restaurantgirl

  It's no secret that I'm obsessed with food, but even a Restaurant Girl gets thirsty and I'm quite fond of liquor.  Luckily, I met a boy who knows his way around the bottle - let's call him Booze Boy.  He's stopped by to share the wisdom of his scotch drinking ways:

Have you ever heard someone walk up to a bartender and order their scotch “neat”?   Hey, maybe you’ve even been that person.  Did you ever notice that the first (and second and third) sip burn?

That’s because neat translates to no ice, no water, nothing – just plain straight up.  Most single malt scotches are anywhere between 42% and 50% ABV (alcohol by volume), also known as 84-100 proof.  That’s almost half alcohol - no wonder the stuff burns.  It's not the same grain alcohol burn we all enjoyed/became temporarily blinded by in college, but still, it hurts.  

Here’s a little tip that’ll actually change the way your scotch tastes (for the better).  It comes from every Scottish person and every single malt distillery manager you could ever meet:

Add a little cold water before you drink it.   Not only will it open up all the aromas that are packed into the single malt during 12+ years of cask-aging, but it will also soften the flavor. So your immediate reaction will never again be to grimace like your foot just got run over by a cab while you wonder why the hell dad likes this stuff so much.

To ensure that the integrity of the scotch is maintained, use spring water.  Just like ice, the type of water you use can greatly affect how a drink tastes.

The younger the scotch, the more water you should use.  For a 10-12 year old (YO) bottle, consider a 70:30 scotch to water ratio.  Don’t worry - nobody’s going to laugh or call you names.  In fact, any self-respecting bartender will most likely throw you a little nod of respect for ordering the right way.  For a 15 year old (YO) scotch, you can get away with an 80:20, while a 17-18 YO bottle is best with a 90:10 (just a couple drops).  Any older - (21, 25, 28, 30, 40 years old, and on) - you generally don’t need to add water because the extended years in the cask have probably caused the spirit to mellow considerably. 

Long story short - just because some guy’s trying to impress his boss or girlfriend by ordering a scotch "neat", doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing.  Ironically, he’s just wasting money and cheating himself of the full malt experience.  So next time you go to a bar, order your favorite single malt with some water, and taste what you’ve been missing.

Scotch Suggestions:

• Starter Scotches - Glenlivet or Glenfiddich no older than 12 YO
• Intermediate Scotches - Balvenie Single Barrel or Macallan 18 YO
• Advanced Scotches (Single Malt Sophisticates) - Glenmorangie, Glenrothes or Talisker

Until we booze again,
Booze Boy