Ask Adam: Is it Ever O.K. to Put Ice Cubes in Wine?

Our Mormon neighbors invited us for dinner. Can we bring wine?! Or do we have to suffer through this meal in abstinence?!

If they don’t drink, then no, you can’t bring wine. While I know it can be hard to get through a meal without a glass or two, especially if you’re a wine lover, if your hosts abstain from drinking, it’s actually rude to bring alcohol and consume it yourselves.

I know this might be upsetting to some who say my answer is too PC, but it’s important we respect each other and our varying beliefs. You can go one night without wine.

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Is it ever O.K. to put an ice cube in a warm beverage, say, a glass of white wine that wasn’t chilled or a warm beer?

If your drink is warm and you’d like to put ice in it, by all means, don’t let me be the one standing in the way of a cold beverage. But the truth is, ice can water down your wine or beer. If I may, I’d like to provide some alternatives for cooling the drink down that don’t involve ice.

If you find you like a really cold beer or glass of wine, you could invest in some stainless steel wine globes. You put these bad boys in the freezer and any time you’re in need of a beverage that’s colder than the way it’s been served to you, you just plop them in your glass and let their cooling power take over. Other options include using frozen grapes, or even a small plastic bag filled with ice — though that’s better for a pitcher of beer than a glass.

The main point is, if you can avoid watering down your beverage you should, but if all you have on hand is ice, whether to use it or not is really up to you.

If anyone judges you, they’re the snob.

What’s a good starter tequila? I want to get into it but I’ve never liked it.

If you’re not a fan of tequila, I am going to assume that comes from a college spent shooting the cheap stuff. While it’s fun to shoot tequila once in a while, good tequila is actually meant to be sipped. There are many small craft tequilas that are currently all the rage. But I’d go for a more well-known brand, like Don Julio or Patron. Grab a glass, add an ice cube and a slice of lime, and sip away. I think you’ll enjoy it. And if not, you can always mix the rest of it into a Margarita or Tequila Sunrise.