Do you have a ranked list of items that pay off to spend a bit more versus doesn’t matter?

yojo 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

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.

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scosman 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Rye refers to different things in Canada and the US. Canadian Ryes can be excellent, and Canada makes some excellent rye grain whiskey. Don’t sub it in the wrong ingredient assuming it’s equivalent, then claim it’s mostly not good.

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yojo 2 days ago | parent [-]

A lot of Canadian Rye uses a lot of grain alcohol. If you pick a bottle at random off the shelf (assuming US market), it’s unlikely to be good.

There are many great Canadian Ryes. But if you’re new to cocktails, odds are against you finding them at your local liquor store, and you probably don’t need them for the drink you’re trying to make. I didn’t mean to disparage the category. Lot 40 and Alberta Dark Horse/Dark Batch have earned their accolades.

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scosman 2 days ago | parent [-]

If you're picking random bottles of the shelf you're not going to have a good time with any category. Tequila, rum, American whiskey, etc -- the most popular stuff is pretty bad.

You did disparage the category, but it still seems based off not understanding what it is. The listed Canadian whiskeys are great and meet the US definition of Rye, but Canadian Rye is a bigger category with lots of great stuff to explore. Just don't substitute it into the wrong drink and blame the bottle.

	▲	yojo 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		I agree rum is hard. I said as much in my post. Tequila is fine as long as you grab a bottle that says 100% Puro De Agave. Compliance requires it be all blue agave with no sugars or additives. It might have lost a lot of character to an autoclave, but it won’t be gross. It is hard to go wrong grabbing a bottle of straight bourbon. By law to be bourbon there are assurances about the contents - no sugar/flavor/color added, aged in new charred barrels, minimum 51% corn, etc. Straight rye (or better yet BiB) has similar guarantees. Canadian Rye does not have these requirements. It could be 5% rye and 95% wheat in fourth-fill barrels. It could have sugar added. It could have weird flavors added. You should know what you’re doing if you’re shopping Canadian Rye. I can’t give you a one liner on how to avoid the traps. But most importantly, this is a thread about cocktails, and you have to get pretty deep into craft cocktails before you find any that call for Canadian rye. I am trying to give rules of thumbs for newbies to avoid common pitfalls, one of which is seeing a drink that calls for “rye” and grabbing a bottle of Canadian rye. On that note, if you have some great recipes calling for Canadian rye, I’d love to hear them. I’ve got a bottle each of Forty Creek Copper Pot and Crown Northern harvest that are languishing on my shelf.

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mNovak 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'll add to this, there's no reason to buy simple syrup! You can make it in a mug in the microwave in 30s, and it'll hold in the fridge for a while.

And the only counterpoint is pineapple juice, which you should just buy in the can -- it doesn't hold long at all once in air.

	▲	yojo 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Absolutely make your own syrups! If you add a little bit of alcohol to your simple syrup (I use vodka or a clean rum), you can drastically extend the shelf life. Honey syrup is even easier to make, just mix 50/50 honey and hot water. Subbing for simple syrup gives interesting results in most drinks. Grenadine is also super easy - buy a bottle of POM and mix juice 50:50 with sugar. I like to add a little pomegranate molasses (get at a middle-east specialty market) to kick up the flavor, but not necessary. Re: pineapple. If you are able to press your own pineapple juice you absolutely should, but agree that most people do not have the necessary equipment. Trader Joe’s sells bottles of fresh pressed pineapple juice that is excellent, if you’re fortunate enough to live by one. Otherwise yeah, canned is the way to go.
	▲	jaredhallen 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Sometimes I just make a Tbsp or two of simple syrup in a shot glass in the microwave. It takes about 10 seconds.

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d3ckard 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

On vodka: Sobieski is not a good brand and "Luksusowa" is fine, but it's made of potatoes.

Personally, I strongly prefer vodkas made of wheat, they tend to be smoother and sit better (and the hangover is anegdotically less of a problem).

Also, people who think vodka quality doesn't matter clearly never drank a lot of vodka.

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FuriouslyAdrift 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Sobieski is my fav as I prefer rye grain vodka. Russian Standard Platinum was my go to for "clean" tasting vodka.

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cinntaile 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Recommend some good brands, you have your opportunity here.

	▲	d3ckard 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Absolut (Swedish) is my go to vodka, as even in Poland it's widely available and good quality. From Polish brands, black Żubrówka, Ostoya and Chopin are good. Normal Żubrówka (the one with grass) is nice as well, but it's not neutral vodka (recommend with apple juice). And obviously Belvedere is the fancy brand.
	▲	brokencipher 2 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Personally I found Krepkaya the best I have ever tasted. Unfortunately very hard to find in my country these days
	▲	quantum_magpie 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Finlandia and Absolut

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FuriouslyAdrift 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

For gin (dry style) gor Beefeater or Brokers.

For the floral styles then there's all kinds out there. Leopold Brothers is very intersting if you can find it. Also Monkey 47... pricey though.

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nycdatasci 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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.

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refactor_master 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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.

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addaon 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

#1) Good Maraschino cherries or similar.

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technothrasher 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Amarena Fabbri cherries are my go to for a Manhattan. So much better than even the good Maraschinos.

	▲	addaon 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Agreed.

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terribleperson 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Good maraschino cherries are expensive and yet so incredibly good they're absolutely worth it.

The syrup they're in is also incredible.

	▲	addaon 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		I have never poured them into a cereal bowl with whole milk and used a spoon. Or so I claim.