Whiskey, the smooth liquid sunshine, has always been a drink for the ones with a refined taste. In good times, no-so-good-times, and the bad, whiskey is a drink known for its versatility and ability to make good times remarkable. Often, when we go to bars or get in the character of our bartender-selves, whiskey on the rocks is an instant demand, almost always.
Clear tulip glasses holding the amber rich whiskey and some ice reflecting its colour – sounds like a clear summer favourite, right?
Drinking whiskey is an art. And like every art form entails certain rules, there are some essential things every partaker must know.
So which is the best way to bring that flavour out and get the best experience out of it?
Whiskey is meant to be drunk slowly and gently, with the flavours opening up as it goes down the throat through the palate.
Most of us like it on the rocks, mixed in a cocktail or in rare cases, neat. But as much as you like your whiskey and scotch on the rocks, unless you want to waste your whiskey and ridicule its taste, do not drink it on the rocks.
Why, you ask?
Ice numbs the tongue and melts too fast.
You wouldn’t want to taste a whole bottle of rich and carefully prepared whiskey with a numb tongue, would you?
Drink it neat and keep it crisp. Or, drink it with a few drops of water for the flavours to open up beautifully.
Drinking it on the rocks is only acceptable if you’re drinking blended whiskey or if the heat outside is killing you.
If the idea of drinking it straight up is too much to take, you can mix it in a cocktail (like The Beatles maybe. They liked their whiskey in Coke).
But when you make a whiskey cocktail, it is important to use a whiskey that can stand on its own against other flavours.
