Transcription
If you're building a home bar and you've got 20 or more bottles of bourbon sitting on the shelf, you don't really have a home bar. You've got a whiskey collection. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not judging. Hell, I would argue that you have extremely good taste. But to me, having a home bar isn't about having a bunch of bottles. It's about having the right bottles.
When your buddies come over, you should be just as prepared to make somebody a martini as you are an old-fashioned, a margarita, a daquiri. Though, if your guy friend askked you to make him a daquiri, you may want to rethink your friends. A Manhattan, whatever they're in the mood for. That's what a real home bar is.
So, today we're building what I think is the perfect home bar. But not everyone has the space or the budget for 50 bottles. So, we're going to keep it to around 10ish. None of these are allocated. None of these are crazy expensive. But everyone earns its spot because every bottle on the shelf has a job.
When you're building a home bar, the very first bottle you should probably get is a workhorse bourbon. This isn't a bottle you stare at. This isn't a bottle you're saving for a special occasion. This is a bottle you're actually gonna use. For me, and this is going to be no surprise to you guys that have watched the channel for any length of time, that's Wild Turkey 101.
If you're not a Wild Turkey guy, some people aren't. They just don't like the flavor profile. Fair enough. Old Forester 100 instead. You could even sub this out for a rye whiskey if you're more of a rye person. Still Austin, Sagamore Spirit, something like that. The important part isn't rather you pick up Wild Turkey or Old Forester. The important part is having bourbon you actually are willing to use because this bottle is going to end up in a bunch of cocktails. Old-fashions, Manhattan's, Boulevard, I think I'm saying that right. Whiskey smashes. Hell, you know, the whole gambit of different kind of drinks you can make with whiskey. But if someone wants a neat pour after dinner, this stuff is still good enough to do the job. It's affordable, it's available, it's easy to replace, and it's good at just about everything. It's the bottle you find yourself reaching for over and over again. Remember, every bottle on the shelf has a job. This one's job is to work.
Now, once you got your everyday bourbon covered, I think every home bar needs something a little nicer. Not necessarily more expensive or a ton more expensive, just something you look forward to pouring. For me, this could be one of probably a hundred bottles. But just to keep it simple, let's pick out a couple Old Faithfuls. Now again, for guys that have been watching the channel for a while, this is no surprise. Woodford Double Oak. If you're not a big fan of Woodford, you can't go wrong with Old Forester 1910 or 1920. If you want a little sweeter, a little easier, 1910, maybe a little more proof, a little more bold, 1920. Maple syrup, awesomeness, Woodford Reserve Double Oak. These are all fantastic choices. The point isn't the label. The point is the job.
This isn't the bottle I'm grabbing to make cocktails. Although you could, it would make a delicious cocktail, but I'm not spending $50 a bottle on cocktail whiskey. This is a bottle I reach for when I'm sitting around the fire after finishing a project, after dinner, when everybody's gone home and I just want to sit on the porch for a little while. This bottle tells my brain, "All right, the day is over. Time to chill out." And that's why I think every home bar needs one. It's a reward bottle. Every bottle on the shelf has a job. This one's job is to help you slow down.
Okay, now we've got bourbon covered, my home base. Let's branch out a little bit because I think every home bar needs a scotch or several actually because scotch has so much variation. But if you're brand new to scotch, please, for the love of all things that are holy, do not start with the really smoky stuff. You're probably going to hate it. This is where stuff like Old Faithful over here, Monkey Shoulder comes in. If you prefer a Glenmorangie 10 or maybe a Glenlivet 12, those are both fantastic choices. Also, the point is finding a bottle that is approachable and a little lower on the price scale. Something that is going to introduce you to scotch without treating your taste buds like they're in an S&M dungeon. And this bottle isn't just good for sipping. It also makes fantastic cocktails. And because it's a little lower on the price scale, it's not going to hurt your feelings to use them there. Scotch Highballs, Penicillins, and one of my favorite cocktails of all times, the sentimental gentleman, which is kind of hard to say after you've had a few, but Monkey Shoulder is the way to go for that one. If you haven't had that one, do yourself a favor. It's completely changed the way I looked at scotch cocktails. I think it was probably like 2 or 3 years ago. We did that in a whiskey cocktails video. Nevertheless, the sentimental gentleman is one of the reasons I will always have a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on the shelf. Every bottle on the shelf has a job, and this one's job is to open the door into the world of scotch.
