Whiskey is Damn Fine on Its Own(2020): 10 Whiskey Easy Cocktails to Explore a New Side of Your Standby Sip

Whiskey is one of the most versatile categories of alcohol with so many options. Surely, the whiskey lovers enhance their wisdom about their favourite drink religiously. While a layman would think that whiskey is yet another form of alcohol, the admirers of whiskey would tell you that it is an art from the brewing techniques to the taste, in-depth research and understanding of the environment goes in every process. Take, for instance, the effect of hot climate is massive at one stage when whiskey is kept for maturing. Whiskey in hot climate matures quickly compared to the cold weather and therefore it would be smoother and of course younger. Let us understand the factors that impact the quality of the whisky

Believe it or not but the quality of water impacts the overall taste of whisky considerably. Water is the base of any drink that is made whether alcohol or non-alcohol. Therefore, pure water and non-hard water can increase the quality of whisky and the final taste would be impacted significantly.

You must have heard about the Scottish whisky and their popularity across the globe compared to any other region. Scotch lovers will tell you that since the Scottish region has peat resources in abundance when added in the germinated barley it gives that unique smoky taste to the whisky for which scotch is famous. However, with the advancement in understanding and techniques, there has been a rise in the smoking techniques used for grains. There are techniques involving cherry wood and beechwood smokes along with peat and so on. As a result, you get to enjoy those diverse smoky flavours more often.

As we discussed above, the impact of weather is inevitable in the formation of whisky. Hot weather is relatively more favourable for the fermentation and processing of whisky as the heat is known to enhance the taste and flavours of any food or drink. Moreover, whisky matures quickly in hot weather and is smoother in taste. A whisky connoisseur will even tell you the intricacies such as the floor on which the barrel is stored can sharpen or dampen the flavours with one or other dominating. The hotter floors ie the topmost floors of the warehouse will have warmer temperature and therefore water molecules will evaporate compared to the barrels stored in the subsequent lower floors.

We have been hearing how the more you age your whisky the better and smoother it tastes. However, contradictory to what you have been believing until now, ageing is not the only factor that impacts the taste and texture of whisky. Other factors such as warehousing also play an important role in defining the quality of the whisky. It is hard to believe but from the paint on the exterior walls to the material used for the construction of a warehouse and more play a very important role. For instance, having an appropriate number of windows and the right direction of it to have optimum sunlight is something that the distillers do consider. Controlling the temperature of the warehouse either naturally or through installation also matters. Since we want the warehouse to be at the optimum temperature for whisky to mature, controlling it also has a role to play.

Both the way barrels are stored and the material they are made of impacts the taste and texture of whisky. There are various types of barrels such as wood finish, wine finish, port finish, Madeira finish and so on. Each if these types have something unique such as wood finish barrels are usually made from virgin American Oak, Japanese oak etc whereas Portuguese wood will be used to carve out a Madeira finish casket and have typical flavours such as figs, spices, etc.

Now, that we know how to choose our brand of whisky for making whisky cocktails, let us dive right into some of the trending whisky cocktail recipes.

We can comfortably name it original Irish coffee even though there are a lot of deviated versions of Irish coffee. However, the original Irish coffee is the blend of fine whisky and coffee. To start with the process, warm the mugs first to make sure that the glass mug does not crack while pouring the hot coffee. Next, add brown sugar according to your taste in the hot coffee and dissolve it completely. Once the brown sugar is completely dissolved, add whisky of your choice in the coffee. Top it up with whipped cream to sit back and relax with this easy and delicious cocktail.

You might experience that this cocktail mix goes by different names in different places. However, to enjoy your favourite blend of the drink you should know all the ingredients that go into this cocktail. To make this cocktail, you would need rye whisky, absinthe, Italian vermouth and Angostura bitters. The proportion would be 1oz each of whisky, absinthe and Italian vermouth and a dash of angostura bitters. Now, mix all the ingredients with the cracked ice to form a smooth blend and strain pour it into a cocktail glass. Make sure that the cocktail glass is chilled before pouring the drink.

If you are a fan of Japanese whisky then this cocktail recipe is for you. A refreshing mix of green tea and fine whisky is just what you need to be sipping on to uplift the mood and energy.

Both ginger and lemon go absolutely well with the whisky but the hero of this recipe is Basil leaf. For making this cocktail at home you will need easily available.

This one from New Orleans is a complex cocktail to make but a legendary one. You would need Rye whiskey, Cognac, sweet vermouth, two styles of bitters, Benedictine to make this cocktail. Measurement plays a great part of perfect tasting in this whiskey brand as you need:

If you are confused to serve your guests with pure single malt or spice up things with interesting cocktails, go for Dry Mahoney. The drink with whisky as the base is not stubborn and fluctuates between that strong hit of whisky but with a hint of fun. It would be right to call this drink a bourbon martini. As complicated, it might sound, making Dry Mahoney is actually a breeze and requires just three ingredients. Let us look at the ingredients you need for making this classy cocktail:

The infusion of fruit flavours with whisky is nothing new and whisky sour with orange and lemon is one of the most loved cocktails with whisky as a base. However, if you are looking to serve something different to your guests then try making a smoky sour cocktail. Although there are many versions of this cocktail we will take a relatively interesting one. Let us have a look at the ingredients:

The name sounds elegant and so is this cocktail that has Glenfiddich whisky as the base. Not many would know that Silver Tips Imperial Darjeeling Magical tea is the ingredient that makes this cocktail not just special but also quite expensive and available at only selected places.

A hybrid between the dry martini and whiskey sour, this cocktail derives its name from the rule breakers. We cannot agree more about the cocktail breaking the rules fashionably with being a hybrid between the two established whisky-based cocktails.

Carve out an exotic drink from the classic Italian bitter Cynar which is a fine blend of 13 herbs. A combination of rye whisky and cynar creates the magic in this cocktail where the latter mellows down the burn of rye at the same time opening the flavours. However, making this remarkably interesting cocktail is unexpectedly simple with you needing only the following ingredients:

While making whiskey cocktails you should put ice as well because cocktails taste the best when chilled. Moreover, the ice in your cocktail would also help in releasing the flavour of the drink.

Whiskey or any other cocktail for that matter should not have bottled up juices. You should try to induce the natural flavours in the cocktails for the best taste and experience.

A good cocktail should have a divine taste of all the ingredients giving you a subtle hint. However, too many ingredients might leave you confused and not sure of the hero of the cocktail.