The other magic ingredient is salt. A tiny pinch of salt can balance out sour and bitter flavors in surprising ways, and be otherwise undetectable. I’ve “fixed” a lot of cocktails that way.

Yeah one thing that makes a huge difference is that you mix your ingredients in the shaker with ice. Then strain and serve over fresh ice if it's called for.

And they taste good/interesting on their own. If you're making drinks at home, try out the ingredients! I rather like a sweet vermouth, and you can feature it strongly in eg a gin and it https://newsletter.anthonygladman.com/p/all-hail-the-gin-and...

Some recipes call for 1:2 ratio, but the 1:1 works well! Give it a try

Punt et Mes is also really good but very different flavor profile. More like the historic flavor of "sweet" vermouth which was actually more bitter.

You don’t need to spend anything more than kettle one. It’s a super simple lab process it’s not like whiskey which has a lot of complexity.

People who never had Belvedere or Chopin simply don't know that a vodka shot doesn't have to be a painful experience.

Does this bear out in double-blind tests?

If it's not 100% pure ethanol, are you even a connoisseur?

Finally someone who ''Gets It''.

General rules for cocktails:

- Avoid the big brands for Tequila and Rum (Cuervo and Bacardi). There are exceptions, but it’s easier to skip.

- Cheap gin can be good or bad. Gordon’s is a reasonable entry. The step up is Beefeater or Tanqueray. There are a bajillion craft gins and you can skip them until you’re ready to go deep.

- Tequila should always say 100% puro de agave on the bottle. If it does not say this, do not buy it.

- Anything that says “straight bourbon” on the bottle is probably fine.

- For scotch, look for single malt (best) or blended malt (acceptable) if you plan on sipping it. For mixers, I like Bank Note or Famous Grouse. Avoid the lower tiers of the big blends (Johnny Walker, Dewars, etc) - they are mostly grain alcohol.

- I don’t have an opinion on Vodka. If you do for some reason want it, Polish brands seem to be the best value (Sobieski, Luksusowa, etc).

- For “rye” look for something bottled in bond. Don’t pick up a Canadian rye unless you know what you’re doing. They are not the same, and most Canadian rye is not good.

- Rum is kind of hard. There are actually very different styles appropriate for different things, and tons of brands at similar price points that can be great or awful. For funk, look for Hamilton pot still, Rum Bar, Wray and Nephew, Doctor Bird, or Smith and Cross. For a cleaner style, look at Plantation 3 star as an entry level.

- always squeeze your own citrus juice (lemon/lime/orange). Orange should not be squeezed ahead of time. Lemon/Lime can be done a few hours before or to order, depending on personal preference.

- skip Rose’s anything (grenadine, cordial, etc).

- Angostura is a great all-around bitter. Add Regan’s Orange bitters and you’re all set unless you want to go deep on the hobby.

I have spent a lot of time in this rabbit hole, happy to answer specific questions.

If the goal is to get drunk, there are lots of cheap ways to do it and it's fine to buy high-fructose-corn-syrup-based "mixers". If you're looking for great cocktails, consider the PDT (Please Don't Tell) book and/or app by Jim Meehan. When his recipes call for lemon juice, you'll be buying and squeezing (do not buy "fresh squeezed lemon juice"). If you want more of a sensory experience, take recipes from the Aviary in Chicago (they also sell a book). Prepare to spend several days preparing each drink.

It's just simple food science really. Cooling things down reduces harshness and complexity. Sweetening things reduces harshness and complexity. So if you're going for something cool and sweet, don't mix it with high end liquors, because you probably won't really notice a big difference.

#1) Good Maraschino cherries or similar.

I think anyone could immediately appreciate the difference between a negroni made with Antica vs. Rossi. It's night and day. The Antica lends a far deeper flavour vs. the brash sweetness of the Rossi.

The gin, on the other hand: just get the cheapest stuff you can find. Our go-to was Aldi's store brand.

Campari, of course, has the middle ingredient all stitched up.