Whiskey is a noble drink that has a long history. However, in our country it has spread widely not so long ago, so some questions still remain. For example, what is served with whiskey for a snack? What is better to serve whiskey than a snack and a lot more will be discussed in this article.
What is whiskey?
Whiskey is a strong alcoholic drink that has a rather pleasant aroma. It is made in special ways. In its production, wheat, rye, barley or corn are used. In the finished whiskey, the alcohol content ranges from 32 to 50%, but there are also varieties whose strength reaches 60 about .
The color of this drink has a wide color spectrum. It depends on what the whiskey was made of and how long it was aged in barrels. Standard varieties are light yellow or brown.
Whiskey is considered a national drink in Ireland and Scotland, in these countries and launched the largest scale production of this beautiful strong drink. The production of various whiskey snacks has also been established.
Whiskey history
For the first time in writing about whiskey is mentioned in records from 1405 of the Irish monks who made it for their needs. Also in the Scottish Treasury in one of the registers there is a record on the issue to one of the monks of malt for the production of whiskey, dated 1494.
It is believed that whiskey was known to man a few centuries before these mentions. But when and under what circumstances it was first obtained by distillation is unknown. The invention is attributed to St. Patrick, but he lived even before people learned how to distill alcohol. There are no reliable verified facts, but still the first monopoly on the production of whiskey in 1505 was obtained in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Snacks for whiskey at that time did not exist, since it was sold in drug stores as a healing drug. In 1579, the Scottish Parliament prohibited the production of whiskey for those who did not have a noble birth.
Whiskey culture
There are certain traditions of using whiskey and snacks to it. So, for example, high-quality whiskey, which has an aging time of more than 10 years, is customary to drink from special glasses called “nosing”.
This drink is used as an aperitif and as a digestif, that is, before and after meals. Blended whiskey, created by mixing grain and malt alcohols produced in different distilleries, is drunk only in its pure form and is eaten with hard cheeses. Also a suitable snack for whiskey of this class would be fruits, for example, grapes, pineapple, avocado. However, orthodox connoisseurs of a premium drink believe that it is not necessary to have a bite to be able to experience all the charm of taste.
What is the best whiskey snack?
In fact, hard cheeses, fruits, nuts and chocolate have always been considered a traditional and universal snack for this wonderful drink. However, experts say that each variety better reveals its taste characteristics with a specific snack. There are also dishes themselves, which become richer and tastier if you try them together with whiskey of one class or another.
The country of origin of the drink influences the choice of snacks for whiskey. So, for example, Scots and Irish will be inclined to cheese and meat appetizers, and Americans - to fruits and sweets. It turns out how many people, so many opinions, everyone chooses an appetizer according to traditions and taste preferences.
Whiskey appetizer in different countries
Snack soft whiskey, which was produced in Scotland or Ireland, is recommended seafood and fish. For example, smoked salmon, salmon or trout will be a great addition to Scotch malt whiskey. A cocktail of grilled scallops, mussels and shrimps perfectly emphasizes the taste of Irish grain whiskey.
There is a stereotype that oysters are served exclusively for expensive champagne, but this is not so. Currently, oysters with lemon sauce are used to blended whiskey with aging over 10 years. This is considered a sign of exquisite taste in Europe.
Nowadays, a good snack for whiskey is cheese platter - the so-called cheese plate. However, do not forget that cheeses should be only hard varieties.
Fancy snack
Emigrants who moved to North America also began to produce this drink. They were the first to dilute it with cola and make various cocktails with it. They also wondered: with what to drink whiskey? An American snack looks in the Old World, to put it mildly, unusual. For example, scotch or bourbon in America is usually eaten with sweet cakes (muffins), marshmallows and marmalade. They also have chocolate and peanut butter snacks.
In Japan, whiskey is not as widespread as sake, but also has its fans. Whiskey in the Land of the Rising Sun is eaten with sashimi, sushi and fish.
In Russia, they traditionally love to snack on strong alcoholic beverages with meat dishes. For whiskey, they prefer barbecue as an appetizer, which, by the way, goes very well with it. Hard and dry varieties of fragrant smoked sausages are also perfect, to subtly emphasize the taste of a quality drink.
As you can see, the number of snacks for whiskey is impressive. Which drink you prefer, medium or long exposure, blended or single malt - you decide. Everyone can choose exactly what they like for a quality, seasoned whiskey, from fish to sweets.