Ten years ago, if you went to your local liquor store looking for rye whiskey, you’d be lucky to find one or two brands gathering dust somewhere between the bourbon and Scotch sections. Once the whiskey of choice for most imbibing Americans, rye was eclipsed in popularity by bourbon and Canadian whiskeys after Prohibition, and for decades it was relegated to the margins of the spirits market. But as craft bartenders have begun to recreate vintage cocktails and put the spotlight back on neglected spirits, rye is making a big comeback.

How big a comeback? Look no further than the “Art Of The Cocktail” coming-out event for a new designer rye, confusingly named (ri)1, at Simyone Lounge, a hotspot in NYC’s fashionable meatpacking district. Models, corporate types and other trend-hoppers not known for their cocktailian expertise mixed, mingled and looked fabulous while sipping designer (ri)1 drinks and noshing on hors d’ouevres. Who woulda thunk it?