2009
10.28
10.28
Spirits – the big 6. Cocktails typically consist of a spirit, a liqueur perhaps and a mixer – fruit juice or whatever. These are known by the pros typically as a spirit, a base and a modifier.
Starting your own cocktail collection - the big 6
If you want to start building up your own collection for cocktail making at home, the good news is that there are only 6 spirits. You can therefore achieve a lot with these 6. The 6 bottles you need are ;
- Whisky
- Gin
- Vodka
- Rum
- Brandy
- Tequila
If you’re cocktail making these are the 6 you’ll get through more of than anything else. Consequently they are widely available from all the major supermarkets, and provide you’re happy with the brand leaders you won’t find them too expensive.
Blended whisky
It is also true that these 6 break down into sub-categories but below we guide you through what you need to get started ;
Whisky – Buy a blended whisky. You don’t want to be ruining good (and expensive) malt whisky with strong flavours now do you ?! Most major blends are Scotch such as Teachers and Famous Grouse (our favourite 2 brands.) Fewer cocktails contain Irish whiskey, but it is a fine and smooth drink. Jamesons is the most widely available.
Gin – bit more straightforward. Dry London gin is the style of Gordons, but in truth there aren’t many other types. Plymouth Gin is an alternative, and there is also Genever (a dutch gin – which we’ve got of course – but it is hard to find.) Finally Sloe Gin which you can find, but it is actually a liqueur despite it’s name ! All very confusing !
Vodka – A great base for a drink as it has the most neutral flavour of the spirits. It is also the most fashionable spirit at the moment – spawning a whole host of ‘brand extensions’ such as all the flavoured vodkas. You will have your own favourites probably. We tend to stick with Smirnoff. But if you’ve got £40 to splash out on some top quality vodka, try some Grey Goose. Then let us know what it is like at fun@cocktailshakerboys.co.uk It is apparently very good, but at £40 it jolly well ought to be !
It really is an - Absolut peach
Rum - mostly people buy light rum – Bacardi is the most well known brand. However if you like a slightly stronger and robust flavour also try dark rum such as Captain Morgan. Cocktails recipes will generally tell you which rum they need. There is also gold rum (a good alternative to light or dark), spiced rum (goes well with some drinks) and navy rum (for the hardened rum fans !) Within the navy rums we have some Captain Morgan 74% rum. This is around 150 proof and is the strongest drink in our collection. It only appears rarely, but it is a famous constituent of the Zombie – arguably the strongest cocktail there is !
Brandy - Like whisky, there are many different types reflecting their quality. A standard brand of 5 star brandy will do the job for most cocktails. We use Three Barrels which you can get in any of the major supermarket chains. The next grade up are the cognacs. Courvoisier is particularly good, and then you move up to the VSOP cognacs – normally sold in frosty green bottles such as Remy Martin.
Tequila – Generally sold in 2 types silver tequila and gold tequila. The major brands all boast Mexican heritage. Jose Cuervo and Sauza are leading brands. There are producers trying to promote some quality Tequila as an alternative to malt whisky and cognac, and I must admit when trying some in Gerry’s in London recently, the 3 types were all really good. http://www.gerrys.uk.com/
That’s it. A quick tour round the world’s big 6 spirits. Start your collection, then start mixing, have fun !
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