The equipment has been ordered, and a space has been made in your kitchen for your new bar. Now it is time to find a good liquor store. While we may only be scratching the surface for the time being, you will want to have a quality liquor store as you venture further into cocktails, so this post is all about finding a good one. If you live near a mega-warehouse of booze you can probably skip this one and impatiently wait for your new stuff to arrive in the mail; but I think it’s a good thing to know in general, so worth the read.
Below are few things to look for when identifying a quality liquor store.
*Even though you won’t be buying these items at this stage, they will help indicate that both the liquor store you are in and the people who shop there care about quality and, potentially, variety.
I know it sounds crazy, but look at their mini-bar bottle selection. Are the mini-bar bottles just basics to give someone a quick buzz on a budget, or are there quality liquors and liqueurs as well? You should look for the latter.
Check the vermouth selection. Do they offer Carpano Antica? If they carry this, they likely carry other quality products.
Do they carry absinthe? Any brand will do. Absinthe is considered a niche product but it is called for in many classic cocktails, so if you see it in stock, that will be a good indicator that you are in the right spot.
Check the liqueurs selection. Remember what I said before, that a quality Creme de Cacao will taste like chocolate, but an inferior one will taste like a Tootsie Roll? Do they carry any of the following brands? While these are not the only quality brands, they tend to be fairly common.
Giffard
Rothman & Winter
Tempus Fugit
Combier
St. George (makes great gins as well!)
*Yes, some are almost empty... They are from my home bar. Heck, I'm not made of money.
Next, see if a staff member can answer the following questions:
Can you suggest a good high rye bourbon? (I’ll cover this in a later post, but there are a ton of high rye bourbons, so they should be able to rattle off at least a few.)
What is an agricole rhum, and what is the difference between agricole and other rums? (*Produced in the French Caribbean, agricole is a style of rhum made from the sugar cane juice as opposed to molasses.)
Also, ask if they would be willing to special-order bottles for you if they don't have them on the shelf. (This one is a long shot, but worth finding out.)
If you were able to say ‘yes’ to at least half of these, then you should be able to get what you need. If not, here are a few tips:
Do you work in a different part of town than you live in? I often had more success finding a liquor store close to work.
While I have a solid local spot, every few months or so I travel farther to a liquor store that said ‘yes’ to all of the items and questions on the list above. It’s a fun field trip; I might grab lunch while I’m out, then make tasty drinks with my new toys once I get home. Remember, it’s important to plan ahead so you don't forget anything.
I found a liquor store in my neighborhood that works for grabbing "workhorse" items and a few other staples in a pinch.
If you can't find any places that carry the liqueurs I mentioned Hiriam Walker and Marie Brizzard also make solid liqueurs.
If you still don't have any luck, you may have to look online and plan your ordering accordingly.
If you are counting, yes I have three liquor stores in my regular rotation. I like having a home bar, so a good liquor store is as essential to me as Home Depot might be to someone else.
So you have found a liquor store, but you will not be buying any of the items I included in the checklist. You are on a budget and just spent a lot of money on equipment. Instead, buy a 1.75 liter bottle of workhorse bourbon. Remember to consider a balance of quality and price, as essentially, this is going to be your well bourbon going forward. A few I like:.
Evan Williams Black Label
Bench Mark 8
* Some of you may wonder why Old Fitzgerald did not make the list, and rightfully so. It is a great value where it is available, however it is also 43% ABV and I am trying to keep all the spirits we work with at the start at 40% ABV for consistency.
I know the 1.75 liter bottle is big and may be difficult to handle when making drinks. Well, do you remember those photos of old time home bar setups loaded with decanters? For the most part the liquors in those bottles are not the rare or expensive stuff–if it were, it’d be kept in the original bottle to let everyone know. So take a cue from there to make things easier. You can spend up and buy something fancy, but rather than investing in expensive decanters, I picked up a few standard sized (750ml) bottles from resale shops and dollar stores. Heck, you can even use an empty wine bottle–preferably with a screw-top cap.
Also please pickup the following items from the Grocery store for next week.
At least 4 Lemons (figure 1 for every cocktail you plan to make)
White Sugar (same stuff you always get)
Demerara Sugar (or Light Brown Sugar if you cannot find Demerara)
Honey (lighter in color the better)
Pomegranate Juice (small container is fine)
Chai Tea (I use decafe–if you knew me you would know why)
Plus, remember to clean up those seltzer water bottles. Remove labels and plastic rings, and don't lose the caps. These bottles are going to be a big part of your bar going forward. Also, you might want to save a caddy from a six-pack of bottled beer–it will make it so much easier to keep those glass bottles together and organized in the refrigerator. Ask a friend or local beer spot for one if you don’t drink beer.