In addition to being flavorful and complex, whiskey is a spirit and a strong one at that. It can burn and even sting sometimes, so if you’re not experienced as a whiskey drinker, you may have trouble feeling the drink how it was intended.

Therefore, you must chase it to mellow down the burn and soften the blow.

Nevertheless, even if you can handle your whiskey well, chasing it with the proper chaser can stimulate your drink to develop and expand into more flavors.

Chasers are drinks you drink after you’ve sipped the main stuff. They help you wash the palate so you can experience the next sip clear and unencumbered, but they are also a valuable mechanism to wash down any burning sensations in your throat. 

Usually, chasers are for more robust and harsher drinks, but they’re a nifty mechanism for lighter drinks. Although chasers are most often non-alcoholic sippers, a light or gentle-flavored alcohol can be a good chaser too. 

Also, the chaser layers the palate and throat, making each sip taste somewhat different. In addition, the chaser can also cleanse the palate so that your sip tastes fresh and clear. 

However, chasers aren’t as straightforward as they sound because not all drinks go with all chasers, and you need to select compatible flavors to enhance your drinking and chasing experience. 

In this article, I will share the best chasers for whiskey, so let’s begin.

So, What Are the Best Chasers for Whiskey? 

Whiskey goes best with sweet-flavored chasers; however, it is more of a personal preference than a rule, so feel free to choose what works best for you. What you chase whiskey with depends on what you want to achieve, so you should choose the chaser accordingly. 

Below, I list ten whiskey chasers that could brighten your whiskey-drinking experience. Also, you should use this list as a pointer when deciding what to chase your whiskey with for which purpose.

1. Coke

Coke and whiskey are buddies as old as time. They perfectly complement each other, bringing out the best in both worlds. If you find your whiskey a little harsher, coke is your best option. 

The sweet syrupy part of the Coke and the delightful bubbles will milden up the burn and allow the sweeter part of the whiskey to come up. The Coke and whiskey combination works for almost any type of whiskey, but it is best to combine it with a smoky variety and avoid chasing Irish whiskey with it.

2. Lemonade

If you have natural-favored whiskey or maybe an Irish one, lemonade is an excellent chaser. A lemonade chaser calls for earthy, herbal, and citrusy whiskeys.

You can also chase bourbon with lemonade. However, ensure you don’t chase an expressively citrus-flavored whiskey with lemonade, as it might be too much. 

Also, choose a milder whiskey to chase with lemonade. The acidity of the lemonade could enhance the burn and cause stomach problems.

You can also mix the lemonade with honey to sweeten it, but it won’t decrease its acidity, so you should still be careful about which whiskey you choose. 

3. Lemon Water

You may think lemon water and lemonade are the same, but they aren’t. Lemonade is an actual juice made from squeezed lemons, but lemon water is much simpler than that. Add a few lemon wheels to a glass of water and let them release some of their magic. 

You can make this mineral lemon water for extra bubbles, but you don’t have to. Also, the lemonade rules don’t apply here, as lemon water has less concentrated lemon juice and, therefore, lesser acidity.

You can chase even harsher whiskeys with lemon water, but also you can chase sweeter and milder ones. However, don’t chase smoke-flavored whiskeys with it. 

4. Red Wine

Red wine might sound unusual as a whiskey chaser, but it works excellently. It will subdue even the harshest burns and layer your palate, so your next sip tastes even better. Choose a fruity red wine with a full body and velvety texture. 

Adding some sweet spices to the wine is also an excellent idea, but warming the wine with cinnamon and nutmeg is even better. 

Still, since wine and whiskey are pretty strong, be careful not to get plastered on the first glass. You need to take this one slow and preferably nibble on some chocolate. 

5. Pickle Juice

This may come as a surprise, but pickle juice is a famous spirit chaser. Better known in the vodka world than in the whiskey department, pickle juice is a very effective and refreshing whiskey chaser. 

The best thing is you don’t have to think about which whiskey to chase with pickle juice, as it is the chameleon of chasers. It is zingy, zesty, and very vibrant. It has this amazing ability to tone down what needs toning and intensify what needs intensifying. 

However, what you drink should be a choice you’re comfortable with, and therefore, if you feel icky about chasing your whiskey with pickle juice, you can substitute it with olive brine. It will be slightly saltier but just as effective. 

6. Coffee

Coffee and whiskey are a match made in heaven. However, coffee and whiskey work together mainly in the form of whiskey-spiked coffee, which makes many reluctant to use coffee as a whiskey chaser. 

Therefore, I am here to tell you not to doubt your instincts and grab that cup of Joe to chase your whiskey sip. Black coffee works best here, but make sure it isn’t hot, as it will intensify the burn, making you regret your own birth. 

In addition to black coffee, you should try chasing your whiskey with Turkish coffee sprinkled with cinnamon powder. Here too, hot coffee is not an option. Let it cool to become lukewarm, and go nuts with your whiskey and coffee combination. 

7. Hot Chocolate

Even though hot chocolate isn’t a drink, it isn’t an actual dessert either, so if you like the taste, feel free to chase your whiskey with a spoonful of hot chocolate.

The hot chocolate chaser works particularly well for smoky, oaky, and vanilla-flavored whiskeys with an intense burn.  Nevertheless, you can use your hot chocolate chaser to chase any whiskey you want, but I would advise you to chase Irish whiskey with another chaser. 

8. Dark Beer

Dark beer is sweet by nature, thick, and syrup-like. Therefore, it does wonders as a whiskey chaser, toning down the burn, accentuating the flavor, and layering the palate.

Choose smoky and oaky whiskeys to chase with dark beer, and make sure your whiskey isn’t too flavorful but more subtle. 

Dark beers are an excellent chaser for Irish whiskeys as it goes marvelously with the natural and herbal flavor typical for Irish whiskey.

Moreover, if you want to be a little wild, add a lemon twist to your dark beer and let it release some of its flavors to make your whiskey chasing a little edgier. 

9. Tea

Chasing whiskey with tea offers countless options. Mix herbal and earthy whiskeys with herbal and fruity tea flavors and pair the more rugged whiskeys with citrus-flavored tea flavors. Choose whatever tee you like, and chase that whiskey with your favorite flavor. 

Apply the coffee rule here, and let your tea cool until it becomes lukewarm to chase your whiskey with it. If you are a fan of English tea, you can add some milk to your tea cup and enjoy your whiskey. 

10. Orange Juice

Mix orange juice with honey or simple syrup and prepare for a heavenly whiskey-chasing experience. You can chase any whiskey you like, smoky, oaky, herbal, vanilla-flavored, toasted nuts, any flavor your whiskey is. 

Don’t worry about your chaser being too sweet, as the whiskey burn will mellow down any excess sweetness that the orange juice may have. Don’t get greedy and mix the orange juice with lemon, as it doesn’t work well for whiskey chasing since the lemon has a higher acidity.