{"id":893,"date":"2013-02-07T16:07:38","date_gmt":"2013-02-07T16:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ginnyang.com\/?p=893"},"modified":"2015-04-30T09:32:07","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T08:32:07","slug":"cocktails-recommend-drinks-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/?p=893","title":{"rendered":"Cocktails: Recommended Drinks Brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my last article <\/a>I gave a basic stock list for someone starting up their own cocktail bar at home.\u00a0 It’s pretty organic, if you like a certain kind of cocktail, you should buy\u00a0the drinks for it!\u00a0 Then, you can look for cocktails with similar ingredients and build up from there.\u00a0 I’m (un)lucky in that I go crazy, buy a bunch of different drinks and start making cocktails without having to worry too much about what I’m spending.\u00a0 Most people, will only want to buy one or two bottles at a time and start making cocktails – and that’s fine! In fact, that’s the right way to do it because you get to pick a cocktail you enjoy and practice it over and over until you have it just the way you like it.\u00a0 Then a week or two later (maybe more) you can go out and add another bottle or two and start making cocktails using similar ingredients.\u00a0 I would say, if you can, go for those “5 white spirits” and the other items on that barlist because it will cover a lot of the classic cocktails with just one or two additions, so it will last you awhile.<\/p>\n

Of course, now that you’ve got a rough idea what you need to stock, you’re asking “but what brand should I buy?\u00a0 Which one is good?”.\u00a0 At some point I will do a more detailed\u00a0review of certain drinks, or do a range in a taste test.\u00a0 But for now, I will give you a brief overview of what (I think) is a good starting point to each thing I’ve listed to stock in your bar at home.<\/p>\n

Light Rum – Havana Club 3yr\u00a0old\u00a0Anejo Blanco<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Most people will be thinking “what about Barcadi?” No.\u00a0 Bacardi\u00a0superior is everywhere and it’s dirt cheap, but it’s almost a vodka it’s so un-rum like.\u00a0 If you want something that actually tastes like rum, use Havana Club.\u00a0 I’m not saying Havana Club is the be all and end all of Light Rums but it’s cheap, widely available and it is a decent quality rum – wouldn’t sit and sip it but for cocktails, it will do the job.<\/p>\n

Vodka – Finlandia<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 I could have picked Russian Standard or Wyborowa, both of those are also good choices.\u00a0 I picked Finlandia because Wyborowa\u00a0has a fairly strong taste for a vodka and Russian Standard isn’t quite as smooth or interesting.\u00a0 But, I’d say it’s a toss-up.\u00a0 Wyborowa\u00a0is a very good vodka but it might influence the flavour of some cocktails and you’d notice it if you put it in your home-made simple syrup.<\/p>\n

Gin – Bombay Sapphire<\/a><\/strong>. I’m picking this over something like Tanqueray because it is widely available and it’s a good representation of a London Dry Gin.\u00a0 It’s hard to pick one Gin over all the others because they are so different. But I think Bombay Sapphire is a good standard to judge others but if you don’t particularly like London Dry Gin you might want to try something different like Plymouth Gin or Hendricks Gin.\u00a0 I generally like to have two types of Gin on my shelf because the variation in taste can really make a difference in some cocktails and they completely change a Martini.<\/p>\n

Tequila – 1800 Blanco<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0OK, confession\u00a0time.\u00a0 I’m no expert when it comes to Tequila, my knowledge of it really isn’t what it should be.\u00a0 But I do know one thing, it has to be 100% Agave.\u00a0 So no Jose Curevo\u00a051% Agave (Jose Curevo\u00a0does do a “Tradicional” version that is 100% Agave), that’s not real tequila, it’s what is called a mixto.\u00a0 People who say “I hate tequila, it gives me such a terrible headache” are usually saying that after a night of Jose Curevo.\u00a0 If you try the real stuff\u00a0(any Tequila that is 100% agave will clearly display that fact) you will know the difference.\u00a0 In fact, even in something like a Long Island Iced Tea, you will be able to\u00a0pick out the Tequila flavour.\u00a0 It is identifiable in nearly all cocktails, it\u00a0has such a distinctive flavour.\u00a0 I’m picking 1800 because I know it’s not a bad Blanco Tequila (it does well in taste tests), it’s not the greatest example but it’s solid and it’s available here in the UK at a very reasonable price.<\/p>\n

Triple Sec – Cointreau<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 Cointreau is THE Triple Sec.\u00a0 It’s more expensive that most Triple Secs but that’s because most of them taste artificial.\u00a0 Triple Sec, for those than don’t know, is an orange liqueur – specifically a Curacao orange liqueur, in a similar mold to Blue Curacao.\u00a0 Triple Sec is made with a neutral spirit, so you just get the flavour of the oranges.\u00a0 Grand Marnier is another alternative but its base is Brandy and that gives it a different (though similar) flavour.<\/p>\n

