There are lots of very excellent reasons why you might want to drink your whiskey neat, all on its own. It's fun. It's the best way to truly taste the whiskey. It wins you points with your friends, your date, and your bartender (especially if you happen to be a petite, innocent-seeming girl like me). Whatever your reason, I'm here to help.
The best thing you can do for yourself right off the bat is to order up. Ditch the well liquor. You're probably not going to know what to order or buy when you're first starting out, so ask the bartender or your friends for what they recommend and choose something mid-range. (Save the highest range stuff for when you'll really appreciate it.)
1. Start with a Cocktail - Pick a cocktail that sounds good to you and has a decent mix of whiskey with other liquors and ingredients. You want something where you taste the whiskey, but that's not going to be a wheeze-inducing shock. (Personally, I started with whiskey sours!) Order this cocktail and make it at home until you're familiar with the way whiskey tastes.
2. Up Your Cocktail Ante - Move on to stronger whiskey cocktails, like manhattans and godfathers (amaretto and scotch). These cocktails dilute the whiskey less and give you a better sense of the liquor. Order these and make them at home until you feel ready for more.
3. Whiskey on the Rocks - The next step is to take your whiskey over ice. At first you can let the ice melt a little to dilute the whiskey before drinking, but before long, you'll be sipping it as soon as the drink is poured.
By the way, ordering whiskey over ice is perfectly acceptable and sometimes even recommended. You taste different flavors and nuances in the whiskey when it's cold instead of room temperature.
4. Whiskey Neat - You're ready. Totally. Take little sips. The point is not to knock it back, but to appreciate the whiskey for all its fiery nuances. At first, it will just taste like tongue-numbing liquor. But you'll gradually get used to this and start tasting all those things that whiskey lovers talk about: spicy notes, vanilla, caramel, peatiness, smoke, and on and on. It's a great big whiskey world out there, and now you're ready to enjoy it!
Do you drink your whiskey neat? Or have a favorite whiskey cocktail?
Related: Sweet Recipe: Double Chocolate Bourbon Egg Cream
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I tried skipping step 3 at the bar the other day and had to ask for a single ice cube. The bartender (a friend) condemned it as a drinking FAIL. Next time, no ice!
When you lump bourbons scotch and rye it's too large a question..
rye manhatten or sazerac
bourbon cane sugar julep or boulvadier
scotch neat
A Scottish friend introduced me to a Rusty Nail (Scotch + Drambuie), but later I discovered that I like to drink whiskey neat.
Alas, I learned to like it via your homemade ginger ale recipe!
I prefer to drink mine chilled, but neat. I get the colder temp while drinking it, without watering it down and it warms up much faster to catch some of the notes you miss drinking it on the rocks.
neat no ice and with dark chocolate on the side.
Or just get some really good whiskey. Voila! One step. Mmmm.
"Double shot of Jameson, light rocks, splash of water"
I like a little rocks because I like the glass cold- not sure why :) and the splash of water opens up the flavor.
I scoff when they give me the lil red straw though.
Also, "whiskey" is from Ireland; "whisky" is from Scotland. :o]
I bought my man some whiskey stones that you keep them in the freezer, plop them in your drink to cool it but not dilute the flavor.
I never liked drinking whiskey neat until I had Bulleit.
Two more weeks of pregnancy, then I can have a lovely little bit of whisky. I can. not. wait. I prefer mine on the rocks, but neat is also good!
Many whiskey and whisky sites admit that add a small splash of water opens up the flavors of the if the water is spring or filtered water (best if the same spring water with which the liquor was created). No one seems to advocate using tap water because of the added chemicals and impurities.
In Gaelic, whisky supposedly means "Water of Life," therefore adding a bit of the same vital ingredient may indeed enhance it. It does allow you to smell and taste more of the flavors.
However, that said, it's probably comes down to personal taste. Everyone's palate is different affected as it is by personal chemistry, conditioning and experience. The point is not to drink for drinking's sake, but to enjoy drinking to enhance a moment, an experience, or a meal.
Well, - that first sentence is gibberish thanks to last minute edits. It should read:
Many whiskey and whisky sites admit that adding a small splash of water opens up the flavors of the whiskey/whisky if the water is . . . .
I love whiskey (and whisky)! But I suddenly developed a sensitivity to it and can no longer have even a drop of it...a very sad discovery indeed. I never got to drinking it neat. Now I wish I could. There's a bottle of 15-yo Laphroaig sitting in my cabinet taunting me with its peaty goodness.
Neat is the only way to go!
I started drinking it because a friend did, only to learn that she mixed it with cola.
Me, I prefer a medium quality with one or two ice cubes.
I am a simple girl: Jack Daniels, neat - except when I have a cold, and then I make a toddy out of it.
I'll have a neat shot with a 1/2 tablespoon of bottled water, please.
God intended that Bushmills 16 not be polluted with ice or anything else.
