Know your drink and drink it with style

Most of us would have tried to drink alcoholic beverages. Some of us just love the taste of our favourite alcohol drink on our taste buds. Do you know your drink? Do you drink with style? Do you get the most out of your drink and enjoy your drink? Well, we have come with some commonly drank liquors and some ideas of how you can drink it. Malaysian drinkers were considered at the time of the creation of this article.

Let’s start with type of liquors. Please bear, there are more types but these are the famous ones.

1. Vodka – Vodka is one of the purest spirits in the world hailing from Russia and Eastern Europe. It is odorless, tasteless and clear liquor from the distillation of potatoes, grains and in some times molasses. Makers of vodka distill the potatoes, sugar beets or grain to create virtually pure ethanol. It is the added water to dissolve the concentration to drinkable liquor. Consumption of this liquor differs according to geographical regions. In Eastern Europe, people usually drink vodka straight and dry while in Western Europe and Americas they usually use it as cocktail.

2.  Whiskey – Whisky is a type of liquor which is distilled from a range of grains. The most common grains used are corn, rye and barley. This type of liquor is first distilled two to three times, and then it is aged in large oak barrels to improve its flavor.Some of the renowned whisky beverages include the Scotch Single-malts such as Laphroaig, Irish blends like Jameson and the American bourbons like Jack Daniels.

3.  Rum – Rum is known as the favorite liquor for navy sailors and pirates. They are popularly known to mix sugar-water, lime juice and rum to make a pickling drink. Rum is a type of liquor beverage made from the distillation of molasses or sugar juice. Traditionally it was a common drink in Caribbean islands but it has since then widely spread to the South American countries. There are three main categories of rum namely spiced, dark and light. Each is used for straight drinking, cooking and mixing respectively though most of the time the uses overlap. The drinks include pina caladas, mojitos and rum-and-colas.

4.  Gin – Gin is commonly used in many classical cocktails including martinis, Singapore Slings, Tonics, Gins and Negronis. It is a dry spirit produced from distillation of grains and gets its flavor mainly from the juniper berries. Most of gin drinks are clear in color though there are some which appear yellowish as a result of aging in the barrels. For many years, this drink has won the title of cocktail drinks until recently when it was surpassed by Vodka. However it still maintains the name, “drinker’s drink.”

Some ways you can drink your drink!

1. Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

a) Glenfiddich 12 year 

-  Neat, on the rocks, with some cold water or one ice cube. I don't care. The stuff doesn't stay in the glass long enough to say hello to the sides, let alone any other visitors.

b) Glenlivet 12 year

- Best drank with ice cubes and let the ice cubes to melt a little while and taste the drink slowly, you will involuntarily vision a staircase to heaven.*

c) Macallan Fin Oak 12 year

- Cold water and that's all. No ice cubes. Make sure to take time in between the sip to taste bittersweet orange peel and spicy ginger.

In general you got to drink single malt whiskeys with nothing or ice cubes with some water. The whole idea of drinking single malt whiskey is to relax and to reflect in between sips. Drink it slowly and taste the drink. Never take whiskeys in a gulp, that’s for Vodka. 

2. Blended Scotch Whiskey

a) Chivas 12 year

- Coke and ice is just fine. To keep it manlier you may want to try it with water and ice.

b) Johnnie Walker Black Label

- Frank Sinatra drank it with coke and ice. Like the old days keep it with the coke and ice. The best blended Scotch in the history of the world.

c) Ballantines First

- Ice cube and water. Please don't try it without the water or ice; it will give you not very drinker friendly experience.

3. Tennessee Whiskey

a) Jack Daniel's Old No.7 Black Label (commonly known as JD)

- Mixed with whatever you want and drink it all day long. Just keep it to coke, sprite, canned soda water and ginger ale.

b) Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

- This Tennessee whiskey is not blended but rather drawn from individual barrels selected based on tastings by experts at the distillery.  Due to the fact that there is no blending, one can expect a considerably more robust flavour profile. Each of the JD's Single Barrel might be different in taste as it comes from different barrel. Drink it flavoured drink as it gives you a high burning sensation. Never to drink without mixing with at least water and ice.

What we covered in the article are some of the famous and common whiskeys drank and enjoyed world wide. Soon we will be covering on favourite Vodka, Rum and Gin. Meanwhile enjoy drinking responsibly. Drinking was meant to have fun. Please avoid unwanted incidents while and after drinking. We do not encourage drinking but at the same time we don't discourage as well. Know your limit and enjoy responsibly. Cheers!