Liquor Essentials to Fill Home Bar?

Lb-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 13:08

Hey OzB community,

I recently bought a home bar and I'd like to fill it with some liquor essentials; to try out some different drinks/cocktails from time to time. What would people recommend (incl. brands)? Yes, I know personal taste differs, but surely there are some brands that are a definite no. Budget at the moment would be max. $60-70 a bottle.

  1. What 3-4 bottles would you recommend as a bare minimum?
  2. What is the ultimate set-up (value for money-wise)?
  3. What is the ultimate set-up (money no object)?

Thanks!

Food & Grocery

closed Comments

  • strikerzebra on 22/12/2015 - 13:34
    +1

    $60-$70 is pretty high, you can get some quality spirits for $40-$50.

    You'd need a bottle of Vodka as that pretty much is an essential in any cocktail.

    A bottle of scotch

    A bottle of tequila

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:25

      Great, thanks. I am relieved to hear about that re: budget. I know that with some things you have to pay to get quality however in the end I like to look at value for money.

  • Baysew on 22/12/2015 - 14:11
    +6

    One bourbon, one scotch, one beer

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:51

      One vote for you as I like your style - straight to the point.

  • Crazy Russian on 22/12/2015 - 14:20
    +1

    You need a cocktail kit, and I'm not talking about the one from Uncle Dan's.

    Find a nice bar equipment supplier eg. barware.com.au.

    Make sure your Boston glass is tempered. The rest is up to you.

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:48
      +1

      Checking the website now, благодарю!

    • Crazy Russian on 23/12/2015 - 12:04
      +1

      Also, go for some craft alcohol when you fill up the bar - not only novel as "something different", but generally has more thought-through flavours.

      Gin - Greenall's is good, nice lime twist. Cheap and cheerful. However, If you want a REALLY delicious Gin, go for Four Pillars. Those guys are an inspiration.

      Rum (mixing) - Substation 41 has a nice story, lovely smoke + caramel notes.

      Rum (sipping) - Ron Zacapa 23, aged at altitude in Guatemala. Can't go back to anything else after this one.

      Vodka - Karavan uses wholegrain wheat, much like Goose. Very smooth for what it is and a delightful "rye" aftertaste.

      Whiskey (single malt) - pick your poison from the Suntory range. Research the one with your best flavour combination, and hit it like it's going out of fashion. I can almost guarantee you won't regret it.

      Whiskey (Bourbon) - Bulleit or Buffalo Trace. I'm not a massive bourbon fan, but these really do it for me.

      Whiskey (mixing) - Johnnie Black. Because it's marginally better than rocket fuel.

      Tequila - Espolon is nice, very earthy and spicy flavours. Herradura is more subtle and pure, would be my next choice. Both are reasonably priced. tequila is not something you want to skimp on though (as I'm sure our 18yo selves has learned)

      These are, of course, just recommendations. You don't have to purchase any, really.

      When you go for the cocktails, have a look at some menus from your favourite cocktail bars and find inspiration there. The rest is history!

  • ChickenTalon on 22/12/2015 - 14:21
    +2

    Some would say a can, stubby and longneck of VB would be the top 3 bottles you need. Others would say 3 different types of vodka to make martinis. Lebowski would say you just need vodka, Kahlúa and cream.

    Really depends on what you like to drink.. almost like asking "I want to make meals at home, what food should I buy?". If you want to try out different cocktails then I'd suggest going out and getting a few, seeing what you like, then slowly acquiring the liquors to make them at home.

    I'd make stuff at home, but the mrs wont stand for it. Part of the enjoyment of the cocktail is the location. Kinda like a sandwich, the exact same sandwich always tastes better sitting down somewhere nice and when it's make by someone else :)

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:42
      +2

      True; with me it depends on my mood. Sometimes I actually like making an awesome sandwich at home for a fraction of the cost that a fancy deli would charge (though other times it's actually cheaper to eat out!). Also atm budget wise I'm unable to try out a large amount of cocktails over the summer.

      My plan is to make some different cocktails/drinks at home, so I get to know what I like and then when I do go out I decrease the odds of paying for an expensive cocktail I don't enjoy (eg two cocktails nowadays pays for almost one bottle of gin/bourbon/vodka etc.). Also, I'd like to organize a cocktail party sometime in the new year and it'd be great to gather some advice from people in regards to what brands are good value for money. I realize my forum post is vague, I just felt bit lost browsing through Dan Murphy's website and thought I'd ask the OzB community for advice.

