How To Drink Whiskey

People drink whiskey for many reasons, some for stress relief (to get over heartbreak or a rough day at work), some because of social influence (entertaining ads or social acceptance of drinking), some due to social pressure (forced by friends or relatives), some for escapism (to distract themselves from the harsh realities of their life), while others for the sheer delight of tasting and enjoying a nice alcoholic beverage. Whatever be the call, the drink requires you to follow a certain technique to get the best out of the same. Surprised? Okay, settle down and wipe that drool off your chin. Drinking whiskey doesn’t have to be a second’s affair. Take some time to actually drink and taste your whiskey rather than gulping down glass after glass. Continue reading to know about how to enjoy your whiskey:

 

Get a nice looking glass, not a jar or a huge mug. It’s got to look good. The drink should be visible from outside the glass. The color of the whiskey shining from inside the glass will give a nice feeling, before you even dig in.

 

Pour just an ounce or two into the glass. Don’t overflow your glass. It’s whiskey, not beer or coca cola for that matter. An ounce is enough to send you soaring to the moon. Don’t pour what you can’t finish. And even if you can, you would get finished by the time the glass empties.

Some purists might swear by the whiskey served ‘straight up’, without any addition of mixer, ice or water. Just the liquor allows them to enjoy the flavor all the more. This holds true especially for high priced whiskeys. For others, whiskey is always good when it is ‘on the rocks’. Served over ice cubes, it not only makes the whiskey cold, but the melting ice dilutes the liquor to some extent. In fact, some believe that water actually “open up” the whiskey and releases a great deal more flavor and aroma.

Bring your nose closer to the glass, just close enough that the aroma is able to soothe your senses. Don’t dip it in, lest the aroma burns away your senses. Taste and smell are closely related to each other. Something which smells good, will automatically taste good too, and even if it isn’t as good as the smell made it seem like, it wouldn’t be that bad as well.

 

Take one sip at a time. Don’t take large gulps that your lungs get burning and your insides get glowing like ET of Steven Spielberg. Take smaller sips to really sink into the flavor. Swirl each mouthful around your taste buds and let the subtleties of flavor dominate your sense. Don’t swallow, and dare you gargle lest people pick you off the floor and dump you on the bed. Just sip and take in the flavor.

 

Held it long enough? Got a hold of the flavors and aroma? Okay now swallow it in and feel the sensation of your favorite whiskey going down your throat into your stomach slowly numbing brain cells that have been jammed for quite some time now. Stand still, look at the empty glass, smile at it, and pour another ounce if your thirst persists.

 

There’re a lot of flavors from different countries to choose from - American, Australian, Canadian, English, German, Indian, Irish, Scotch, Swedish, and many other. Try on whiskeys from around the world and feel for yourself from which country you actually belong, alcohol wise.

Invite over your drinking buddies and have a whiskey or scotch tasting party with light music and jazz music. Taste whiskeys in appropriate proportion. After all, you don’t want to get high and start a riot.

 

Get high on the senses by following the correct technique for drinking whiskey, rather than getting intoxicated and waking up with the pigs!