Rye, Mezcal And Saline: Rock Salt Cocktail Recipe

Bottled cocktails are far from a new invention, but only in the last few years have they seen a resurgence befitting our current high-brow drinking culture. Back in the 1880's, one might have kept what was called a bottled "rock and rye" — rye whiskey with rock candy sweetener and lemon — in the medicine cabinet. Ironically today, the same family that produced the most popular brand more than 130 years ago is back at it again, this time with an updated version called Hochstadter's Slow & Low.

Combining one family history with another, barman Chad Solomon, coming from the lauded Milk and Honey cocktail family in NYC and now the recently opened Midnight Rambler in Dallas, helped hone the flavor of the Slow & Low rye, honey, orange peel and herb recipe. He also created an elegant drink to best show off this bottled concoction's features, calling it the Rock Salt.

Essentially an improved Old Fashioned, Chad added in the smoke of mezcal, an additional note of honey sweetness and orange oils for brightness, and perhaps most importantly, the use of Texas mineral water and saline to soften any bitterness and round out the drink. Shockingly smooth, the Rock Salt takes what is essentially a ready-made cocktail and proves its versatility for both pour-and-go and a drink worthy of any top cocktail bar today.