How do you prefer to enjoy your bourbon?

[juliusrocco]

Sifting through the tasting notes and the myriad discussions of favourite pour, best budget bourbons, etc., I'm curious about how many of you prefer to consume your bourbon. I note several folks go the Coke/Diet Coke/Sprite, etc., route, while others prefer it neat or over ice. As for myself, I have never thought any soda beverage to be a good mixer, no matter what the liquour being used is. I never could understand why anyone would mix perfectly good rum with Coca-Cola, but I digress (I'll add that I thought the old Beam and Cola in the can was a really awful marketing idea).

Anyway, I'll start by saying that I usually pour my bourbon over ice with just a splash of water. I typically taste bourbons that I've never tried before neat before pouring a glass (over ice). That's about the only way I care to drink bourbon. I think it's good enough to stand on it's own, but I do like it slightly cool, over ice.

Just my preference, but I'm open to suggestion.

J. Rocco

CT Shoreline, USA

[cowdery]

I typically drink my bourbon neat. Less often I will add one or two ice cubes. I usually only add water (room temperature) when I am doing a formal tasting, and only after initially tasting it neat (since it's such a hassle to take water out).

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://cowdery.home.netcom.com>--Chuck Cowdery</A>

[kitzg]

Julius, nice to have you contribute here. Having read a number of books on bourbon it seems the most common two fashions of consuming among aficionados is either neat or over ice. I say this because I believe the most common consumption is with Coke. And there are various versions of combinations with carbonated soft drinks.

I believe many people who become aficionados graduated, as I did, from drinking Beam or Jack and Coke to drinking bourbon either on rocks or straight.

For tastings I prefer neat as do most.

Greg

[vasshopper]

Hi Julius

Use to mix whisky with soda,ginger ale,ice cubes and anything else i could find to add to the mix. now i think it is a crime to mix good whisky .The only way i drink good whisky now is at room temperature in a small beer or whisky glass which seems to psychologically give me a better taste and aroma. Also like to drink plenty of water when i'm sipping my favourite pour,. learned that from my brother.

favorite bourbon--OLD FITZGERALD 100*---life is good--den

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

I generally drink my bourbon neat, but I am not against having an old fashioned cocktail or a manhattan. Bourbon and coke is the drink I pour for bourbon that is of a poor quality to my palate.

Mike Veach

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

I agree with you 100% Greg. I think people should drink their bourbon anyway they want. Vickie always mixes with either Sprite or Ginger Ale. My brother-in-law drinks either neat or with Mountain Dew. Talk about "Doing The Dew"!

I'd much prefer to see folks enjoying bourbon in any fashion rather than buying imported spirits, or drinking characterless 'white' liquors.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

[juliusrocco]

I completely agree. You should certainly enjoy in the manner that's most pleasing to you. Now, should the pants system be revised to differentiate between bourbon neat, all by itself, and mixed in other ways. I suppose some might give white label Jim Beam a low score on its own, but it might knock the pants off their palate when mixed with Sprite. Time for revisions.

J. Rocco

CT Shoreline, USA

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Julius, I think the pants index is irreverently ludicrous enough as is, however as it is common property of the Straight Bourbon forum you may, of course, modify it to suit whatever bourbon combo you may be drinking with respect to the pants being worn at the time of occurrence.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.