My friends don't want rotgut liquor; weird!

May 7, 2017 1:24 PM

I don’t like the taste of any kind of alcohol, so if I’m drinking myself (just for its effects), bottom shelf liquor is fine with me. But I don’t want to subject my friends to that since apparently there is a real taste difference. I also don't care to waste money on anything super expensive, especially since it's most likely to be used in mixed drinks. So what should I buy? I'm in upstate New York, if that matters.
posted by metasarah to Food & Drink (29 answers total)

You're going to have to be more specific. What kinds of liquor? Are you including wine?

Beefeater Gin, Smirnoff or Absolut vodka, Jack Daniels are the mid-market leaders for a reason. They are absolutely fine and unobjectionable.

(Note: the hangovers off cheap liquor are vile. Avoidance alone is worth the upgrade.)
posted by DarlingBri at 1:39 PM on May 7, 2017 [5 favorites]

I did a lotta research into the best bottom shelf liquor in college, and I highly recommend Evan Williams bourbon and Luksusowa vodka.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:45 PM on May 7, 2017 [10 favorites]

Tito's Vodka

I prefer Jim Bean to Jack and Dickel to both. Ton's of good mid priced whiskeys it becomes a matter of taste at some point.

Sauza Reposado Horintos Tequila, best value Tequila I've had.

Myers rum over Bacardi, Dark rum usually over White for me.

I'm not a Gin or Brandy drinker.... but a lot of people aren't - you can maybe kick up the price range a bit because it will turn over much more rarely than Vodka or Whiskey.
posted by bitdamaged at 1:52 PM on May 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

I would suggest coming up with one or two drinks that are your signature. People will like the novelty when you make them a cocktail, and even if they don't totally love it, they'll want another one because it was cool that you made it. As a bonus, you won't have to buy that many expensive ingredients

I like a Manhattan, they are easy to make, and with one little special touch, your friends will think you are a genius. You will need to buy Wild Turkey Bourbon, Martini and Rossi sweet vermouth. You'll also need bitters -- Angostura is the classic, but I like orange. You'll need double rocks glasses (which are about 8 ounces). Put several ice cubes in a glass (no need for fancy ice cubes, any cubes will do), add 2 ounces bourbon and 1/2 ounce of vermouth. Stir with a spoon. Add 5-10 drops of the bitters. And for your special touch -- buy a bottle of Luxardo cherries. Put 1-2 cherries in the glass as a garnish. Luxardo are expensive, but are so worth it. The cherries are the only expensive part of this drink.

In addition to that, buy two more bottles: a bottle of a premium bourbon (Maker's Mark or Knob Creek), and a bottle of premium vodka (Grey Goose -- do not get flavored). Keep the vodka in the freezer. Now you can give the whisky drinkers and the vodka drinkers a pleasant drink -- I like serving these in single rocks glasses (which are about 4 ounces). Pour in about an ounce (for most people, if you put your first, middle or ring finger at the base of the glass and pour to the level of your finger, you'll have about an ounce). This is called neat. Add ice if the guest wants it. This is called on the rocks. If your guest wants something straight, straight up or up (which requires shaking), tell them they are out of luck.

With those 5 bottles, you can keep everyone but the scotch drinkers happy. But honestly, no one can keep a scotch drinker happy.
posted by OrangeDisk at 1:52 PM on May 7, 2017 [21 favorites]

This is a tough nut to crack unless your friends are drinking their booze with a lot of strongly flavored mixers which of course negates the value of getting good tasting spirits. Using OrangeDisk's suggestions of Maker's or Knob you'll find that they taste wildly different (Maker's has a lot of wheat in it which makes it softer where Knob's rye notes makes it more peppery).

First, accept that you'll never be able to have a wide, fully stocked bar. That's a mug's game for sure. Decide what kinds of drinks you'd like to offer or to use your friends for inspiration, what kinds of drinks they like to order and try to cater to their needs.
posted by mmascolino at 3:13 PM on May 7, 2017

After our first trip to the UP, Dr. Tully Monster and I developed a fun drink we call the Lake Superior: two ounces of the cheapest Canadian blended whiskey you can find, half an ounce of blue Curaçao (just for color, really; a drop of blue food coloring will do in a pinch), some branch water, and a lot of ice. Best consumed in multiples in the dead of winter.

