I love rye. There, I said it. And you know what, you should to dammit! Sorry, I get a little fired up sometimes when it comes to things that I am passionate about. I mean, what's not to like about whisky's most misunderstood child?

Rye is one of those sub categories that hasn't had much press in the last 50 years, well, what I mean to say is that up until the last few years, there weren't very many distilleries producing this stuff. We have prohibition to thank for that (like pretty much everything crappy from 1919 till the late 1990's) as what most of us understood as rye was what our Canadian friends were shipping down to us, to which we watered down and sold to the masses. While Canada still has very loosey-goosey rules as to what can be labeled as rye, here in the U.S. of A. the mash bill has to constitute a minimum of 51% to bear its name.

From here, that's where things can get tricky. For the most part, rye typically has a spice note to it that helps distinguish it from Bourbon, though, many Bourbons can take on typical rye characteristics depending on how much of the remaining 49% of the non-corn mash bill consists of it, and vice-versa. There are some really quaffable drams being produced, Masterson's 10 Year (produce out of Canada no less), Michter's Single Barrel, Van Winkle 13 Year Family Reserve, Colonel E.H. Taylor's Straight Bottle in Bond, and the elusive Wild Turkey. However, for cocktail mixing, I prefer a overproof variety, as it holds up well to other ingredients, especially citrus and sugar, while providing depth and character with those spice notes we mentioned earlier. For that, I turn to the tried and true Rittenhouse 100 for most of my cocktail crafting needs.

I love this brand for a few reasons, first of all the price. It consistently sells for around the mid $20's, which is great for keeping your cocktails affordable. Secondly, it tastes fantastic, with those spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, balanced by orange, toasted wood and a bit of leather and tobacco, perfect for complex cocktail crafting. And lastly, well, it's a 100 proof, so that means structure when pairing with sugar and citrus. 80 proof whiskies can too often have their nuances lost in cocktails, especially complex and multi-layered ones.

So how do I craft the perfect tipple with this delectable dram? Well, just read the recipe below! Cheers.

Lost in Translation

1.5 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye

1 oz Velvet Falernum

0.5 oz Amaro Montenegro

0.25 oz Fernet Branca

0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice

0.25 oz Demerara Syrup or Rich Simple Syrup

2 dashes Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters

Freshly Grated Lime Zest for Garnish.

Combine ingredients over ice. Shake and strain into a double rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish and enjoy.