8) The Wry Jack

1 oz. Michter's Rye
1 oz. Applejack
.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1-2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Add all ingredients in a shaker filled wit ice. Stir until well chilled and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

I was feeling an itch to do something with Rye as I feel it's rather ignored, and unjustly so. As Ed and I were decided which Rye to use he casually mentioned that he'd like to do something with Applejack some day. "Well", I said "why not do something with Rye and Applejack?" We chose Michter's for its smooth yet complex flavor, and then it was deciding what to do with our ingredients. I began thinking about variations that we might be able to do on a classic and suggested either a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. I pushed for the Manhattan as it is my favorite cocktail, and I thought the orange component of the Old Fashioned might be a bit too much.

We went fairly light on the vermouth as we were wary of overpowering the subtle apple flavors of the Applejack, and it turned out to be a good choice. The final cocktail was very well balanced with the vermouth adding just a slight spicy note without overwhelming the two liquors. There was just the slightest hint of the apple which turned out to compliment the Michter's well.

If you'd like to get in touch with us feel free to direct your praise or vitriol towards drinkaweek at gmail dot com.