Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Rye Whiskey Cocktails

Rub & Rye

A pint glass sits on a table against a brick wall, with slices of beef jerky around it. The glass is rimmed with dry rub and garnished with a strip of jerky. The drink is a pale yellow.

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

When it comes to backyard summertime drinking there are plenty of options, from the Mint Julep to all manner of Shandy variations. The Rub & Rye, from bartending expert Francesco Lafranconi, is a summery drink that eschews a usual approach in favor of a unique one. It evokes the flavors of a beer-fueled barbecue cookout, and is finished with beef jerky to drive the flavors home. It balances salty and sweet, boozy and refreshing for a drink that will pair perfectly with your next summer grill.

This tall, foamy concoction starts with rye whiskey, and while the recipe calls for Bulleit, use whichever rye you like best. With lemon juice, egg white and maple syrup rather than simple syrup, it’s essentially a maple Whiskey Sour—which is a solid start to a drink—but Lafranconi doesn’t stop there. He tops the concoction with five ounces of Belgian beer, in particular the Scaldis Pêche Mel, a strong peach ale. It might seem counterintuitive, but the subtle peach flavors along with the other ingredients evoke a sense of summertime revelry. However, if the peach puts you off, you can substitute with another Belgian ale. Be sure to stay on the brighter side, though, as an ale that is too dark and overly malty can throw off the other flavors.

The drink also gets five drops of barbecue bitters, and for that ingredient there are not a lot of options. By far the most popular and available brand for them is the Bitter End, which produces the Memphis Barbecue bitters. Smoky and tangy, they mimic the flavors of Memphis-style barbecue, which is perfect for finishing the drink. But to really put that barbecue spin on it, you’ll want to rim the edge of the pint glass with either your favorite barbecue dry rub or mesquite salt.

Ingredients

  • Mesquite salt or your favorite barbecue dry rub spice mixture
  • 1 1/2 ounces Bulleit rye whiskey
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 3/4 ounce maple syrup
  • 1 ounce egg white
  • 5 ounces Scaldis Pêche Mel beer
  • 5 drops barbecue bitters
  • Garnish: beef jerky

Steps

  1. Coat the rim of a pint or double Old Fashioned glass with mesquite salt or dry rub.

  2. Fill halfway with ice and set aside.

  3. Add the rye, lemon juice, maple syrup and egg white to a shaker and fill with ice.

  4. Shake vigorously and strain into the prepared glass.

  5. Top with the beer and bitters, and garnish with a piece of beef jerky.

RAW EGG WARNING

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of food-borne illness.