The Smallman Street Snail Cocktail

By S.D. Peters

Smallman St. Snail Ingredients
(Credit: S.D. Peters)

My bottle of Wigle White Rye Whiskey was appended with an informative little flyer, courtesy of Wigle Whiskey. In addition to a blurb about Wigle’s unique Monongahela Rye roots, the flyer promoted two specialty cocktails inspired by Wigle White Rye. The second of these, the Smallman Street Snail (named for the Pittsburgh, PA, street of Wigle Whiskey’s address), instantly appealed to me, and that despite my reluctance to dilute Rye in a cocktail.

White whiskey has been a trending favorite in the cocktail boom, and although Wigle White Rye is a white whiskey that stands full well on it’s own merits when sipped neat, the Smallman Street Snail seemed well-suited to provide a good experience for someone who doesn’t usually indulge cocktails. I was curious to see how well a perfectly fine neat white Rye would fare in a cocktail.

Ingredients
1.5 oz. Wigle White Rye Whiskey
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of ½ lemon
3 oz. Ginger Beer
1 Double glass
4 ice cubes

*(Wigle’s flyer doesn’t specify the type of glass nor the number of ice cubes. I’ve added those based on my experience with the cocktail.)

Mixing is easy: shake the citrus juices and whiskey together with ice (I recommend about 30-45 seconds), then pour it into the glass and top it with the ginger beer.

You’re ready to enjoy your Smallman Street Snail! Sip it slow and savor.

The citrus stays in the background, dancing around the edge of the white rye and ginger beer, which compliment each other so perfectly as to be nearly indistinguishable, except for the hint of fennel that distinguishes Wigle White Rye’s finish. The result is a cool, crisp, and refreshing cocktail that, with it’s citrus and spice blend, is well-suited to winter.

Wigle Whiskey calls for only 1.5 oz. of it’s White Rye in the Smallman Street Snail, and the first time around I followed that measurement. Should you want to bring out a little more of the whiskey’s “rye-ness”, I recommend increasing the measurement to 2 oz. I tried this the second time around, and considered it an improvement. There’s room to experiment with other White Ryes, but the well-defined citrus undertones in Wigle White Rye’s finish make it the more ideal white rye for this cocktail.