerac

Recommended Videos

4 great rye whiskey cocktails

High West Distillery Double Rye Whiskey
Trevor Hooper Photo / Trevor Hoope

Now that we’ve learned a little bit about the prowess of rye whiskey when it comes to creating complex, nuanced drinks, it’s time to find some to add to your repertoire. Below, you’ll find six of the best timeless rye whiskey-based cocktails to mix up all year long. Keep scrolling to see them all, learn about their histories, and find step-by-step directions detailing how to make each one.

Related

Scofflaw

Scofflaw
iStock/bhofack2

The classic Scofflaw cocktail is made with rye, dry vermouth, grenadine, and lemon juice (and orange bitters in some cases). This drink comes from the Prohibition-era term that referred to anyone who imbibed alcohol in secret during those alcohol-free years. We couldn’t think of a more appropriate name for this cocktail, which originated in 1924 at Harry’s Bar in Paris. This sour was created by a mysterious bartender solely referred to as “Jock”.

What you need to make a Scofflaw

  • 1.5 ounces of rye whiskey
  • 1 ounce of dry vermouth
  • .75 ounces of fresh lemon juice
  • .75 ounces of grenadine
  • 1-2 dashes of orange bitters

The Scofflaw recipe steps

1. Add ice to a shaker.
2. Pour in the rye whiskey, dry vermouth, lemon juice, grenadine, and orange bitters.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
5. Garnish with an orange twist.

Vieux Carré

Old Fashioned
Pylyp Sukhenko / Unsplash

This iconic New Orleans cocktail was created in the 1930s by a bartender named Walter Bergeron at the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. The name is French for “old square,” and it’s a reference to the popular, historic French Quarter. The drink itself is made with rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and Peychaud’s bitters.

What you need to make a Vieux Carré

  • .75 ounces of rye whiskey
  • .75 ounces of cognac
  • .75 ounces sweet vermouth
  • 1 teaspoon of Benedictine
  • 3-4 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

The Vieux Carré recipe steps

1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and Peychaud’s bitters.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into an ice-filled rocks or old fashioned glass.
5. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Old Pal

Old Pal
istock/bhofack2

If you enjoy a classic Negroni from time to time, you’ll love the Old Pal. That’s because this drink swaps out the gin in favor of rye whiskey. This spicy, semisweet, boozy drink is equal parts rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari. This drink which has some similarities to the popular Boulevardier is believed to have been created by renowned bartender and writer Harry MacElhone sometime in the 1920s although it first appeared in print in 1927.

What you need to make an Old Pal

  • 1 ounce of rye whiskey
  • 1 ounce of dry vermouth
  • 1 ounce of Campari

The Old Pal recipe steps

1. Add ice to the mixing glass.
2. Pour in the rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari into the glass.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Manhattan

Manhattan
Johann Trasch/Unsplash

When it comes to classic cocktails, it’s difficult to beat the appeal and simplicity of a Manhattan. It’s made with rye whiskey, sweet red vermouth, and Angostura bitters. This boozy, sweet cocktail has its origins in the late 1800s. While there are various stories about its genesis, many believe it was created in the 1870s by a bartender named Iain Marshall at the Manhattan Club in New York City for a dinner hosted by Lady Randolph Churchill (the mother of Winston Churchill).

What you need to make a Manhattan

  • 2 ounces of rye whiskey
  • .75 ounces of sweet red vermouth
  • 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters

The Manhattan recipe steps

1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the rye whiskey, sweet red vermouth, and Angostura bitters.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled cocktail or coupe glass.
5. Garnish with a cocktail cherry

Bottom line

Whiskey bottles
Eaters Collective/Unsplash

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about the classic rye whiskey-based cocktails that you should add to your repertoire, can you put down that bourbon for a few minutes and give them a try? Thanks to the mix of peppery rye spice and sweetness from the other ingredients, you’ll be very happy you did.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
The secrets to hosting a great cocktail party
Aside from the drinks, a few details will help your cocktail party go with a bang
how to host cocktail party fabio alves iqcwkopiqro unsplash

If you love making your own cocktails, there are few things more fun than inviting some friends or family round for a cocktail party. Hosting is a great way to share your enthusiasm with your guests, and to try out some new and interesting drinks on a willing audience.

