I never thought about writing this all down till last night. It’s ambitious so maybe it’ll be an evolving project. Let’s get started:
Whiskey
Aged wheat-based alcohol. Usually aged in old wine casks. The casks give it an amber tone that distinguishes it from grain Vodka.
Single malt means that it is a single batch of whiskey per cask. Blended means that there were multiple batches mixed from separate casks to form the whiskey.
Decent major brands:
Johnny Walker Red/Black (Black is higher alcohol content) – Scottish: Very smooth blended whiskey. A hint of carmel flavor
Jameson – Irish: Smooth to dry blended whiskey.
Maker’s Mark – American: Smooth but savory Bourbon Whiskey (Bourbon is made mostly of corn spirit blended with grain alcohol)
Jack Daniels – American: harsh but drinkable. Good for mixers.
Decent lower cost brands:
Candian Mist – Canadian: Blended smooth to harsh whiskey. Kind of a low grade Royal Crown.
How to order at the bar:
When not ordering a mixed drink containing Whiskey it is usually served in the following ways:
Shot: One single shot of Whiskey
Double: Two shots of Whiskey in a “rocks” glass
Rocks: Ice.
Neat: No Ice.
Over: with Ice.
The secret of the back: Usually when ordering a double neat or over you can request a “back” which is a smaller beer given as a chaser that is either free or very cheap ($1-2).
Example of a drink order: “Jameson over and an Anchor Steam back.” “Maker’s neat.” “Johnny Walker Red on the rocks.”
Coming soon… The Martini…
