“On the rocks.”
“Neat.”
These two responses to the same question have divided drinkers since ice in drinks became a thing.
It needs to be settled once and for all.
So we’ve enlisted two of our editors—Eric Twardzik (Team Neat) and Sam Eichner (Team Rocks)—to state their respective cases.
Game on.
Eric Twardzik: I’m a neat guy. Don’t get me wrong. Ice certainly has its place. But my favorite drinks are those strong, boozy ones that are served up. I like to take in that full flavor without dilution. Even more so when I’m just sipping straight spirits like cognac.
Sam Eichner: Alcohol without ice always feels wrong to me. Even drinks like a hot toddy—which I’ve heard keep you rather toasty in winters such as these—seem to hold little appeal. I like the way the ice smooths out the flavors of a spirit or cocktail, how the temperature itself is an aspect of the drink. My favorite drinks are as refreshing as they are flavorful.
ET: When you say “smooths out,” that’s a term I object to. I find that it often doesn’t mean anything beyond a dilution of what the alcohol should taste like. I don’t want my cognac or anything else to be smoother—I want it in its full glory.
SE: I think there’s a fundamental difference between a spirit being made smooth and being rendered inglorious, the latter of which seems to be what you’re getting at. Another ingredient in a cocktail—fruit, sugar, etc.—may enhance the flavor of the liquor (or smooth it out). Can ice not perform the same function?
ET: Ice can in the right drink. Something that’s more refreshing or, say, a tiki drink benefits from that. But I rule out ice for any brown-spirit-based cocktail that doesn’t involve large amounts of sugar and mint leaves.
SE: In that sense, it’s mostly a matter of taste. As I said, a part of why I imbibe is to feel refreshed. But what I will say is that most of the brown stuff’s flavor is not too diluted by a little ice. Not totally related, but I also like how the flavor of a drink or cocktail changes over the course of its consumption when it contains ice. The full flavor hits you in the beginning and is mellowed out as you continue drinking. It’s almost like the hydration of the water hits you right when your mouth is getting dry from the spirit, if that makes sense.
ET: That does. Many people swear by the rule of adding one drop of water to a spirit to really bring out its full flavor. I’d stop at one drop and nothing further. Is there anything you prefer neat?
SE: I like the occasional room-temperature cocktail, but I do think there’s less room for error there. The imperfections of a cocktail reveal themselves more readily without ice than with it. In other words: if you’re going to go in that direction, it better be good.
ET: I’ll agree with that.
SE: See, turns out we’re not so different after all.
“Neat.”
These two responses to the same question have divided drinkers since ice in drinks became a thing.
It needs to be settled once and for all.
So we’ve enlisted two of our editors—Eric Twardzik (Team Neat) and Sam Eichner (Team Rocks)—to state their respective cases.
Game on.
Eric Twardzik: I’m a neat guy. Don’t get me wrong. Ice certainly has its place. But my favorite drinks are those strong, boozy ones that are served up. I like to take in that full flavor without dilution. Even more so when I’m just sipping straight spirits like cognac.
Sam Eichner: Alcohol without ice always feels wrong to me. Even drinks like a hot toddy—which I’ve heard keep you rather toasty in winters such as these—seem to hold little appeal. I like the way the ice smooths out the flavors of a spirit or cocktail, how the temperature itself is an aspect of the drink. My favorite drinks are as refreshing as they are flavorful.
ET: When you say “smooths out,” that’s a term I object to. I find that it often doesn’t mean anything beyond a dilution of what the alcohol should taste like. I don’t want my cognac or anything else to be smoother—I want it in its full glory.
SE: I think there’s a fundamental difference between a spirit being made smooth and being rendered inglorious, the latter of which seems to be what you’re getting at. Another ingredient in a cocktail—fruit, sugar, etc.—may enhance the flavor of the liquor (or smooth it out). Can ice not perform the same function?
ET: Ice can in the right drink. Something that’s more refreshing or, say, a tiki drink benefits from that. But I rule out ice for any brown-spirit-based cocktail that doesn’t involve large amounts of sugar and mint leaves.
SE: In that sense, it’s mostly a matter of taste. As I said, a part of why I imbibe is to feel refreshed. But what I will say is that most of the brown stuff’s flavor is not too diluted by a little ice. Not totally related, but I also like how the flavor of a drink or cocktail changes over the course of its consumption when it contains ice. The full flavor hits you in the beginning and is mellowed out as you continue drinking. It’s almost like the hydration of the water hits you right when your mouth is getting dry from the spirit, if that makes sense.
ET: That does. Many people swear by the rule of adding one drop of water to a spirit to really bring out its full flavor. I’d stop at one drop and nothing further. Is there anything you prefer neat?
SE: I like the occasional room-temperature cocktail, but I do think there’s less room for error there. The imperfections of a cocktail reveal themselves more readily without ice than with it. In other words: if you’re going to go in that direction, it better be good.
ET: I’ll agree with that.
SE: See, turns out we’re not so different after all.
