Stock your Home Bar: The Alcohol

Buying alcohol to make cocktails can seem daunting. It's probably because so many recipes call for very specific brands. In reality, many things can be switched in and out for others.

There are two strategies to building your home bar. Buy the basics to make sure you can make drinks for guests.... and/or buy the stuff that you like, based on the cocktails you like and discover.

The core elements of a cocktail are typically: Base Spirit, Secondary Spirit (which we cover here), and then Sweetness, Mixers, Bitters, and Garnishes, which we cover in this other blog post.

 Base Spirits - These are typically the main alcohol in your cocktail.

• Bourbon Whiskey - Most of my favorite drinks are bourbon drinks. I would not pay less than $30 for a fifth of bourbon, so, aim there, and you ‘ll be fine. If I had to have one bourbon in my bar, it would be Elijah Craig. I have probably ten different bourbons, but that variety is mostly for sipping with friends. Here is an inspiring and awesome documentary on bourbon.
• Rye Whiskey - You can substitute rye for bourbon and vice versa. It's a bit spicier. My standard Rye is Bulleit Rye.
• Vodka - The cool thing with vodka is that it can be made pretty easily (doesn't take 8 years like whiskey), so you can often find local vodka, which is always kind of cool. If I had to pick one, it'd be Stoli or Ketel One. Don't get a flavored vodka for your first bottle.
• Gin - Gins can range much more widely in "flavors" unlike vodka or bourbon, which can all taste pretty close. Standards are like Bombay, Beefeater, etc. My favorite run of the mill gin is Roku from Japan. Tons of options.
• Tequila - just grab a good blanco or reposado. I love Casamigos as a brand, but it’s a little expensive.
• Rum - we almost never make rum drinks, but who knows, we might start getting into daquiris. If you buy one bottle, you’ll probably want to avoid spiced rum like Captain Morgan’s, because it’s less versatile.

• Pisco - this is a really cool spirit out of South America. It's a bit limited in the number of cocktails, but it’s fun to have around. Most liquor stores have only one or two choices.
• Mezcal - these are probably one of the most exciting spirits right now and are having a moment. We typically have two bottles in our bar... and its just fun to experiment.

1. Triple Sec - It's an orange liquor. You can buy cheap Triple Sec, or you can buy Cointreau or Grand Marnier (and others as well)... I just have always had Grand Marnier vs. the others. It's more expensive than regular triple sec, but it's got a ton more character as well. I use Grand Marnier in a ton of recipes.
2. Amaro - there are many varities. I have three in order of importance - Amaro Nonino, Montenegro, Averna.
3. Aperol - This is a brand, so there's only one:) Great for Aperol spritzes, Aperol Sours, Paper Planes, and some other cocktails.
4. Dry Vermouth - this is important for martinis. I would suggest buying Dolin. I personally use Lillet Blanc in lieu of an official dry vermouth. Refrigerate.
5. Sweet Vermouth - this is important for manhattans (whiskey + sweet vermouth).... and other rifs on a manhattan. Dolin is a good option here, though I have a bottle of Carpano Antica. I would suggest buying this in the small bottle, because unless manhattans are your thing, this bottle will last a very long time. Refrigerate.
6. Amaretto (cherry) - secret ingredient for my whiskey sours. I just get Disaronno.
7. St Germain (elderflower liquor) - I love having this around. It's a great added ingredient to certain drinks. My favorite drink to make with this is the Wallflower, which is basically a pisco sour, with sage and St. Germaine.
8. Coffee liquor (Kahlua)- heck, you can even make your own coffee liquor from vodka. I love having a bottle because it makes for some pretty simple, yet tasty cocktails (White Russians, Smith and Wessons, Espresso Martinis, etc)
9. Campari - i'm not a huge fan of the bitterness of Campari... but, it seems that you need this in your bar for friends who like some cocktails like a Negroni.

Alternative Secondary Spirits (the list is endless)

1. Chartreuse - Green Chartreuse is difficult to find. If you can get it, great. If not, a fun alternative is Genepy.
2. Marishino Liquer - Luxardo is something we recently bought and we have a couple of really delicious cocktails we've started making with it.
3. Allspice Dram - This is also something new to us... and it's in my new favorite cocktail that i've named the Tiger's Tail. We have only tried the St Elizbeth brand.

I would personally suggest getting a few basics based on a couple of cocktails you like, and then build from there based.