No one should be burned at the stake if they add something to their whisky. It’s only whisky after all.
Heresy was once a crime punished by death. And for many people diluting or spoiling their whisky with anything, even water, is a heretical notion. Sometimes I couldn’t agree more, especially when the dram is a pricey one. But when it is 95 degrees outside – as a reformed southerner who grew up drinking “Bourbon and Branch” – my internal taste compass demands the kiss of ice combined with a splash of water. But only when it’s really hot and only with a Bourbon – like Maker’s Mark or Knob Creek. Call me an apostate or a heretic – but the ice melts in about 10 minutes anyway and the dilution it brings helps keep the bourbon from going to your head too quickly. I don’t do all the time by any means and while I will do it with a bourbon or a rye – I wouldn’t dream of doing it with a single malt. Not sure why I make such a firm distinction. But I do.
And don’t tell anyone but I’ve discovered that when the thermometer is above 90 degrees – I like some new make spirit on the rocks with a splash of soda water. It’s light and while the flavor is less concentrated because of the soda and ice – it’s quite enjoyable. What can I say I’m not a purest, all I know is that it’s a heck of a lot more refreshing and enjoyable without being heavy and dense. My current favorite new make is Uprising by Rhode Island’s newest distillery – Sons of Liberty.
Rhode Island’s tasty little lager with the catchy slogan “Hi Neighbor, Have a ‘Gansett”
I’ll even do something similar on a hot day when I’m in the mood for a beer after mowing the lawn or working in the garden – I’ll make a Shandy with a Narragansett and some lemonade. The blend of lemonade and beer lowers the ABV% and the tartness of the lemonade combines beautifully with the hops and malt in the ‘Gansett. It is very refreshing and quenches the thirst far better than beer or lemonade aloneWhatever your heat beating strategy, refusing to acknowledge that a beverage refined and enjoyed in a place where it is rarely, if ever, above 80 degrees, might not be fully enjoyed in a place where it is often above 95 degrees is just plain rigidity for rigidity’s sake. I like a big full flavored whisky as much as the next person but it’s not exactly thirst quenching. And hot weather causes a person to develop a powerful thirst.
What’s your beverage of choice when it’s hot outside? Do you have a whisky you drink when it’s 95 degrees in the shade? Whatever you do – stay cool and keep hydrated.