Like many American spirits, rye whiskey almost disappeared after Prohibition and has only recently begun to be resurrected. As bartenders turn their attention to classic cocktails, they’re returning to rye for their old fashioneds, Manhattans, and whiskey sours—drinks all originally created with rye in mind.

And in January’s Rye Oh My! Box, we’re featuring some rather clever, delicious updates to classic recipes starring this nostalgia-inducing spirit. Through their use of seasonal spices and unique ingredients (a much sought-after Asian tea, anyone?) in expert combinations, our bartenders are striving to make you feel the warmth that’s always present, even when it’s cold outside.

With her Mystic Mule—a spin on the classic—Cari Hah hopes to give you a drink that you find really different, yet strangely familiar. She infuses lapsang souchong tea to give the cocktail a wonderful bit of smokiness that’s nicely fitting for the winter months and pairs well with the honey and ginger in our lapsang souchong ginger honey syrup. You can garnish with candied ginger, or follow the advanced bonus recipe to create ginger air to top your mule!

Cari—bar manager at Alcove’s Big Bar in Los Feliz—has been a bartender, consultant, and brand representative for many years and has worked her craft at many Los Angeles–area bars. She’s known as a cheerleader for the LA bartending community and a “Tiger Mom” of LA.

Spencer Warren brings you the refreshingly savory East End Sour with hints of tropical spices to remind you that this cold weather won’t be around forever. Like Pittsburgh’s East End, this fanciful libation—made with our spiced coconut syrup, a dash of habañero cocktail spice, and topped with candied fennel seeds—is a bit of a melting pot, allowing it to create a whole new amazing flavor while keeping things classic.

This drink does call for a raw egg white (though the egg won’t be included in the box—we can’t ship those!). Utilized properly, raw egg whites give cocktails a texture and body you can’t get any other way. They’re an important component of a traditional sour cocktail and have been used in classics for centuries. (Learn more in this egg-cellent blog post.) But if you’d like to make this cocktail without the egg white, you can garnish by floating a dehydrated lemon or lime wheel with the fennel seeds resting on it.

Currently a bar and restaurant consultant with Subversive Cocktails, Spencer recently opened Pittsburgh’s Mr. Rogers & Penn Cove Eatery and has brought back the much-anticipated Miracle Holiday Pop-Up Bar & PopUp Embury.

Brenda Terry presents the Sugar and Spice, inspired by the warm and fragrant winter seasonal spices that were a part of her childhood. This old fashioned—made with our fig-raisin syrup, Angostura and blackstrap bitters, spritzed with orange oil and allspice extract, and finished off with a tasty brandy-soaked cherry—shows that by making a few changes to a classic recipe, you can create an entirely new experience.

Brenda is an award-winning cocktail artist known for her imagination and passion behind the bar. From fashioning classic tipples to conceiving original recipes, she’s created one-of-a-kind libations for various US and international bars, restaurants, and brands.

If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift—whether it’s for a friend, your family, your partner, or yourself—we think a Shaker & Spoon subscription will fit the bill! And Urban Daddy, CNBC, Supercall, and Cosmopolitan agree 😉

Happy, cozy holidays,
The Shaker & Spoon Team