Seriously, though, I like good Irish whiskey, and Jameson is my inexpensive fallback and what I usually order in bars because I know they have it (except, apparently, in the UP). You should also have a bottle of decent gin on hand. I have friends who swear by Bombay Sapphire, which is fine, but in my grocery, New Amsterdam is what's usually on sale, and it's perfectly fine for G&T's.
posted by tully_monster at 3:19 PM on May 7, 2017

If you can get it where you are, Brugal is great rum (the extra viejo variety has a most delightful flavor, IMO), especially for the price. I used to get it for $12-$15 per 1.5 liter bottle. Best value in alcohol, period. Sauza Hornitos and Cuervo 1800 are about the best value tequila you will find, but any tequila is decent enough for mixing as long as it is labeled "100% blue agave". Cuervo "Gold" is rotgut shit that seems designed to make people ill.
posted by wierdo at 3:34 PM on May 7, 2017

If your friends are G&T drinkers, decent tonic is important too, and cheaper to upgrade on. I don't know what's available in the US but Fever Tree is my go-to in the UK. (If you have fancy gin and serve it to me with Schweppes I may cry.)
posted by corvine at 3:50 PM on May 7, 2017 [5 favorites]

I have a rule that I pick the cheapest liquor that is still in a glass bottle (not plastic) and that's worked for me. Gordon's Gin is OK but I also can't tell.
posted by blnkfrnk at 4:16 PM on May 7, 2017 [3 favorites]

Rye whiskey is popular again, and one giant distillery in Indiana makes most of it. Bulleit Rye is for me best expression of that product, but it's almost $40 for 750ml. Jim Beam makes a damn good rye that you should be able to find for $23.
posted by nicwolff at 5:28 PM on May 7, 2017

The rye nicwolff mentioned is their Pre-Prohibition Style Rye. It indeed is very good and very cheap.
posted by mmascolino at 5:38 PM on May 7, 2017

Smirnoff, Jameson, Jim Beam, Cuervo, Beefeater. Boom. You are done.
posted by josher71 at 5:55 PM on May 7, 2017 [4 favorites]

Booze is a lot like clothing in that you can end paying a bunch of money for a name, and the article itself is no better than cheaper alternatives.

Unless you have more specific information to work with (and there are some good suggestions upthread, especially the Tito's vodka), my suggestions are:

• Don't buy from the most -- or least -- expensive 10% of that particular type of booze.
• Don't buy anything you've seen relentlessly advertised.
• Trendy = spendy. (Example: Bourbon.)
• Don't buy Scotch at all unless you have a passion for it.
• Never cheap out on herbal stuff like gin or absinthe.

Specific brands I like: Tito's vodka. Flor de Caña rum. Hendrick's gin. Espolòn tequila anejo.
posted by sourcequench at 6:47 PM on May 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

nth'ing Tito's Vodka — it really is a remarkably good product for the price. Hendrick's is a great gin, if a bit spendy; my fallback when I don't feel like spending quite as much is either Plymouth or Bombay Sapphire.

Tequila is my poison of choice at the moment (along with its stepbrother mezcal), and since I can't afford to sip the manna from heaven that is Don Julio 1942 every day, I've found that Asombroso Silver is an amazingly smooth tequila for the price — IF you can find it. But yeah, never, ever waste your money on Cuervo Gold. Just forget it exists.
posted by CommonSense at 6:58 PM on May 7, 2017

Buy a bottle of high-end vodka and when it's all drunk up, re-fill the bottle with filtered cheap rotgut. Here's how to filter crappy vodka through charcoal to remove the vile taint of thrift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnNxKcnSmL8

Your friends will never know!
posted by Don Pepino at 7:31 PM on May 7, 2017

My proxy for this would be what the good cocktail bar I frequent would use for their house cocktails. In that regard. josher71's answer is almost 100% spot-on. Those are precisely the brands they use. Some people will scoff, because they're national brands, but they're national brands because they're consistent and high-quality.

Like OrangeDisk mentioned, having some premium spirits on hand for those who drink straight liquor is also a good idea. Bowmore makes a reasonably priced single malt Islay that scotch drinkers will appreciate, the High West Double Rye! will surprise any guests that love ryes, and Dickel is appreciated by those who care, and John L Sullivan is a slight upgrade for Irish whiskey from Jameson (although if you're already stocking Jameson, there's really no reason). I wouldn't worry too much about vodka: The vodka connoisseurs I know almost all find Smirnoff and Svedka pretty much fine enough and get nothing out of premium brands.
posted by General Malaise at 7:38 PM on May 7, 2017

I'd advise avoiding imported liquors if you can -- the import tariffs just jack up the price without raising the quality. There are plenty of excellent US brands that will give you better value for the price. And you don't need a ton of liquors -- so long as you have one white and one brown liquor, you'll probably satisfy most folks. One vodka, one bourbon, and one extra (rum, tequila, or gin) will satisfy most anyone. Stock some ice, tonic, club soda, juice (orange or cranberry, as you please), and limes, and you're good to go. My picks for liquor:
- Tito's Vodka - it's really quite excellent.
- Pick any one of the bourbons on this list (personally, I vote Old Grand-dad, but Evan Williams is also a good choice).
- New Amsterdam Gin is inexpensive and perfectly fine for G&Ts and other mixed drinks.
posted by ourobouros at 7:40 PM on May 7, 2017

If you have access to a Costco, their own-brand (Kirkland Signature) liquors offer more bang for the buck than anything else I've encountered.
posted by KathrynT at 8:38 PM on May 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

The Kirkland Resposado is $15 a bottle and a good sipping tequila (also cheap enough for mixed drinks).
posted by zippy at 10:34 PM on May 7, 2017

Why Costco's Vodka May Be Your Best Bet

josher71's comment is also something I agree with. I find having a good whiskey ginger (whiskey + ginger ale) around is a good bet when it comes to mixed drinks.
posted by yueliang at 12:51 AM on May 8, 2017

Benchmark is a good, cheap bourbon (~$10 /750ml); makes a perfectly fine ginger ale & bourbon. From Buffalo Trace.
posted by Bron at 5:29 AM on May 8, 2017

http://www.manmadediy.com/users/chris/posts/3722-best-value-in-booze-what-s-the-best-gin-under-20 (Ignore the guys-only vibe.)

