It’s a RYE celebration! Earlier this winter, the fine folks at Jack Daniel’s rounded up 15 teams comprised of Detroit-area bartenders and chefs, to compete in the Rye and Rye competition. Each team created a Jack Daniels’s Tennessee Rye Cocktail, and a burger, sandwich, or a fun rye food creation. Five teams were selected as semi-finalists, with one amazing Rye cocktail/sandwich combo selected as the eventual winner. All of the entrees tasted and looked outstanding and now you can take a mouth-watering look at all the teams and their offerings.
Team Adams — Bartender Blake Adams Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Team Adams’ Jack Daniel’s Poached Apple Ginger Rye Cocktail Ingredients: – 2 poached apples – 1 orange slice – 2 dashes angostura bitters – 5oz spiced orange tea syrup – Muddle in shaker tin – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s rye – Shake in tin with ice – Strain over crushed iced in new glass – Top with 1oz ginger beer – Garnish with orange peel, poached apple, and cinnamon stick Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Team Adams – Chef Jeremy Ball Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Chef Ball’s Sidecar Spicy & Savory Reuben Ingredients: – corned beef – sourdough rye – spicy brown mustard – Swiss cheese – caramelized onions Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Team Burton — Bartender Chris Burton
Team Burton’s My Tea Rye Tea Ingredients: – 1.5 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye Whiskey – 4 oz Brewed Hibiscus Iced Tea – 1/2 oz Pickled Jalapeño Simple Syrup – 1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice – 1 Tsp. Guava Jelly – Freshly Crushed Ice – Pistachio Hibiscus Almond Bark Garnish Crush fresh ice, fill a double rocks cocktail glass slightly over the rim. Build drink in iced shaker, using jigger. Stir vigorously to blend ingredients, strain over crushed ice, garnish, enjoy!
Team Burton – Chef Tim Castaneda
Chef Castaneda’s Rye Bread Chicken Milanesa Torta Ingredients: – Toasted Rye Bread – Milanesa – a Mexican Breaded Chicken Cutlet – Similar to Schnitzel or Chicken Fried Chicken – Mayonnaise – Tomatillo (Verde) Salsa – Avocado, Diced and mixed in Salsa – Bacon – Tomato, Sliced – Shredded Romaine or Arugula Spring Mix or Spinach Optional: Pickled Jalapeño Slices, Cilantro leaves
Team Paled — Bartender Kat Paled
Team Paled’s Rye Cider Julep Cocktail Ingredients: – Ice – 2 slices of lime – 4 to 6 leaves of mint – 1.5 oz. simple syrup – 1.5 oz. Jack Daniel’s Rye – 3oz. Thistly Cross Hard Apple Cider In a cocktail shaker, muddle 1 slice of lime, simple syrup, and mint. Fill shaker with ice, add Jack Daniel’s Rye and shake well. Pour contents of shaker into a glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve and enjoy!
Team Paled – Chef Mike Mouyianis
Chef Mike Mouyianis’ Rockin’ Rye Reuben Ingredients: – ground corned beef brisket with roasted garlic – grated swiss and pickling spices made into an 8oz patty, sandwiched between sauerkraut 2 ways (deep fried on the bottom layer and grilled on the top layer) – 2 pieces of Swiss cheese melted atop the grilled kraut Serve on grilled on garlic butter-basted fresh Jewish rye bread with house-made sriracha Russian dressing.
Team Michael — Bartender Stevie Michael
Team Michael’s Jack Daniel’s Rye ‘Double Spiced Chai Rye’ cocktail Ingredients: – 2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Rye infused with Black Chai Tea – 1/2 ounce ginger simple syrup – splash of Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters – stir all ingredients and strain over crushed ice into a chilled highball glas – top with Vernors Ginger Ale Garnish with an orange rind.
Team Michael – Chef Paul Jackman
Chef Paul Jackman’s Jack Daniel’s Rye Prime Burger A grilled custom blend of beef: ground short rib, brisket, and chuck, Jack Daniel’s Rye hickory-smoked bacon jam, double cream brie cheese, fresh arugula, toasted caraway seed truffle aioli, crisp cajun rye onion straws, rye infused brioche bun. Ingredients: – Burger: ½ pound Certified Angus Custom Blend Patty – 1 Caraway seed infused brioche bun 4.5-inch – ¼ cup fresh arugula – 4 oz. of sliced double cream brie cheese – 2 oz. toasted caraway seed truffle aioli with roasted garlic – 2 oz. crisp onion straws – 3 oz. Jack Daniel’s Rye bacon jam Assembly: Grill burger to desired temperature I recommend 120 degrees Spread on 3 oz. of Jack Daniel’s Rye bacon jam Cover with 4 oz double cream brie and broil until bubbly Toast Rye bun on a flat top grill until crispy Place bun on cutting board and apply caraway aioli on bottom bun Place fresh arugula on bottom bun Place burger patty with jam and cheese on arugula Top with onion straws Enjoy with Jack Daniel’s Rye!
