We’ve all been there—it’s a party, and it’s late. The good beer is gone and the cheap beer is dwindling. The only things left are the canned and bottled pre-mixed drinks and cocktails.
You know what I’m talking about. There are the Fruit-a-ritas and you know someone at the party is about to get Iced. Someone, too, has probably brought one of those tubs of ready-made mudslides or something, because who doesn’t like a little diabetes with their party?
Oh, and how could we forget Buzzballz, provided by that guy in the group who thinks it’ll be great fun to relive dumb college decisions? (Go home, Chet, you’re drunk.)
Pre-made cocktails, in general, are hit or miss. Most of the time, they’re too sweet and the flavors that are supposed to be found in, say, an Old-fashioned, are masked by sugars and other flavors that have no right showing up in said cocktail.
The Cooper Spirits Company, who produce Slow & Low, are here to help, introducing with the world’s first high proof cocktail in a can.
At 84-proof (42% ABV), the Rock and Rye is a cocktail that hearkens back to when there were plenty of rye whiskies at bars that were harsh and practically unpalatable. Bartenders would serve the spirit with rock candy to help people down their drinks.
The Rock and Rye itself is an updated take on that, using rye whiskey, navel oranges, honey, bitters, and, of course, some rock candy, to create a cocktail that is not only flavorful without being saccharine, but will still, in short order, get you drunk.
While the cans are only 100ml each, don’t let that fool you (a 1.5oz shot glass is equal to 44ml). These aren’t like other canned cocktails where the alcohol content takes backseat to everything else—taking a Rock and Rye can as a shot would be the equivalent to a shot of straight bourbon. Here, though, you’re getting a wider flavor profile, which is conducive to sipping and enjoying (read: you’re not in college anymore).
The cans can be sipped if they’re cold, but their size make them, at times, a little awkward to hold. Ever had to sit at a little girl’s tea party with tiny teacups? It’s like that.
The best way to drink these, we’ve found, is poured in a glass with a cube or two of ice. If they’re still too strong, a splash of club soda helps that.
On the nose, you get the spicniess of the rye base mixing with the sweeter notes coming from the honey. The palate, too, blends these two flavors together well, with the orange’s citrus notes coming through towards the end. Without ice, the drink is a little hot, but not so much as to take away from the experience. The finish is short but pleasant. The honey and rock candy offer a nice reprieve from any sort of extended alcohol burn.
Easy enough to carry around and strong enough that you don’t need to buy one hundred of them just to feel something, the Rock & Rye cans are a great addition to your mobile bar.
The cans are available nationwide and sell for around $4 per can.
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