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/best-cheap-rum-for-cocktails-affordable-rum.html

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/04/best-tequilas-under-25-budget-spirit-best-affordable-brand-jimador-lunazul-olmeca-tapatio-espolon.html

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/03/best-affordable-irish-whiskey-which-is-better-jameson-bushmills-powers-tullamore.html

Personally: Tanqueray over Beefeater, Dewar's White Label.
posted by JawnBigboote at 5:47 AM on May 8, 2017

Costco liquor, especially vodka.
posted by Night_owl at 5:53 AM on May 8, 2017

I think you're being especially courteous and hospitable to your friends. I... feel like if I didn't like the liquor at someone's house I'd bring my own? It's a pricey thing and I'd feel pretty rude complaining about it to the person.

That said, Bacardi makes pretty good rum at a decent price.
posted by Temeraria at 7:03 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

In my house, Beefeaters is up-market. We drink Seagram's.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:31 AM on May 8, 2017

It would help if we knew what the general expectations of your friends are. Like, are they making classic cocktails like the manhattan, martini, daquiri, sazerac, margarita, negroni, etc. Or maybe gin & tonics? Mixing it in coke or sprite? Doing shots? Sipping whiskey neat?

I make a lot of cocktails at home and here are my go-to bottles:

Bourbon: Wild Turkey 101
Rye: Rittenhouse
Gin: Beefeater, Tanqueray, Boodles, Brokers
Tequila: Espolon, Olmeca Altos, Cimmarron (blanco)
Rum: (Categorizing rum is a really complicated but for just one bottle, "white" spanish style is probably most common) Flor de Cana 4 yr extra dry, Brugal
Vermouth (dry and sweet): Dolin
Vodka: Smirnoff, Sobieski
Scotch: no clue really, I rarely drink Scotch

If there will be any cocktail making, then have some Angostura bitters on hand too.

You might find this chart handy as a general reference. I don't agree with their picks 100% but it's pretty solid.

I don't think I've ever had Tito's vodka but their marketing is a bit too deceitful for me. They get grain neutral spirits and most likely just run it through the copper stills so they can claim it's "handmade" on a pot still.
posted by Quiscale at 8:30 AM on May 8, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks all! I'm not picking a favorite because you've all been super helpful.

My friends don't complain to my face but I know they'd be happier with better options than I have on hand naturally. :)

I do have a "signature drink," which even the liquor snobs enjoy, to their surprise! (Cheapest whiskey available mixed with slightly diluted limeade concentrate.) But not everyone wants that kind of sugar rush.
posted by metasarah at 2:49 PM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Rye whiskey is popular again, and one giant distillery in Indiana makes most of it. Bulleit Rye is for me best expression of that product, but it's almost $40 for 750ml. Jim Beam makes a damn good rye that you should be able to find for $23.

TIL that booze is actually still cheaper in the DC metro than New England. Hurray!


To push back on a couple other recommendations, I think Tito's is overpriced for what it is, and New Amsterdam Gin is . . . not really gin; it's basically flavored vodka (I know, that's essentially what gin is too, but trust me on this - wrong flavor). It's a perfectly reasonable cheap alcohol to mix with things, but best reserved for people who don't really like gin (of which there are plenty).

In the cheap gin realm Broker's is a decent London dry.

New Amsterdam vodka is a perfectly fine vodka, and it's cheap as hell. Jim Beam Rye is a palatable and inexpensive Rye whiskey that will do a great job in any cocktail or mixer meant to be made with rye or bourbon.

Stay the hell away from cheap tequila and rum; Cuervo and Bacardi are the devil and it's worth spending a little extra to get something that's not poison.

I love the recommendation of just developing a signature cocktail or two and always having the fixings for that on hand; of the very few people who will be picky about such things, most will be content to bring their own tipple once it's clear that these are the things you stock.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:15 PM on May 8, 2017

To push back on a couple other recommendations, I think Tito's is overpriced for what it is, and New Amsterdam Gin is . . . not really gin; it's basically flavored vodka (I know, that's essentially what gin is too, but trust me on this - wrong flavor).

How very curious, that they should be able to pass it off as gin. I've never heard of such a thing, but then I'm no expert on spirits, really.
posted by tully_monster at 7:25 AM on May 10, 2017