Team Muzzarelli — Bartender David Muzzarelli
Team Muzzarelli’s Jack Daniel’s Rye “Eastside Sour” Ingredients: – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – 2.5 oz Sour mix* – 2-3 dash orange bitters – Shake and pour over ice – Layer over .5 oz of your favorite sangria and garnish with expressed orange peel *Sour mix: Equal parts simple syrup & lemon juice
Team Muzzarelli – Chef James Wailin
Chef James Wailin’s Onion Rye Torta Ingredients: – Toasted Onion Rye loaf – Pork Carnitas – Sliced Ham – Shredded Lettuce – Sliced Avocado – Pickled Red Onions – Crema Mexicana – Jack Daniel’s Rye Guajillo Chile Hot Sauce – Cilantro Garnish: radish, jalapeño, lime
Team Shattuck — Bartender Will Shattuck
Team Shattuck’s Marble Rye Ingredients: – 1.5 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – 3/4 oz Aquavit (Preferably Linie) – 1/2 oz Amaro Averna – 1/2 oz Honey syrup* – Cucumber for garnish Combine all ingredients over ice and stir for 30 seconds Strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a long, thin slice of cucumber. *Honey syrup – 1/4 cup honey – 1/4 warm water Combine ingredients and stir until well-mixed. Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Team Shattuck – Chef Mike Winborn Photo by On The Rocks Detroit
Chef Mike Winborn’s Slug Ruben Burger Ingredients: – 8 oz of ground beef + 1/2 cup toasted rye breadcrumbs, combined + formed into two thin patties – 2 slices of rye bread, toasted – 2 slices of Swiss cheese – 3 oz of your favorite sauerkraut – 1 oz Burger Sauce* *Burger sauce – 3 oz of mustard – 3 oz of mayo – 3 oz of ketchup – Juice of 1 lemon – 1 pickle spear, diced – 1 t. cajun – 1 t. dried rosemary – 1 t. kosher salt – 1 t. mustard powder Stir to combine
Team Bang — Bartender Shane Bang
Team Bang’s Shiitake Manhattan The inspiration for this pairing was umami. With Jack Daniel’s rye providing the perfect balance of heat and spice, umami seems like a perfect match. This spin on a classic Manhattan will have your taste buds soaring and watering for another sip. The touch of maple syrup adds a bit of mouthfeel that allows the Jack Daniel’s Rye to truly stand out and bring those spice notes to life. Ingredients: – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – 1 oz shiitake mushroom-infused sweet vermouth – 1 bar spoon whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup – 5 dash’s Jack Daniel’s bitters (Angostura bitters can be substituted if not allowed) Combine all ingredients in mixing glass Stir. Serve in a coupe glass *shiitake mushroom infused vermouth Take 4 shiitake mushrooms per 375 ml sweet vermouth. Chop finely and combine Allow to rest for 3 days Strain mushrooms Use vermouth as needed
Team Bang – Chef Nate Bonkowski
Chef Nate Bonkowski’s Rye Flour Portobello on Rye Ingredients: – Rye flour and panko fried portobello – Roasted red peppers – Caramelized onions – Sautéed spinach – Smoked Gouda – Pickled mustard seed w/dijon Jack Rye dressing – Garlic oil toasted caraway rye bread
Team Eisenberg — Bartender Mike Eisenberg
Team Eisenberg’s Peachy Katz This cocktail pairs the main components of Katz pastrami spice and the delicious sweetness of peaches with the spicy-sweet backbone of Jack Daniel’s Rye. A lift from Fee Brothers, Fee Foam gives the binding texture of an egg white and brings the notes of coriander and peach to the forefront. Ingredients: – 2 Dashes Orange Bitters – 2 Dashes Fee Foam – .5 oz Lemon Juice – .5 oz Coriander & Black Pepper Simple Syrup – 1 oz White Peach Calpico – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye Add all ingredients and ice to the small side of a shaker set. Close your tins. Shake vigorously, single strain over fresh ice. Serve or enjoy. *Coriander & Black Pepper Simple Syrup Bring 500g sugar and 500ml water to a brisk simmer, reduce heat and dissolve sugar. Add 100g toasted and crushed coriander seeds and 30g crushed black pepper. Cool the syrup, pour into a glass bottle and let rest in the fridge. After 36 hours strain the solids and return the syrup to a clean vessel.
