The Fine Art of Drinking. Cheers!

No shame about admitting that I love my drink. And anyone who knows me well will know about my 

love for Single Malt and what I would do for it (but that’s another story we will get into in the times to come).           A lot of people have asked me, and even been quite irritated on how choosy and insistent I

can get on how I like my drink. And guilty as charged, I like my drinks a certain way, depending on their 

type (single/blended/Indian), how much they cost and how much there is to drink.

So how do I like my drink?

Simple, The way they’re meant to be had! :-)

What’s the best way to enjoy a good glass of whiskey or scotch? (They’re the same)

1. Well to start with, the glasses in which you drink them needs to be ummm….for
   lack of better word tulip shaped. This shape traps the aromas and the flavors.
   Why? Good whiskey/scotch is meant to be enjoyed so we tend to take smaller
   sips and hold it for a longer period of time and the shape of the glass ensures that
   we get the same aroma and flavors right to the last sip. This is especially important for single malts.                                                                                         
2. Good whiskey/scotch is not made to be diluted with water and best drank neat. But different people have their way of drinking it. For me, if it’s above Rs. 3500 I drink neat. Anything below that with Ice. And anything below Rs. 1000 with ice and a dash of water.

·         Neat: Slant your glass as you pour it in. Don’t over pour, a good amount is 50/60 ml. Swirl/stir slowly to let the aroma and flavors out.

·         On the rocks: Put in about 3/4 rocks in the glass first. Gently pour your malt over it in a circular motion. This motion cools the scotch, opens it up to release the aroma and flavors, it also makes a consistent mix of water and scotch. If you hold your drink for a while between sips, remember to stir it before every sip.

·         A Dash of Water: Opinions differ on this. Many people will add water to a good scotch some don’t. It’s really a very personal matter of choice and how you like it. Just remember the 1/5 rule. Meaning the water you add should only be 1/5 of the amount you pour. Roughly 20%.

·         Drowning the Rocks: Add about 4 rocks, pour in your cheap whiskey, then add water exactly or a little over the amount of the cheap whiskey you just poured. And try to enjoy your drink.

·         Soda: Some people like their drinks with soda, I don’t understand why. The soda distorts everything that’s good about the scotch.

·         With Coke/Pepsi or Juice: F*&k you! Go have a glass of vodka or JD. Don’t even continue reading this and get out of my blog. Scram…vamoose! Mixing good scotch with the likes of coke and juice is blasphemous and offends me to no limits. I get so mad when I very courteously offer to make someone a drink and they ask me to mix the scotch with Coke or juice (especially women). Do you also drink you tea and coffee with salt? DAMMIT!

So there you go ladies and gentlemen. You now know how to enjoy a good glass of fine whiskey/scotch.
Now, my less discerning friends would ask, how do we drink Indian whiskey like Royal Stag, Signature, Blenders Pride etc.? I suggest you follow my strategy. Since there’s nothing really nice worth mentioning,
just enjoy the getting drunk part. But I do recommend you give Rockford a try. It's not bad at all for a whiskey under Rs.1000.

Tip: Since the spirit can be rather overwhelming, I suggest you opt for soda with these drinks and have some snacks to nibble on the side.

Caution:

The liver takes about 4 hours to digest a glass of Alcohol (which causes weakness and hangover the next day) so watch how much you drink. I suggest you have a slice of cheese or drink an hour or two after dinner. And make sure you take at least 3 glasses of water before sleeping (Trust me on this).
Remember to enjoy your drink responsibly, and call a cab if you’re out. Cheers it’s Friday!