Rock and Rye – Zurekbrau Blog

Attending the Distill Illinois I tasted a spirit called Rock & Rye. The name reminded me of my favorite cheap soda growing up in Michigan called Rock and Rye. This soda I got at Meyer

So I decided to make my own more adult version of Rock & Rye. Here are a couple of interesting facts about Rock & Rye. First the Rock in Rock & Rye is Rock Candy and the Rye in Rock & Rye is Rye Whiskey. The second is the drink was very popular in the nineteenth century. It was made as a treatment for colds and sore throats.

Here are detailed steps to making Rock & Rye if you want to make your own cold medicine. These should be adjusted for your tastes.

Ingredients

750 ML Rye Whiskey, 1/2 cup rock candy(I used cherry flavored), 1 cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves, 1 tsp Horehound (search Amazon), 2 oz dried Cherries, 1/2 Lemon, 1/2 Orange, and 1/2 Lime.

You will need to pore a bottle of Rye Whiskey into a big jar.

Waiting

Time to add the fruits.

After one day on the fruit it tasted like mulled wine mostly musty with a little citrus notes.

A couple of more days it developed big citrus notes. Maybe next time I will not add the lime.

Wait is over

Tasting Notes

It has a smooth and full mouth feel. The color is reddish from the dried cherries. There is no noticeable Rye Whiskey bite it is masked by rock candy and spices. The dried cherries give it a little musty character which the citrus fruits counter act with their bright flavors. The lime really comes through. The flavor is reminiscent of cough medicine but I would rather drink this than take cough medicine. Looking forward to trying this the next time I get a cold or sore throat. It is not as sweet as the soda of my youth nor are the flavors very close. But as an adult this is way better.

I also mixed it with Soda Water and that is was good also. The Lime in the Rock & Rye gave it a G&T like quality.

Anyway Enjoy.