Team Eisenberg – Chef Jeremy Kalmus
Chef Jeremy Kalmus’ Smoked Pastrami on Rye Smoked pastrami on rye with Jack Daniel’s rye braised pearl onions, gruyere cheese and pickled green tomato thousand island. Ingredients: Thousand Island – 1c. mayo – 2T minced Spanish onion – ¼ c pickled green tomatoes, chopped – 2T Dijon – 1T horseradish – 2T ketchup – 1T paprika – 1T lemon juice – 2T Chopped pickles Combine all ingredients; mix with a whisk. Rye braised pearl onions – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s rye – 1 c. pearl onions, cut in half lengthwise – ½ c. chicken stock – 1T butter In a saute pan or small stockpot, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onions. Sweat the onions until slightly translucent. Add the rye. Reduce to half. Add chicken stock, reduce by half. Remove the onions from the pan, roughly chop them. Assembly Grill the bread like you would for grilled cheese, 1 slice of gruyere on each slice of bread. Add a 6 oz pile of smoked pastrami. Top with the rye braised onions. Add 2T of the thousand island to the top of the pastrami and onions. Top the sandwich with the second piece of toasted bread. Cut in half.
Team Cash — Bartender Julie Cash
Team Cash’s Bubba’s BBQ Jack Daniel’s Rye & Coke Ingredients: – 2.5 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – 1 oz Bubba’s Jack Daniel’s Rye Sweet BBQ Sauce – 2 dashes cherry bitters – Dash of liquid smoke Shaken and poured over ice Topped with coke and garnished with Michigan cherries
Team Cash – Chef Steve ‘Bubba’ Coddington
Chef Steve ‘Bubba’ Coddington’s Bubba’s Boneless Ribs on Rye Sammy Ingredients: – A full rack of ribs slow-smoked until the bones can be removed – One seeded rye loaf, split in half – Pickled red onions – Dill pickle chips – Jack Daniel’s Rye sweet bbq sauce
Team Burrows — Bartender Sue Burrows
Team Burrows’ Everyone’s a ‘Ryesguy’ Ingredients: – 10 Fresh Cranberries – 3 Fresh Basil Leaves – 1/2 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – Ginger Beer Garnish with Cranberries, Basil, and lemon peel. Muddle cranberries, basil, and lemon juice. Add Jack Daniel’s Rye and fill with ice. Top off with ginger beer and stir. Add garnish and enjoy.
Team Burrows – Chef Brent Foster
Chef Brent Foster’s “Bird You Ryedieu” Ingredients: – House-made turkey burger – chihuahua cheese – dijonaise – Jack Daniel’s Rye – caramelized onions – arugula – Angostura seasoned bacon – pickled cranberries – Toasty/buttery Avalon Dexter Davison Rye Bread
Team Gibson — Bartender Emily Gibson Photo by Inner Prism Photography
Team Gibson’s Jack Daniel’s Rye “Bleed Me Rye” cocktail Ingredients: – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – .5oz Simple syrup – 3-4 pieces of blood orange – 5-6 fresh mint leaves – Crushed ice Fill glass with crushed ice set aside. Add mint leaves and blood oranges to shaker and muddle well. Add simple syrup, Jack Daniel’s Rye, and ice and shake vigorously. Strain into glass. Photo by Inner Prism Photography
Team Gibson – Chef Lorraine Desmond Photo by Inner Prism Photography
Chef Lorraine Desmond’s The Lamb Sandwich” Ingredients: – 2 slices of Jewish Rye buttered and toasted in a cast iron pan – ¼ cup shredded arrowhead cabbage slaw with julienned carrots and sweet potatoes dressed with 2 tablespoons dressing (red wine vinegar, olive oil, Siracha, and Italian seasoning spices – ¼ cup Jack Daniel’s Rye Barbecue sauce* – One Lamb Shank braised and pulled off bone Braise 2 hours in mirepoix vegetables, herbs, blood oranges, and Jack Daniel’s Rye Whiskey Toss in barbecue sauce French fried red onions Soak thin slices in buttermilk and sriracha Dredge in seasoned flour Fry until crispy Jack Daniel’s Rye Barbecue sauce* – 1t. olive oil – ½ Vidalia onion diced – 1 clove garlic minced, saute until golden – ¼ c apple cider vinegar – 2TJack Daniels Rye Whiskey – 1TFrank’s hot sauce – 1T Worcestershire – Splash of Tamari Soy Add and reduce by half – ¼ c Dijon Mustard – ½ c Whole grain mustard – 2T local Honey – 2t molasses – Orange zest and 1T juice – Stir in and let cool Photo by Inner Prism Photography
