Tasting Party

Experimenting is great and the variety of distilled spirits available opens up the opportunity to explore. Sampling a variety of spirits not only tells you what you like and dislike but also gives you an idea which spirit will work best in a certain type of cocktail (dry, fruity, creamy, etc.). A great way to learn about a variety of liquor at once and share opinions with others is to host a tasting party. Tasting events at wineries, breweries, distilleries and retail outlets are great but there's one big drawbck, someone else controls the selection. Hosting your own gives you the opportunity to decide what you and your guests want to try and is a great excuse for a party, one where you gain knowledge to enhance your drinking future. In the recent book, Tasting Club, Dina Cheney explains how to organize and host a tasting party. It’s filled with wonderful entertaining ideas and details how to host tastings of wine, cheese, chocolate, honey and tea, among other things. But what about a distilled spirits tasting party? All tastings are set up with the same basic way: sample, analyze, discuss, sample again. The one catch to tasting distilled spirits is that you want to serve a smaller amount (because of the higher alcohol content) so that your guests don’t end up sloppy drunk by the end of the night. These tastings are fantastic social occasions where you can get to know people better, have lively conversations and try out a variety of distilled spirits. Better yet, take Cheney’s idea of setting up a tasting club, where your group gathers once a month and tries out a different group of spirits each time. You can cover a lot of spirits in a short period of time and have a great time doing it.

Compare Prices of: Tasting Club: Gathering Together to Share and Savor Your Favorite Tastes by Dina Cheney

Photo Credit: © Shannon Graham