What's a nice girl like you doing with a drink like that?

It never fails. One of the Scotch Chix is mingling at a soirée with her Scotch Gent, when she is called upon to field "The Question."

"The Question" invariably starts with "The Look." While our heroine is chatting away, a male chatee's eyes will begin to wander. He'll start with her red stiletto heels, slowly work his way to the little black dress, linger along the curves and neckline, glance at the face both to appreciate the entire package and to see if his actions are being noticed (why is it that you guys do not realize how transparent you are?), and then work his way down to the highly manicured hand holding a cut glass of neat amber liquid. Shock will register on his face, and he'll invariably give himself away by blurting, "Is that scotch?" He might as well confess, "Hey, I was checkin' you out. What is a nice girl like you doing with a drink like that?"

So, what are nice girls like us doing with - gasp - a man's drink like scotch when by all rights we should be fingering the stems of lady like glasses of white wine?

The answer is simple: if scotch is not a lady's drink, it should be. A good scotch, to be precise - a good single malt whisky - is a drink to savor. It is smooth and buttery (or lemony, smoky, nutty, sweet, spicy, or fruity…). It clings to the glass, trickles along the taste buds, and establishes itself with a warm glow. It complements everything from fine cheese to killer chocolate chip cookies (more on those later). If sipped in moderation, it is a benign drink, leaving no lingering presence the next day. In short, it is perfect for a sophisticated chick's life, and with so many wonders that used to be reserved for men alone, it is time for us to claim it as our own.