But drinks aside, there are some key tips to hosting a successful cocktail party that will help make your life easier and ensure your guests have a good time -- and don't forget the ice!
1. Snacks
If you're focused on your drinks, you might not give much thought to food. And most people won't expect to be served a full meal at a cocktail party. However, you do need to make sure there is something to eat, both to give your guests something to nibble on and to help soak up all the alcohol. Nuts, chips, and other small snacks are easy to throw in a bowl and put out between drinks.
2. Non alcoholic options
With increasing numbers of people opting to avoid alcohol or preferring to drink only occasionally, it's good form to have a range of non-alcoholic drinks options available too. If you're feeling ambitious you can try some non-alcoholic cocktails, but at the least have some soft drinks available in the fridge.
3. Offer a greeting drink
It's nice to provide a simple drink to guests as soon as they arrive, before you get to the harder cocktails. I like to offer a simple Prosecco drink like a Hugo or a Mimosa to people when they arrive, as it's quick and easy to make.
4. Provide water
Even for those who are drinking alcohol, it's important to have plenty of water on hand. This will help keep everyone feeling good as well as clearing the palate between drinks. Put out a large jug of ice water and a stack of glasses somewhere close by so people can help themselves.
5. Mix multiple drinks
Depending on how many guests you have coming, you may choose to pre-batch your cocktails to save on time. But if you have a smaller guest list, another option is to mix rounds of drinks together. You can easily take a cocktail recipe and double or triple it, then mix the ingredients all in one go to make multiple drinks faster. You don't want to fill your cocktail shaker too full or it can get messy, and you'll need to shake a bit longer and harder than usual to make sure your ingredients are sufficiently diluted, but this is a great way to make drinks for 4-5 people in one go.
6. Help with washing up
If you have kind friends, you might find that people offer to help out while you're making rounds of drinks. Take them up on the offer! There's no need to do everything yourself. One task which always needs to be done at a cocktail party is washing up the glasses, as you'll very quickly build up a huge pile of glasses even at a small gathering. Washing these as you go will help keep your bar space relatively clean and tidy, so set your friends to the washing up if they offer.
7. Finishing up the evening
At some point you'll begin to tire out, and that's a great time to switch to something simple to finish off the night. A round of neat whiskey for leisurely sipping is a great choice, or I also like to serve simple amaros over ice. These make a fine way to toast out an evening well spent.

Read more
Get cozy with these pumpkin spice and apple cider tequila cocktails
Embrace the flavors of the season with these tequila cocktails
pumpkin spice tequila cocktail dobel holidays bumpkin lumpkin reposado holiday 0126

Autumn weather means just one thing, flavor-wise: it's pumpkin spice season. The combination of spices is as popular in cocktails as it is in foods or in coffees, and there are plenty of ways to add a pumpkin spice note to your drinks. One spirit you might not consider mixing with pumpkin spice though is tequila -- but its agave notes can go with the spice combo if you lean into the fruity flavors. A recipe from Maestro Dobel Tequila calls for orange and lime juice as well as reposado tequila and pumpkin spice, with a cinnamon salt rim to bring the flavors together.

And if you're after another style of cozy tequila cocktail for fall, then there's also a recipe for a tequila mulled apple cider which has warm, spicy seasonal flavors and uses a glug of heavy cream as a float to add creaminess and texture to the drink. You can even spike the cream with your favorite flavor to add some extra kick.
Maestro Dobel Pumpkin Spice Reposado
Ingredients:

Read more
Whip up these easy whiskey cocktails for your Thanksgiving celebration
These simple whiskey cocktails are a great choice for a busy day
easy whiskey cocktails thanksgiving mapleoldfashioned 1

If you haven't made plans for your Thanksgiving celebrations yet and you're hoping to host family or friends, now is the time to think about what you'll be serving in terms of both food and drink. If you don't want to fuss, then we've previously recommend batch cocktails as an easy way to make drinks for a celebration. But if you want to do individual drinks for each person, you can still do so without too much difficulty if you stick to more simple cocktails.

That's the recommendation we have for you today, with easy to make cocktails that embrace the festive spirit. These are based on offerings from Redemption Whiskey, makers of a rye whiskey which is one of our favorites thanks to its spicy-sweet flavors and peppery, citrusy notes. Whether you prefer rye whiskey or bourbon, there are simple but delicious cocktails which take advantage of the complex flavors profiles of the whiskey to taste intriguing even in cocktails with just a few ingredients.

Read more