Team Mack — Bartender Melanie Mack
Team Mack’s ‘the little red dress” Ingredients: – .5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice – .75 oz Faygo Rock n’ Rye reduction – an egg white – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye ‘dry’ shake all of the wet ingredients in a shaker tin set vigorously for thirty seconds add half of tin with ice and shake again for thirty seconds or until tins are very frosty prepare chilled coupe glass and double strain directly into chilled coupe glass garnish with a long lemon twist
Team Mack – Chef Shawn Addison
Chef Shawn Addison’s Smoky Rueben Turkey Burger Ingredients: – Grilled Marbled Rye – 12 oz Ground Turkey burger (press thin to pan fry) – 2 slices Swiss Cheese – 3 slices Turkey Pastrami (sliced very thin) – Sauerkraut (well-drained) – Smoky Russian Dressing (Mayo, Spicy Cocktail Sauce w/horseradish, sweet relish, 1/4t smoky paprika)
Team LeRoy — Bartender Kayla LeRoy
Team LeRoy’s ‘Head Over Peel’ Ingredients: – 1.5 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – .75 oz dehydrated banana-infused tawny port – .75 oz maple syrup – .75 oz lemon juice Add all ingredients into a shaker, then add ice. Shake well, double strain. Garnish with a dehydrated banana slice.
Team LeRoy – Chef Rebecca Wurster
Chef Rebecca Wurster’s “The Kickin’ Chicken” Ingredients: One rosemary, vinegar, and maple syrup sous vide chicken breast, double battered, fried, and sauced with Ancho chili buffalo sauce, pickled radishes, micro greens, avocado, huntsman cheddar-Stilton cheese, on a black sesame and onion Rye bun.
Team Henry — Bartender Christine Henry Photo by Iconica Art
Team Henry’s GTO Sidecar Ingredients: – 1 1/2 oz Jack Daniel’s Tenn. Rye – 3/4 oz Grand Marnier – 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth – 3/4 0z Calamansi Juice Add ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with an orange twist. Photo by Iconica Art
Team Henry – Chef Eddie Bautista Photo by Iconica Art
Chef Eddie Bautista’s Lobster Crispy-Cristo Roll with Smoked dip sauce An indulgent take on a lobster roll and monte cristo sandwich! Ingredients: Rye Bread: – Rye whole loaf bread (Zingerman’s Rye loaf) – slice thick – 3 eggs – 5 oz Panko breadcrumbs Dip slices in egg then breadcrumbs and fry bread slices Spread 2T Zingerman’s pimento cheese spread on inside bread slice 2 oz foie gras slice – thin (optional, can also add bacon if you’re feeling extra fancy) Lobster salad: – 4-5 oz Lobster tail/meat cooked/sautéed (cut into 1-inch pieces) – Finely chopped onion – Finely chopped celery – Salt & pepper to taste – Mayo to taste Combine ingredients, set aside. Smokey Dipping Sauce – 1/2 pkg Smoked Fish (we suggest baby mackerel) – 3 oz Chopped Shrimp – 2 oz Chopped Onions – 1/2 pkg Achuette – 1 oz Oil – 2 oz Butter Sautéed onions in and oil butter Caramelized onions and Smoked fish Make a rue (flour & butter) Add Achuete Powder Combine ingredients in pan. Photo by Iconica Art
Team Finsilver — Bartender Michael Finsilver
Team Finsilver’s “Phoebe’s Return” Ingredients: – 2 oz Jack Daniel’s Rye – .75 oz Lemon juice – .75 Passionfruit concentrate – .5 oz Vanilla-Almond Falernum – .5 oz Pineapple Coconut Orgeat – A few dashes of absinthe Add all ingredients except the absinthe to a blender with 6 oz of ice. Blend on high until smooth. Garnish with the dashes of absinthe, at least one cocktail parasol, a few pineapple leaves, a piece of lemon peel, and anything else tropical within arm’s reach.
Team Finsilver – Chef Brennan Calnin
Chef Brennan Calnin’s Smoked Jerk Lamb Wrap Ingredients: – Homemade rye flatbread – Smoked jerk lamb shoulder – Roasted sweet potato – Mango-Jack Daniel’s Rye chutney – Curried cabbage cilantro salad

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