  • ESEMCE on 22/12/2015 - 14:44
    +1

    Vodka is in everything
    Gin is in a lot of things
    After that it's all a matter of preference.

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:50

      Noted, Vodka and Gin will probably move into my bar first.

  • carwashhair on 22/12/2015 - 14:59
    +3

    Vodka
    Gin
    A Scotch/Bourbon
    Rum

    are your four absolute essentials. All are great mixers, and if quality is good enough, can be drunk neat.

    After this, it depends on which way you want to go with cocktails. Like the Classics? Then perhaps Campari, vermouth (a flavoured wine for mixing) and/or a bitters. Like your South american drinks? Tequila. Cacacha…

    And so on. But the top four are a must. Also, don't over-capitalise on your bottles - e.g. why waste a $70 single malt whisky on mixed drinks? Get a good mixer (chivas/JW black/Dimple/Jack Daniels), keep a single malt (or nice bourbon) for sipping. Likewise - white rum for mojitos etc, something like Appleton 12yo for sipping.

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:45

      Great, super helpful. Especially highlighting the drinking it straight vs mixing, valid point I hadn't even considered!

  • carwashhair on 22/12/2015 - 15:11
    +3

    My current setup:

    Vodka - Belvedere Vodka (Good neat, almost too good for mixing but I rarely drink vodka these days)
    Gin (premium) - Tanqueray 10; Also have Hendricks (I enjoy my gins)
    Gin (Standard) - Bombay Sapphire. Also with Gins - get someone to pick you up bottles through duty free. Most gins in Australia are diluted to 40%, whereas export gins come in at 47%
    Scotch (Single malt) - I've got numerous all the way up to $250/bottle, but a Glenfiddich/Glenlivet/Highland Park 12 at a minimum.
    Scotch (blend) - JW Black. Don't feel bad about making cocktails with this stuff.
    Rum (Premium) - Appleton Estate 12yo. Any rum aged over about 7 years is made more or less for sipping.
    Rum (standard) - Captain Morgan's Spice Gold. Again, mixes well in drinks I make. But a White rum would work just as well.

    Got another dozen or so bottles of the stranger stuff too - Green Chartreuse, Campari, Cacacha, Bisleri Ferro China (love my aperitifs/bitters), Pastis (can't stomach this, sadly) amarula, Drambuie etc etc. I don't find the time to drink them all, sadly!

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 15:44
      +1

      Thanks for taking the time to write this elaborate post; really appreciate it. I'd give you two votes if I could!

  • carwashhair on 22/12/2015 - 15:57

    Also, I have a 1980's version of this book by Jacques Salle at home http://www.amazon.com/Larousse-Cocktails-Fernando-Castellon/…

    It's a fantastic resource insofar as it uses a matrix grid for each base spirit (e.g. gin), and on one axis it has the name of a cocktail, while on the other axis it has all ingredients that mix with the base to make that cocktail! So for example, if you have a couple of spirits, a mixer and a some fruit at home - voila! That's a cocktail! So easy to use :)

  • skinner on 22/12/2015 - 16:14

    Much the same as above; Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Rum, Tequila and I would also recommend a White Rum. Lots depends on your personal taste so you don't necessarily need all of them to start.

    Don't forget to grab some of the basic extra ingredients as well. Most cocktails will have something extra like bitters, sugar syrup, sweet and sour mix, lime/lemon juice in them.

    • b-hunterr on 22/12/2015 - 16:35

      Thanks, any brands in particular that you think should be avoided and which ones would you recommend?

      • skinner on 22/12/2015 - 18:00

        Not particularly, I usually get something different each time. Generally though it is worth spending an extra $10 rather than getting the absolute cheapest available, don't buy Ruskov Vodka or Tequila 125 etc.

  • Randxyz123 on 22/12/2015 - 18:06

    Vodka

    Gin

    Scotch for mixing

    Scotch for drinking straight/sipping

    Probably go a $40 scotch for mixing and $70 for sipping. Don't get them mixed up!

    Rum for mixing

    Rum for sipping

    Spiced rum

    Tequila

    and some mixers

    e.g

    Dry ginger ale

    tonic

    Coke

    Lemonade

    Red Lemonade

    Redbull / energy drinks

    What is the main purpose of your bar ? Have you got a shaker, glasses, shot glasses, etc etc ?

  • roadsign on 23/12/2015 - 13:22

    Dude, do you drink alcohol?

    Why don't you just fill it with the drinks you already know and like? You can experiment with others as you go, one at a time.

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