Aunt wants to start drink collection?

Question

My mom wanted me to ask this since I'm the only one with a Yahoo! account, so my aunt wants to start a collection of spirits for her home (AKA a home bar), and she wants specific brands for scotch, bourbon, vodka, gin, triple sec, tequila, vermouth, amaretto, cognac and various other liqueurs and such. I'm only 15 and a half so I wouldn't know.

So can someone help my aunt out, for her guiltiest pleasure is alcohol! Thanks!

Answer 1

Well first of all, your mom should be on the account and answer this question. Best is described as ones personal preference, therefor not too easy to answer.  The field is wide open.

Answer 2

Vodka i'd do w/ Grey Goose.  

Rum i'd go w/ Capt Morgan and i'd also get his Parrot Bay Cocanut Rum.

Anything else...I just go w/ a decent priced (not cheapest, but not highest) brand. I don't drink that often but when I do it that stuff or beer.

Answer 3

A few obscure ones cannot be left out: their effect in making the collection shine is unmistakeable.

Galliano - if somebody wants a classic, you need this around. The bottle is also characteristic, and the color of the liqueur is interesting.

Sadly, some martini drinkers will want vermouth. They are heathens and should never be obliged BUT, Martini & Rossi dry vermouth is the generally accepted minimum to keep them quiet.

Kaluha: it is just a necessary. If you want a white russian, you gotta have this. Pre-mixed white russians are a no-no. Incidentally, you will also want some milk around for white russians too (powdered milk in a pinch, but that makes baby odin cry).

Now onto the mentioned varieties:

Scotch: Teachers is decent, and not too expensive for what you get. Glenfiddich was mentioned, this is nice, but a bit pricey. Ditto Galvenie, but some swear by the double aging.

Bourbon: gotta go with the recommendation for for Makers Mark. Also, a 1.75 of Jack will placate those who like mixers, but if the mixing is done under the bar, Evan Williams will keep most of them quiet too, and costs a lot less.

Vodka: Kettle One for top shelf, it is decent stuff. Anything below that, personal taste ends up mattering quite a bit.

Gin: Personal taste can matter a lot here, but I am a Gin snob, and I have a number of friends who are too. We all agree on one thing: Beefeater is by far the best for the money.

Triple Sec: ahh, you got me. I tend not to use too many sweet mixers. I have heard good things about the value of Smirnoff's, surprisingly. It was a lush who told me, so I generally trust them. I personally quite like contreau here, but it is more expensive. I have not tried enough stuff below it in cost to tell you if it is a good value though.

Tequila… ah the devil's juice. The recommendation here has to differ based on what kind she likes (ditto for Rum, when we get there). The first source I put below is a site I actually trust. You can argue with their recommendations, but they are in the right neighborhood.

Rum… White rum or dark? With white, Bacardi is hard to pass up, it is decent and mixes well. There are some non-name brand versions that can do nicely too, but experimentation will have to be done to figure out which ones are best where you are. For dark, my brother loves Myer's, but I think that stuff is made by people without tongues. I would have to stick with Bacardi Gold. It is not a true dark rum, but I'll take a that in any rum drink over Myer's any day of the week. Except if I have already had a few drinks. As for spiced rum, the Captain Morgan low shelf equivalent, Admiral Nelson, is actually surprising and good. If it didn't have a reputation for being of lower quality (which is unfair) it would be respected as a different take on rum spicing.

Cognac: those b******s in France are picky as h**l. Having said that, a cheap brandy is one of the best cheap liquors you can get for the money. E&J and Christian Brothers are my hands down favorites for ANY low cost liquor. They are amazing value for the money.

Bon Voyage, ship of the tight, spilling all over with three sheets to the wind.

Answer 4

This is a difficult question to answer because there are a lot of different brands of each; but, I'd be happy to help.

What I'll do is I'll list a high end and low end brand of each and it's up to your aunt whether she wants the expensive stuff, or the cheaper stuff. Especially for your main spirits, it may be good to have both a high end and low end variety for different cocktails; for instance, a high end vodka really shouldn't be mixed with juice or soda. It sort of defeats the purpose; but a vodka martini should always be made with the best stuff you can find.

So here's a simplified list:

Answer 5

Here's what I have in my liquor cabinet:

Gin--Tanquaray and Gordons

Tequila-Sauza Blanco

Vodka-Effen Cherry Vanilla, Segrams Vanilla Vodka, Sky

Jack Daniel's Southern Comfort, Malibu Coconut Rum, Kahluah, DiSerrano Amaretto, Watermelon Pucker, Apple Pucker, Captain Morgan, Grand Marnier, Corzo Blanco Tequila, Crown Royale.  Then I have assorted 'house brands' for mixed whiskey, bourbon, brandy drinks.  Plus bottles of white red and rose wine.  Then bitters, sweetened lime juice tonic water, and Rose's Mixers. BUT, you have to go off of her taste and which brands she likes.

Grand Marnier--Hubby

Southern Comfort--Dad

Crown Royale--Brother

Corzo--Mom, sister and I