Top 10 Ways To Make Whiskey Taste Better

At CWS, we love whiskey. It’s a personal preference thing, but we do love it. We stock all kinds of whiskey from all over the globe. It’s a truly varied, expressive, and precise spirit. We do, however, acknowledge that whiskey is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Whiskey can be quite potent and harsh to those who don’t drink it often. It often has an upfront kick that many whiskey drinkers actually look for. It is something that either appeals or does not. Whatever the way you think about whiskey in its purest form, there are many other ways to drink it.

Whiskey is an amazing ingredient in so many things. In this piece, we will first give some pointers on how to choose the right whiskey for you, before offering some very good things to mix with whiskey. These are a few of our favorite recipes for how to make whiskey taste better.

Find The Right Kind

The first thing that might be making your whiskey feel a bit lackluster is that you could be drinking the wrong type. There are so many varieties, from scotch to bourbon, to rye, blended, and many more.

A general rule of thumb is that scotch is fairly smokey. It is bold, and robust, but considered some of the purest whiskey in the world. When thinking about how to make whiskey taste better, it might be because you are drinking a super smokey variety when you prefer other things.

Rye is a more peppery variety. It has a spice that people adore and look for. If you like spicy food, or the food of Mexico, India, or even American BBQ, you might prefer Rye. The trick here is to experiment and try new things when given the opportunity. 

Buy Good Stuff

One of the reasons you might not like whiskey is that you are only having bad stuff! There’s cheap stuff all over the place, and that is made to be cheap! The first port of call for how to make whiskey taste good is to buy good stuff!

We’re not saying blow hundreds of dollars per bottle. We merely mean to suggest spending say $45-50 on a smaller batch producer rather than going for a cheaper, better-known brand. Largely speaking, the smaller the amount of whiskey made, the better it is!

Also Read - Fun Facts About Whiskey

Drink It The Right Way

Here’s something that people don’t often know, and it is quite hard to discern by oneself. There are many ways to drink whiskey. We don’t mean cocktails here, we mean whether you might benefit from some ice, a little bit of water, a bit of sparkling water, or neat. If you’re drinking something like scotch, you might even want to drink it in a snifter over a whiskey glass.

Some whiskies benefit from a bit of ice, and others do not. Some benefit from a little drop of water. This helps them open up if they have been in the bottle for a long time. This will make the up-front flavors and punchiness become subdued, giving more room for flavor.

Some whiskies taste great with a few ice cubes. Think about these options when thinking about what to mix with whiskey, rather than going straight for other ingredients.

Also Read - Health Benefits Of Whiskey

Sweet Tooth Cocktails

For those of us with a sweet tooth, there are many fantastic whiskey cocktails to choose from. The Manhattan is a lovely option. Boozy, sweet, complex, and delicious. Order a sweet Manhattan if you desire, you really can’t go wrong with these amazing drinks.

A Rusty Nail is another favorite for those with a sweet tooth. It’s made with whiskey and Drambuie, a whiskey-based liqueur. It definitely packs a punch but it has such a deliciously sweet flavor profile to it that you’ll love.

Savory Cocktails

A couple of classics find their home here. The whiskey sour is a combination of lemon juice, whiskey, bitters, egg white, and a bit of sugar. The egg white might seem weird, but it gives the whiskey an incredible, luscious texture, as well as a lovely foam on top. It’s one of our favorites and it is balanced perfectly.

Another fantastic option for a whiskey cocktail here would be a highball. A whiskey highball is the most classic highball variety, and one of the best solutions when thinking about how to make bourbon taste better. Simply add whiskey to soda water and ice and you’re good to go!

Complex Cocktails

For those of us who like a complex flavor profile, there is one whiskey cocktail that rules over all. The Sazerac is a mix of rye whiskey, absinthe, a bit of sugar, and bitters. It has a wild flavor profile that is so easy to drink and is potent enough to make you feel incredible.

Sophisticated Cocktails

For this, we’re going with the simple, yet effective whiskey cocktail. The Old Fashioned is the answer to how to make whiskey taste good. With a couple shots of your favorite whiskey, bitters, and a bit of sugar, this is a no-frills, yet delicious drink. 

Pair It With Food

If you don’t like whiskey on its own, maybe you need it to be paired with some food, just like wine! We love pairing some bold whiskey with our favorite American BBQ. Nothing says delicious like brisket and rye whiskey in our opinion!

Add It To Food

You can actually cook with whiskey! When asked what do you mix with whiskey, the answer is so varied. It can be sauces, marinades, glazes, and more. We love making whiskey caramel sauce. Simply follow your favorite caramel recipe, add some whiskey to it, and you’ve got a divine concoction!

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Shots

Some people love the feeling of whiskey, without the process of drinking it. For these folks we recommend having it in a shot. Shoot it back to get it over with and enjoy the rest of your night with pure joy!

There you have our favorite ways to drink whiskey, and our favorite ways to make it taste better. There are many flavor combinations that you can try, some are classics, some will be innovative and designed by you!