So damn cool… Jim Beam’s premium Rye (rī)1
This is one of the newer products I’m totally excited about. We received our first bottle of (rī)1 yesterday, which is an ultra premium rye made by Jim Beam. (rī)1 is not to be confused with Jim Beam Straight Rye; they are different in taste, look, and cost.
My early trials found that it’s best with a couple cubes of ice, or served neat in a chilled glass. Beam talks about the different flavor profiles for each serving method:
Bottled at 92 proof, (rī)1 features a light, slightly spicy flavor and a long, luxurious finish. Straight, the nose offers a gentle, peppery nod to its rye heritage. Cut with water, the scents of dried fruit and cinnamon push to the front, providing a rich palate experience.
The classic Manhattan has become bastardized over time, much as the martini has. These days, you are likely to find brandy, cherry juice, and sweet vermouth masquerading as a Manhattan. At my bar, we always offer the option of bourbon or brandy; now with (rī)1 we will be offering Rye as the preferred base ingredient.
Here is Beam’s Manhattan recipe:
2 parts (rī)1
1 part sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura® Bitters
1 dash orange bitters
In a pint mixing glass, add spirits and bitters. Fill glass ¾ full of ice and stir swiftly for 20 seconds (30 second for larger ice cubes). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and cherry.
New Product: Jim Beam Red Stag
The liquor reps bring new brands to sample all the time. I’m usually skeptical of flavored products like Bacardi Dragon Berry and the thousands of flavored vodkas. We don’t have the room to stock everything, or to tie up our money for the rare person who wants root beer flavored Three Olives vodka (yes, that’s a real offering).
BUT. When one of my reps brought samples of the new Jim Beam Red Stag, I was excited. In a nutshell, Red Stag is regular Jim Beam with some cherries thrown in for flavor at the end of distillation. It tastes great and it’s a full 80 proof (a lot of flavored vodkas and rums are 70 proof). We went through our first bottle in a couple days and we’re beefing up our stock.
Red Stag is good with cola, but for my taste it’s better with just ice. I’ve also found that adding a small amount of sweet vermouth makes for a pretty kickass Manhattan. For a more detailed review, see Liquor Snob.