How to Stock Your Home Bar Like a Bartender Would
A no-frills guide to cheap bottles that are secretly great so you can get the most bang for your buck.
There are plenty of liquor brands out there who will tell you why they’re worth spending so much money on.
There are also plenty of bottom shelf brands that you can completely avoid by assuming they’re all swill.
But are they?
Below is a list of the best alcohol brands you can get for the least amount of money. The high-value, low-cost bottles that bartenders keep in stock at home. They’re great for mixing, and while they may not be your break-out-the-good-stuff special occasion sipper, they’re still highly sippable.
You might be surprised by some of the names you see. But just because something is affordable doesn’t mean its garbage, and, likewise, just because something’s expensive doesn’t mean it belongs on the top shelf. For the record, I’m not paid to recommend any of these brands, and I’ll make no money whether you buy them or not (unless, of course, you’re looking to hire a mobile bar or a writer).
Whiskey
I’m not here to argue semantics, geography, or history. That’s for another post. For now, I’ll stick to recommending the two main types of whiskey that you’ll find in most whiskey-based classic cocktails: rye and bourbon.
- For rye cocktails, you can’t go wrong with Rittenhouse ($25). It’s 100 proof, bottled in bond, and retains all the spice, caramel, and vanilla you expect from a classic rye whiskey.
- For bourbon (and I almost hesitate to let this secret out) my “sleeper” is Ancient Age ($12). You can doubt me all you want. That just leaves more of Kentucky’s finest for me.
Gin
Gin has been going through somewhat of a Renaissance over the last ten years. From the…
