A drink made by sweetening straight rye whiskey with rock candy and citrus peels, Rock & Rye traces its history back to the 19th century, when stern-faced barkeeps would pour a shot of rye and let customers add their own honey or rock candy, creating a drink similar to an Old Fashioned.
Inspired by traditional Rock & Rye recipes, Robert Cooper crafted Hochstadter’s Slow and Low Rock & Rye. Cooper is a third-generation distiller ” his grandfather, Maurice, founded Cooper Brewery in the early 20th century and his father, Sky, worked at Charles Jacquin et Cie, a distillery in Pennsylvania.
Hochstadter’s Slow and Low Rock & Rye is made in Philadelphia ” the birthplace of Rock & Rye ” with a backbone of straight rye whiskey. The whiskey is macerated with orange peels before being infused with a picayune amount of honey. In addition, Cooper adds a hint of horehound ” an herbaceous perennial plant often found in lozenges ” to his elixir, before each bottle is filled by hand.
Hochstadter’s has a mellow, slightly sweet flavor ” the notes of spicy rye are nicely balanced with the sweet flavors of citrus, grapefruit and rock candy. Bottled at 84 proof, it has a smooth, long finish with hints of honey and orange.