The signpost up ahead reads January, that uniquely loaded month where we seem to exit linear time and exist between the borders of the past and future. It’s a time to recover from the mad dash of the previous year and enjoy the promise of the new one beginning to unfold.

In the world of spirits, there’s a related example of a road-weary warrior that’s learned some hard lessons over the centuries. A dependable and abundant sight during America’s nascent forays into distilling, rye led to booming business in Pennsylvania and the lower mid-Atlantic region until a series of changes—both natural and financial—transpired to gradually shift production to the much more conducive whiskey-making conditions of Kentucky. These new roots led to a long period of rye being out of fashion, nearly to the point of unavailability. 

Leave it to the intrepid bartenders of our modern age, though, who never stop exploring the potential of spirits—both fledgling and forgotten—to pluck rye out of obscurity for a new wave of whiskey drinks centered on the grain’s signature spicy finish. Just like starting over, rye is experiencing an unexpected opportunity to reestablish and now redefine itself anew.

Such reinvention is front of mind as the calendar careens toward its annual rotation. As always, the ball will drop and confetti will fall, but the Rye’s Up Box will ensure that the early days of 2024 are kicked off with glasses held high!   

Get a flavor-bomb infusion going between rye whiskey and a tea bursting with hibiscus, apple, and vanilla and that’s just the tip of the Dragon’s Tail. From there, Sharon Yeung packs even more pep into this sour that’s based on the classic Lion’s Tail: earthy walnut bitters, plus the cocktail debut of our lemon oleo citrate. There’s also the kind of “super-Asian” touch we’ve come to know and love from the Daijoubu Pop Up duo in the mix—spiced Szechuan syrup, which combines baking spices with the titular tingly peppercorns and some pink ones, too. Shake this up and the Year of the Dragon is yours for the taking!

Sharon is the cofounder of Daijoubu Pop Up, with dreams of one day operating a broth and condiment empire. She currently resides in Seattle and tends bar at the James Beard–nominated Walrus and the Carpenter, as well as their amari focused sister bar, Barnacle.

There’s baking and then there’s fruitcake-making, a slower art that calls for the creation to be monitored for weeks over the holidays as it matures and is fed round after round of brandy, whiskey, or rum. Who among us can relate? He-he. 

If you somehow exit the year’s end sans a slice of this well-preserved dandy with roots in Medieval England, Sother Teague is here to save the holidays! His customizable Fruitcake Weather features rye, chicory-pecan bitters, and a warm fig-balsamic shrub (an orchestra of flavor that also includes honey, sherry vinegar, and cocoa). It can be whip-shaken and served cobbler-style (over pebbled ice), heated to enjoy nice and steamy, or served up in a noble Nick & Nora glass. Ship it to dear Aunt Edna, second cousin Sal, and all the rest—just make sure your home bar is taken care of first!

Sother is the beverage director at New York’s Amor y Amargo and host of The Speakeasy on Heritage Radio Network. In 2018, he was honored with Wine Enthusiast’s Mixologist of the Year Award, and he has authored two books, I’m Just Here for the Drinks and Let’s Get Blitzen. He’s the creator of Driftwood Bitters and Garden Party Bitters, and his bar and restaurant company, Overthrow Hospitality, is fast becoming a pioneer in the vegan hospitality sector. Catch up on all the Sother favorites in the S&S catalog, including The Weekender, Ash and Elm, Rye-napple Express, and Dragon Tears.

While they could be confused for one another with their first letter revealed on Wheel of Fortune, those versed in spirits well know the many differences between rye and rum. Which makes the choice by Robert Sickler to mold his classic-minded old fashioned starring rye into an ode to the small Jamaican town Four Paths quite curveball-esque. The return of our pepper cake syrup (aka Gingerbread Syrup on Amazon) provides a sense of well-spiced simplicity to rye, harkening back to the no-frills early days of cocktailing. But only by linking up with pimento and orange bitters is the ice broken on its idyllic island inspirations.

Robert is the owner and operator of Bayou Bodega Natural Wine Bar in Tampa and the host of the spirits podcast Raise a Glass. He’s also the owner of Voice of Whisky, a company specializing in whisk(e)y tastings and education, and is a licensed instructor for the Whisky Ambassador program based in Glasgow, Scotland.

On the hunt for just the right resolution? Well, elevate your at-home cocktail game with the Rye’s Up Box and spend many nights of new beginnings with the always-compelling comeback kid of whiskeys!

🐉🥮🥃,
The Shaker & Spoon Team

*not vegan: Bitter Girl Go Walnuts Bitters and warm fig-balsamic shrub contains honey.
*potential allergens: warm fig-balsamic shrub contains vinegars that contain naturally occurring sulfites. Bitter Girl Go Walnuts Bitters contain walnuts. TAG Chicory Pecan Double Barreled Bitters contain pecan extract. Nutmeg seed was originally processed in a facility that contains peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, wheat, and sesame seeds.