The bar was full before 5 p.m. with people anxiously lined up on their stools and one thing on their mind. I was obviously not the first to order the Pappy van Winkle. “I’ll get that for you as soon as we get it up here,” said the bartender patiently. Char No. 4 had sent an email that they would be serving 13-year Pappy van Winkle rye starting at 5 p.m. on Friday the 13th. It was two minutes to 5. We were counting. Pappy van Winkle, also known as “Pappy” in the whiskey world, is not just a whiskey. It is THE American whiskey, and bottles of any kind and year are difficult to come by. People share memories of it like a good first kiss. They talk about sightings and upcoming appearances in hushed voices so too many people won’t hear. And I had yet to try it. A lot of things I heard about getting married did not excite me – dress shopping and 6 a.m. boot camp and seating charts. But one thing I didn’t know is how much whiskey people give you. If I had know that marriage = whiskey, I would have done it sooner and more often. Rainy Saturday afternoons are becoming my favorite Whiskey Time. This weekend’s found me around the corner in Char No. 4 on Smith Street for a class on Rye. Our instructor, Allan Roth, referred to it as the “Gateway Whiskey” on the way to the harder bourbon and Scotch. I think maybe I skipped over it for Scotch and have now found myself seeking to know more about it. Apparently, I caught it at a good time since there has been a Rye Revival of sorts, thanks to the resurgence of cocktails and a rise in craft distilleries. But Rye, according to Allan, has deep American roots – the Whiskey Rebellion was over Rye, George Washington was a distiller of Rye, and the American cocktails like Old Fashioneds and Manhattans center around it. A good cocktail is a nice way to ring in the New Year, especially when two kinds of whiskey and a bourbon-soaked cherry are involved. This year, I was treated to a little whiskey in my whiskey by our hosts, who introduced me to the cocktail "Honey on Rye": Honey on Rye: Rye (we used Ri) A splash of Wild Turkey American Honey (a liqueur blended with honey and bourbon) Maraschino cherry (preferably of the bourbon-soaked variety) A delicious start to 2012! |
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November 2017
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