Dry Vermouth –\u00a0Martini Bianco Extra Dry<\/a><\/strong>. I can’t really give one\u00a0specific dry vermouth\u00a0that everyone should buy.\u00a0 \u00a0I think Dolin Dry Vermouth\u00a0<\/a>(my personal favourite) goes great in a Hendricks Martini but it doesn’t work all that well with Tanqueray Ten but then\u00a0Noilly\u00a0Prat<\/a>\u00a0does.\u00a0 Martini Bianco is probably the most common and well-known\u00a0dry vermouth and it’s\u00a0a decent all-rounder, it’s usually cheaper than the others but that’s not always a sign of poor quality.\u00a0 Dry Vermouth loses it’s flavour quickly once opened so you have to store it in the fridge, then you will get more life out of it but realistically you’ll need to use it within 3-6 months before the flavour changes.\u00a0 The higher quality vermouths\u00a0will change into a lesser quality vermouth, given the cheap price, I would buy a good quality one, store it in the fridge and then chuck it or cook with\u00a0it (works well in a risotto) after 6 months in the fridge.\u00a0 Out of the fridge it will last no more than 2-3 weeks.<\/p>\n

Sweet Vermouth – Vya<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 I’ve changed this from Martini Rosso to Vya, as I wasn’t a fan of Martini Rosso. \u00a0Vya is wonderful, it’s very sweet but excellent over ice and does well in most cocktails. \u00a0It’s not too expensive and it is available online and even in some UK supermarkets. \u00a0I like Dolin\u00a0Rouge but it’s hard to get. \u00a0Sweet vermouth lasts longer than dry vermouth, but similar rules apply – store it in the fridge and use within 6 months of opening.<\/p>\n

Grenadine – Monin Pomegranate Syrup<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 “But Monin\u00a0do a Grenadine\u00a0syrup?” I hear you say… yes and it’s awful, like most “Grenadines”.\u00a0 I’ll do a more detailed video or article on why you should avoid grenadine\u00a0but for now, just get this Monin Pomegranate syrup instead.<\/p>\n

\"GnY_Drinks\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I generally use The Whisky Exchange to buy most of my drinks.\u00a0 It’s usually amongst the cheapest and delivery is always cheap.\u00a0 There are other sites, that you might prefer or find cheaper, but I find the Whisky Exchange to have a wider selection (including some things you can only find outside the UK) and if it’s only a few pounds difference to order from one place, it’s saving on deliveries from two different companies!\u00a0 If someone has a better suggestion, let me know.<\/p>\n

The drinks I’ve just recommended can be bought for a grand total of about \u00a3110 plus delivery.\u00a0 And yes, the Whisky Exchange do international delivery, so if you are reading this from some other part of the world (hello!), you can still order from that website and you won’t pay the 20% VAT that\u00a0I pay… still delivery is going to be expensive, but if you order enough it might cover the additional cost of delivery.<\/p>\n

Now I realise this list I’ve just put together will probably get a bit of criticism… why did you pick Finlandia for Vodka and not Grey Goose or Belvedere?\u00a0 Well for things like that, firstly this is a starter list.\u00a0 Secondly if you want (and can afford)\u00a0to go and buy the super-premium drinks then go for it but I’m\u00a0making this list\u00a0for the majority.\u00a0 Thirdly, in a lot of cocktails, those super-premium brands are going to get lost in the mix, that subtle hint of vanilla in your rum?\u00a0 Well if you can pick out rum mixed in with 5 other drinks or spirits good job… but can you still pick out that subtle hint of vanilla in that super-premium rum?\u00a0 Of course, it does make a difference, buy the bargain basement stuff and you will end up with a pretty rough drink, particularly in those drinks that are largely spirit based and don’t have a lot of sugar to mask the harshness of the cheaper alcohols.<\/p>\n

Hopefully what I’ve given you over the past 3 articles or so is something to get you started or at least interested in cocktails.\u00a0 Maybe, you’re looking at this list and saying “\u00a3110? Are you nuts?” well you don’t have to get it all at once, as I said at the beginning, pick a cocktail you like and start there, build it up.\u00a0 The great thing about a home bar, is you<\/strong> can stock the drinks you<\/strong>\u00a0like.\u00a0 If you go out to most bars, even cocktail bars a lot of these drinks won’t be on the shelf.\u00a0 If you’re unsure just what type of cocktails you like, then go to a bar, go to a couple of bars, order a few cocktails, find a cocktail you like, ask the barman for some variations or similar cocktails\u00a0and then go out and buy the drinks you need, start slow and work your way up from there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my last article I gave a basic stock list for someone starting up their own cocktail bar at home.\u00a0 It’s pretty organic, if you like a certain kind of cocktail, you should buy\u00a0the drinks for it!\u00a0 Then, you can look for cocktails with similar ingredients and build up from there.\u00a0 I’m (un)lucky in that I go crazy, buy a bunch of different drinks and start making cocktails without having to worry too much about[…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-tools"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Drinks.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1PTCG-ep","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=893"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1464,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions\/1464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginnyang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}