Even if you’re not a big whiskey drinker, you probably know all about bourbon, Jack Daniels, Scotch, and maybe Irish whiskey, too. But unless you’re a serious connoisseur – or make a habit of raiding your grandfather’s liquor cabinet – chances are you don’t know about rye.

That’s a shame. Rye played a big role in early American history: It was America’s first whiskey, going back to pre-Revolutionary days. It’s what George Washington made at Mount Vernon, and what he taxed in 1791, setting off the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania.

More importantly rye has a sharp, distinctive flavor. “It’s just as smooth as bourbon, but a little spicier, a little bolder,” the author of “Killer Cocktails” and “Esquire Drinks,” David Wondrich, said. “It’s got that big, woody tang that American whiskey has. You could say rye is to bourbon as Scotch is to Irish whiskey: a little more full-flavored, while bourbon is a little more courtly or genteel.” That full flavor makes rye ideal for cocktails. Indeed, the classic recipes for a Manhattan and an old-fashioned call for rye, although most bartenders now make them with bourbon. And there are other, less common drinks, such as the wonderful Sazerac, that also call for rye (see accompanying recipe). “I think it mixes better than bourbon,” Mr. Wondrich said. “That’s how I go through most of it.”

Like bourbon, rye is aged for at least two years – and usually three or four – in new, fire-charred white oak barrels. But while federal law requires that a bourbon’s grain mash be at least 51% corn, rye is made from at least 51% rye, and usually a lot more, resulting in a grain-specific flavor a bit punchier than bourbon.

So why isn’t rye more popular? It used to be – before Prohibition, rye was America’s favorite whiskey. “But after repeal, American distillers needed a few years to age their product, so the Canadian distillers took advantage of that,” the author of “The Joy of Mixology” and editor of Ardentspirits.com, Gary Regan, said. Canadian whisky (which, like Scotch whisky, is spelled without the “e”) is blended and lighter, so people lost their taste for straight rye.

Canadian product made further inroads during World War II, when American distillers had to stop making whiskey and devote their production facilities to the war effort. “That created another generation that was used to lighter, blended spirits,” Mr. Wondrich said.

In yet another Canada-based obstacle, many people – including a surprising number of bartenders – mistakenly think Canadian whisky and rye are synonymous, a misconception that dates back to Prohibition, when most bootleg liquor from Canada had a high rye content. In fact, Canadian whisky, by law, cannot have more than 50% of any grain.

Despite these setbacks, rye maintained a solid post-Prohibition market niche for several decades, especially in the Northeast, where most of it was made. More recently, however, market forces have conspired to deprive rye of its home base. “Most of the rye distilleries were in Pennsylvania and Maryland,” Mr. Wondrich said. “But as the industry consolidated, those brands got bought and moved to Kentucky.You talk to the people at the Kentucky distilleries and they say, ‘Yeah, sure we make rye. Can we tell you about our bourbon?’ They make good rye, but it’s not part of their heritage, so they don’t promote it. I’ve never seen an ad for rye.”

So who drinks rye these days? “It’s very popular right now among serious cocktail geeks,” Mr. Wondrich said. “Aside from that, it’s pretty much just the old guy with the cigarette pack rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve.”

Interestingly, it was only about 20 years ago that bourbon was viewed the same way that rye is now: unfashionable, stodgy, your grandfather’s drink. But then Maker’s Mark helped turn bourbon into a contemporary prestige product, and now the market is flooded with high-end, artisan-style bourbons. Could rye be poised for a similar renaissance?

Mr. Wondrich hopes so, but he’s skeptical. “Bourbon was really helped by that rebel image and Southern mystique,” he said. “But rye is a Northern product, and you don’t see people running around in Union uniforms – it’s always Confederate uniforms. Still, there’s a very appealing steelworker, ‘We built this country’ kind of thing that you could do with rye, if the distillers were willing to market it that way.”

Mr. Regan is more optimistic. “I remember when bourbon started to make its comeback, and I have the same feeling now about rye. I don’t think we’ll have 100 brands, but I think within the next five years or so it will be recognized. And then, hopefully, we won’t be seeing bartenders reaching for a bottle of Canadian Club when someone asks for rye.”

Sazerac

This rye-based recipe is adapted from the one at Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, where it’s the house specialty. The mix of sweet, bitter, spicy, and citrus makes for a spectacular cocktail. If you can’t find Peychaud’s bitters – a New Orleans brand that’s essential for this drink – you can order a bottle at www.buffalotrace.com.

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons Wild Turkey rye, or other rye whiskey
6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
4 dashes Angostura bitters
2 tablespoons simple syrup
2 teaspoons Herbsaint, or other anise-flavored liqueur, such as Pernod
2 thin strips lemon zest

1 Chill two rocks glasses in the freezer. While they’re chilling, make a simple syrup: Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

2 Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the rye, Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters, and 2 tablespoons of the syrup. Shake well.

3 Swirl 1 teaspoon of the Herbsaint or Pernod in each chilled glass until the insides are coated. Discard excess liqueur. Strain cocktail mixture into glasses and garnish each one with a strip of lemon zest.

YIELD: 2 cocktails

The Rye To Buy

Want to sample some rye? Each brand has its own character, of course, but cocktail writer David Wondrich says the most important element may be the proof:”You want that higher proof – between 90 and 100 – because the flavor’s more concentrated,” he said. “It doesn’t add that much more alcohol, but the flavor is brighter and cuts through more.”

Most good liquor stores should have at least a few of the following five brands. Except as noted, they retail for about $20.

WILD TURKEY (101 proof): Although Kentucky’s Austin Nichols distillery is best known for its Wild Turkey bourbon, it also makes a fine rye, which is the basis for the Sazerac cocktails made for decades at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans.Mr.Wondrich also likes it for Manhattans: “It’s a little more fiery, so the vermouth tames it nicely.”

RITTENHOUSE (100 proof): Nice flavor and balance – comparable to Wild Turkey, but not quite as spicy.

OLD OVERHOLT (80 proof):This is probably the oldest brand of whiskey in America, dating back to 1810. Originally based outside Pittsburgh, it moved to Kentucky in the 1980s and is now made by Jim Beam.”It’s not bad,” Mr.Wondrich said.”But if they left it in the barrels for a few more years and diluted it less, so it came out at 90 or 100 proof, they’d have a real prestige product on their hands.”

OLD POTRERO (90 proof):This magnificent whiskey is made in San Francisco by Fritz Maytag – the man behind Anchor Steam beer – who has devoted himself to replicating the flavor and character of Revolutionary-era spirits. His use of old-style copper pot stills, a single-malt 100%-rye mash, and small production batches produces spectacular results:Warm but not hot, complex but balanced, this was the best rye sampled for this article. It runs about $65 and is worth every penny.

BLACK MAPLE HILL (95 proof): Hand-bottled in single-barrel batches after being aged for a whopping 18 years, this rye costs upwards of $80. Is it worth it? Yes, if you like a very strong, incomparably oaky flavor. But I find the Old Potrero more wellrounded.

If you’re having trouble finding what you want, try Warehouse Wines & Spirits (735 Broadway, 212-982-7770) or Astor Wines & Spirits (12 Astor Place, 212-674-7500). In Brooklyn, your best bets are Smith & Vine (246 Smith St., Carroll Gardens, 718-243-2864) and LeNell’s (416 Van Brunt St., Red Hook, 718-360-0838).