You're Ruining Your Bourbon If You Use This Type Of Ice

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Bourbon is well-known for its flavor and complexity, and while there are plenty of mixers that meld shockingly well with the liquor, one of the best and most popular ways to drink it is with nothing but a few ice cubes in your glass. The form these ice cubes take can have a massive impact on your drink. Due to their tendency to melt quite fast, small or crushed ice cubes will dilute your bourbon, watering it down greatly and making its taste much less nuanced. This is why using one or two large cubes of ice is the key to keeping your drink cold without actively damaging its flavor.

The strategy is well known throughout the world of mixology, so you shouldn't need to ask your bartender to specifically make the simple drink in this way. However, choosing the wrong ice is one of the biggest mistakes when drinking bourbon, so it never hurts to ask just to make sure you and your server are on the same page.

To enjoy bourbon at home, there are large ice molds available online to make the ideal-sized cubes for your drink. It is important to note that these larger cubes aren't foolproof, and while they do slow down dilution, they don't stop it altogether. One way to account for this is by cooling the glass itself before pouring your bourbon, but there's actually an even better way to keep the drink cold without using ice. If you're planning to sip on bourbon for a long period of time, utilizing a whiskey stone to get the job done is likely your best course of action.

Whiskey stones are small, oftentimes cubical stones made of marble, soapstone, stainless steel, or granite, and are capable of cooling your bourbon without releasing any water, negating dilution altogether. The whiskey stones are quite simple to use, and while they do take longer to cool down a glass of bourbon than ice, they are perfect for those who plan on savoring each sip of a chill glass for an hour or two.