Cocktails with Chilled water
Chilled water is plain still water served cold, used to dilute a drink and not to flavor it.
How it's used
Cold water dilutes by a set amount instead of leaving it to the ice, which is why batched drinks use it. A stirred drink normally takes on about a fifth to a quarter of its volume in water: 12–15 ml for a 60 ml build. A few drops also open up a strong spirit. Below roughly 45% ABV, guaiacol, a smoky aroma compound, gathers at the surface rather than staying in the liquid. A modeling study gives that as one reason a neat whiskey smells more after a splash.
Substitutes for Chilled water
Any still water
Will do, as long as it is cold.
Melting ice
Where the water is only a splash, leave it out and stir or shake a little longer. It adds about the same amount.
Soda water
Will not do: the gas makes it faintly acidic and changes the drink’s texture.
Storage
Keep the bottle in the fridge rather than a jug on the bar. Room-temperature water works against you, warming the drink at the same time as it dilutes it.
