Bart
Cocktails by Base Spirit
What each base spirit is good for, the classics built on it, and which one to buy if you only buy one.
Most classics are variations on a small number of templates, rebuilt with a different base. Learn the template once and the spirit becomes a choice rather than a lookup.
Gin
The most versatile bottle in cocktails, and the most-used spirit in this library. Botanical and dry, so it holds up against vermouth, citrus and bitter liqueurs alike. Martini, Negroni, Gimlet, Tom Collins, French 75, Aviation, Last Word, Southside. All gin cocktails →
Whiskey, bourbon and rye
Sweeter and heavier. Bourbon is corn-forward and works in sours; rye is drier and spicier and works stirred. Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour, Boulevardier, Sazerac. Whiskey → · Bourbon →
Rum
The widest category on the shelf — light, dark, aged and overproof behave like four different spirits. Light rum for a Daiquiri, dark for tiki. Daiquiri, Mojito, Mai Tai, Cuba Libre, Painkiller. All rum cocktails →
Tequila
Vegetal and bright. Blanco for mixing, reposado when you want the oak. Mezcal is its smoky cousin and substitutes directly if you use less. Margarita, Paloma, Tommy's Margarita, Añejo Highball. All tequila cocktails →
Vodka
Deliberately neutral, which makes it a carrier rather than a flavour. Best where the other ingredients are the point. Moscow Mule, Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini, Bloody Mary. All vodka cocktails →
If you buy one
Buy gin. It appears in more classic recipes than any other spirit, it works in every one of the five cocktail templates, and it combines with the cheapest modifiers — citrus, sugar, vermouth and Campari.
Match a spirit to your shelf
Pick the bottle you own most of and Bart lists what you can pour with it tonight.