Back to the Future: The Cocktail Industry’s Return to Rye Straws

The cocktail world has always moved in cycles. What was once forgotten is rediscovered, what was once old becomes new again. In the past two decades, bartenders across the globe have revived long-lost recipes, unearthed forgotten spirits, and brought back the artistry of mixology. From speakeasy-style bars to the rediscovery of classics like the Old Fashioned and the Tom Collins, the industry has embraced tradition as a mark of quality.

But there is one tradition that has remained largely invisible — until now. The rye straw.

Long before plastic or paper, the very first drinking straws were made from hollow stalks of rye grass, cut from the fields and slipped into glasses of lemonade, juleps, and Collinses. In the 19th century, when cocktails first began their rise to cultural prominence, rye straws were there. They were simple, practical, and natural — a product of the land, tied directly to the fields where rye was grown for food, feed, and sport.

Perhaps the most famous symbol of this connection is the Mint Julep at the Kentucky Derby. A drink synonymous with horse racing and Southern tradition, the Julep was once sipped through natural rye straws, a detail that carried the same charm and authenticity as the silver cups they were served in. To drink a Julep with a rye straw was to participate in a ritual that stretched back generations.

Today, as the industry seeks to cut waste and reduce plastics, the rye straw is making its return — not as a novelty, but as part of the same movement that values hand-cut ice, copper bar tools, and house-made syrups. Bartenders who reach for a rye straw are not just choosing an eco-friendly option; they are restoring a lost detail of cocktail history, one that brings a story to the glass.

There is also symbolism in the rye straw’s resilience. Grown on farms that have supported communities for centuries, rye is a plant tied to both the land and the culture of celebration. By using it again in cocktails, bars and restaurants are connecting their craft to agriculture, tradition, and sustainability in a single gesture.

As cocktail culture continues its revival, the rye straw stands as a perfect emblem of the industry’s philosophy: respect the past, refine the present, and reimagine the future. A glass filled with heritage spirits and topped with a simple rye straw is not only delicious — it is history reborn.

The return to tradition is not complete without it.

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Media Contact

Gerald Shaffer
Founder – Naturally OG Straws, a Shaffer Farms Brand
gerald@shafferfoods.com
www.ogstraws.com