You can also start with a chronic hacking cough...wander into your kitchen looking for cough medicine, realize there is none, and hit the liquor cabinet instead. That's how I started drinking bourbon 10 years ago (the cough is gone!)...then I started drinking whisky and scotch too. I do like a couple drops of water in it BUT I rarely ask for it unless I'm at a bar that respects whiskey. Too many times, I've ended up with a one to one ratio of whisky and water... no thanks.
I'm a bourbon girl, and I like one ice cube in it, maybe two. I find I can't taste past the burn without just a little water, and asking for one cube keeps the bartender from watering it too much.
My family is Scottish, genetically speaking. We're part of the McGregor Clan. Now that doesn't mean a whole lot to me, just a bit of trivia. But when I was out buying wine a couple of years back I noticed that there was a McGregor Scotch whiskey behind the counter. I purchased it on a whim and found to my astonishment that I apparently had a genetic predisposition towards the stuff. Before I knew it, it was gone.
Being who I am, I decided to research scotch to find the good stuff. My next purchase was pretty much as hard core as you can go: Laphroaig. This was an entirely different beast. Iodine and smoky peat were nearly overwhelming to my unrefined pallet. It was unique, like nothing I'd ever had before. It was interesting, and the tingling, almost burning it gave my lips was pronounced.
I've long since finished that bottle (and currently have a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask on my shelf) along with a few others as I've experimented drinking scotch.
I've learned that many times you can perfect the experience with a few drops of water, which opens up the drink in different ways. You can approach it by slowly inhaling the aroma a few times before touching lip to glass. And that the glass itself can have a particular shape (like a tulip) for better effect.
I'm by no means an expert on scotch. But I have listened to experts, have partaken of their knowledge and recommendation, and found my lot improved.
Thus far, I'd say my favorite scotch has been Talisker 10yr. My second bottle of it is sitting next to the Laphroaig today =)
I can't agree with the stepping down from cocktails. Manhattans are too sweet. I love sweets, but not in my alcohol! I can't stand sweet drinks, never could.
Just try it! Take a sip! Easy!
I'm with the other commenters here who take their whiskey with a small splash of water. I used to take it neat until one of my buddies advised I try it with a few drops of water. I found that it tempers the alcoholic bite and allows me to taste the whiskey better. So every time I get a new whiskey, I now try it both neat and with a dash of water. Give it a try!
Better still, just skip all the cocktail silliness. The first time I had whisky, it was neat, and I loved it. I didn't start out with the preconceived notion that it would taste awful, and it didn't! Just get a good quality whisky (Basil Hayden's is nice,) and sip it slowly, allowing a thousand flavors to explode across your tongue. Don't knock it back like cheap hooch, and don't pollute it with sodas or juices; you'll see what I mean.
and don't...ever...chase it!
I like mine with a splash of water, and re. the cocktail suggestions, I'm not sure that one really needs to "work up to whiskey" with sours and the manhattan (both being sweet and the latter usually bourbon based) - if you want to try whiskey in a "cocktail" I suggest scotch & sodas (a reliable order in any bar).
Mmm, the Godfather sounds tasty... I am a sweet drink kind of person, but I do love me some whiskey every now and then, which always astonishes my boyfriend! People usually see me order girly drinks, but sometimes you just don't want sweet!
I just started with whiskey shots of Jameson. Then, I learned to sip it.
Neat for me. Woodford Reserve is my fave, "Mr. Woodford" as is known at my house. My bf's uncle asked what I liked to drink my bourbon with and to his surprise I replied, "More bourbon" :)
i'm partial to an old fashioned: sugar cube soaked in bitters, splash of water, ice cube or two, bourbon - cherry optional, but no orange or soda!
it tends to bring out completely different flavors in a bourbon, as compared to neat. it always amazes me.
step 1: pretend you work at sterling cooper (draper pryce).
step 2: look damn awesome.
I once attended a Glenlivet scotch tasting conducted by the head person in charge of distilling (he wore a kilt and everything). I remember him explaining how adding just a few drops of bottled water opens up the aromas... we even tried one perfectly neat versus with a little water side by side to compare & it really works (I just can't remember why)!
Also, if you want to try (bourbon) whiskey in a cocktail but don't like it too sweet, try asking for a manhattan "perfect" (sweet & dry vermouth) or "dry" (dry vermouth only).
A single cube is fine in lieu of a splash of water as the cube will slowly melt. And, yes, you do want either one cube or a splash (small) of water to highlight the taste.
Redbreast.
The Irish Whiskey that got me to love whiskey.
We recently visited a good distillery in Scotland, and they made available a pitcher of the same water used in production- they recommended two drops to open up the flavour.
While I really want to love whisky, I wanted something richer (flavour + mouthfeel)- this one was light and fruity with just a little smoke. Advice?
Only 3 things can be put in scotch, ever: water, ice, and soda water. A beginner should start with more water (bottled) and a lighter malt, like MacCallan or Glenmorangie. Another nice way to start is sip from a hipflask on a winter walk :)
Beatrix - when I want something thicker & sweeter than scotch (= "richer"?), it's a Greek brandy called Metaxa. Don't get the 3 star, get the 5 or 7 star. Great for cold evenings, or as a after dinner drink in a small glass. I never use ice, but....