The serving temperatures of the spirits

If in general we are used to taking into account the service temperature of wines, at least dividing them into large categories: sparkling wines, whites, rosés and reds, we rarely pay the same attention to spirits. Of course, the custom of bars to keep all the bottles of spirits on display does not help to develop a particular sensitivity to serving temperature. In the premises it often happens to drink the distillates at the so-called "room temperature", which hardly approaches the ideal serving temperature. If nobody would dream of bringing a Champagne at 18 ° C or a Barolo at 8 ° C to your table, things do not go the same way when you enter the world of spirits. Yet, as is the case for wines, distillates also enhance their taste qualities at certain temperatures. While waiting for the general culture on the service of spirits to increase, we can learn to taste them in the best possible way when we are within the home. So let's try to clarify a little bit, because the serving temperature is one of the elements that affect the full aromatic expressiveness and the gustatory balance of the distillate. We know that too cold temperatures tend to penalize and "hibernate" the aromatic components, especially the olfactory ones, just as too hot temperatures tend to enhance the alcoholic perception, a very important fact in products with average rather high gradations. The right serving temperature for spirits must find the balance between perfect and complete aromatic opening and alcoholic perception. In general we can say that the more the spirits are perfumed and aromatically complex, the higher the temperature must be. While when the alcoholic component prevails, even with high gradations, lower temperatures are preferable.

RECOMMENDED SERVICE TEMPERATURES

Cognac / Armagnac: 18/22 ° C

Young grappas: 8-10 ° C

Aged grappas: 14-16 ° C

Whiskey: 16-18 ° C

Rum: 13-15 ° C

Tequila: 13/15 ° C

Vodka: 6/8 ° C

Gin: 4/8 ° C