"The next batch, we're actually buying some barrels at various char and toast levels, and we're going to experiment. So the next batch is going to be slightly different--we're going to age some of it, again, anywhere from three to six months," said Cohen.

It's really all about their palates, they agree. "We had a joke in the beginning that if this doesn't work out, we'd have a lifetime supply of something we liked," said Cohen. Sitting at Berkeley's Revival Bar and Kitchen, they were tasting what ended up being their final blend. "It was a little bit edgy," remembered Cohen, of their 85% rye/15% corn mix. "The corn adds a certain kind of funky energy; you don't want to add too much or it can overpower the rye." They had a moment of wondering if they should follow the crowd, and make a rye that tasted more like the popular ryes already on the market. But only a moment; instead, they stuck with their own blend, trusting that customers, once they'd tasted it, would come back for something unique.

Bender's Rye. Photo: Courtesy of Bender's Rye

Already, Bender's has been catching on with local bartenders. It's on the bar at La Folie, Park Tavern, Dogpatch Saloon, Credo, 83 Proof, Perry's, Cigar Bar and Grill in San Francisco, and in the East Bay, at Pican, the Hotsy Totsy Club, and Ramen Shop. They've found it to be particularly popular with women, but San Francisco's overall creative spirit and willingness to get in on the next new thing has made the city a friendly place to find homes for those 3000+ bottles. Eventually, they hope to devote themselves full-time to the project; so far, they both work other jobs and take care of Bender's in their free time.

As for cocktails, rye shows off best in straightforward, spirit-dominated drinks that let its raspy, leather-and-toffee notes come to the fore. The Brain Duster, below, is a high-octane collision between two classic rye cocktails, the Manhattan and the Sazerac.

Brain Duster
Adapted from The Art of Vintage Cocktails, by Stephanie Rosenbaum
With its autumn-leaf color and rye-and-vermouth base, this 1895 cocktail from the original Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, could easily pass for a Manhattan. But add an ounce of absinthe and the Brain Duster is revealed as an entirely different--and much more lethal--drink.

1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz absinthe
1 oz sweet vermouth
Dash of bitters
Twist of lemon peel, for garnish

Combine rye, absinthe, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

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