Now, if Monkey Shoulder was a bottle that welcomed you warmly into the world of scotch, these are going to be where the trauma begins, right? Let's see. Which trauma victims do I want here? Let's go this one. And we'll go here. Ardbeg and Laphroaig. These bottles aren't for everybody. These bottles are for people with demons. Rather, the world has slowly beat us down with trauma, deep emotional scarring from our childhood. And some of those maybe were just born this way. The world is just dull and muted. There's an empty spot. Colors aren't as bright. They're not as vivid. Tastes just almost aren't even there. We need pain and suffering. Something to wake up that inner darkness that's deep, deep down. Emotional scarring, divorces, trauma, PTSD. Once your taste buds have been assaulted by sea water and whiskey that's been filtered through burnt tires and band-aids, it'll never be the same. I actually really love smoky scotches. I'm sure after that you guys are either going to think I'm never tasting that or you're going to go out and buy a bottle immediately cuz you're like, I've got to see what that's about. Ardbeg Uigeadail to be specific or if you prefer maybe a nice Laphroaig 10. Both fantastic choices. Uigeadail is a bit more smoked barbecue sweet. Laphroaig a little more on the medicinal side. I know smoky scotches can be a little intimidating to some and not everybody is going to like them. Honestly, most people either love them right away or hate them. But once your palate starts coming around or if you're the kind of person that likes those flavors, there's nothing else in the spirit world like it. Most people think the only way to enjoy these is neat, which is true. I do really enjoy them that way, but they also make an incredible cocktail. Try making a smoky rusty nail sometime. Basically a rusty nail made with an Islay scotch to give it a nice smoky rich flavor. One of the coolest ways to use a bottle besides just pouring a glass neat. Every bottle on the shelf has a job. This one's job is to cause trauma.
Now, you may have watched that last section and thought, "Yeah, I think I'm going to skip the uh mermaid's bathwater emotional damage bottle of pain." Fair enough. Because here's the thing. Scotch isn't all smoke. A lot of people think that, but it's not true. And I think that's something a lot of bourbon drinkers don't realize. It's where we get into bottles like, let's see, let's do one of these guys or maybe one of these guys. Dalmore 12. If you prefer, you could do a GlenDronach. You could do a Balvenie DoubleWood, Macallan 15. All fantastic choices. This is the bottle I keep in my bar either for a the guy that enjoys a good scotch or the guy that doesn't think he likes scotch because they're rich, they're smooth, they're approachable, it's not campfire in a glass, just a really enjoyable pour. If you're a bourbon drinker looking to branch out, I personally think Dalmore 12 is a good place to start. Got some crossover that I think can help bring you over to the scotch world. Every bottle on the shelf has a job, and this one's job is to give the old scotch lads something to sip on.
All right, before we move away from whiskey, since we're talking about stocking a bar, I think this would be a great second to thank the sponsor of today's video, Zbiotics. You've heard me say it before, but especially now with me creeping up real fast on 50. If I even think too hard about having a drink, I feel off my game the next morning. Well, the folks at Zbiotics aim to help with that issue. Zbiotics pre-alcohol probiotic is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. PhD scientists invented it to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's that byproduct, not dehydration, that makes you feel rough the next day. Zbiotics produces an enzyme to help break this byproduct down. Just drink Zbiotics before drinking alcohol. Drink responsibly and get a good night's rest to feel your best the next day. Look, man, I hear you. I was skeptical about this stuff at first, but after putting this stuff to the test myself, and I even gave it out to a few of my friends at a get together we had so that I could kind of get an unbiased outside opinion, we talked the next day, and we were all surprised at how good we felt. At that point, I went from skeptic to fan. Click on the link below or scan the QR code at the bottom of the screen for 15% off your first order at checkout. Zbiotics is also backed by 100% money back guarantee. So, if you're unsatisfied, they will refund your money, no questions asked. So, pretty no risk situation really. Check out those links for 15% off. Thanks to the folks at Zbiotics for sponsoring this video and supporting the channel. Now, let's get back to your normally scheduled programming.
All right, I think we've thoroughly covered whiskey as much as we're going to in this video at least. There's a lot more whiskey to cover. We didn't do Irish. We didn't do Japanese whiskies. But for the sake of not having a thousand bottles in this video and trying to stock a relatively small home bar, let's move on to bringing the agave into the fold. Every home bar needs a good tequila. And no, I'm not talking about the stuff you survived college on. I'm talking about good tequila. For me. Couple options over here in my tequila basket. Let's get this. We'll get some of this. We'll even bring a little bit of this to the party. Why not? One of these is probably going to irritate a bunch of people, but that's all right. The one I recommend probably the most to people, Tequila Ocho. You've probably seen it in some of my tequila videos where I talked about tequila summer cocktails and whatnot. Or if you can find it, Fortaleza at a reasonable price. Finding Fortaleza at MSRP is basically a cryptid sighting. If you find one, buy it. Just don't get bent over for it. Ocho is really almost as good. They're both no additive. Really good silver tequilas. If you want something a little more depth, something a little more woody, something has a little age on it, go with a Repo. Casamigos is always one that I recommend people. It's really good. If you're only going to buy one tequila for most people, I would say go with the Blanco. It's easily the most versatile. It makes incredible margaritas. It makes fantastic palomas, ranch waters, all the delicious things. It's also good to sip on, and that's exactly what I want out of a bottle behind my bar. One bottle does lots of jobs. Every bottle on the shelf has its job. This one's job is to bring the agave.
Let's head somewhere a little more tropical. I feel like basically every home bar needs some rum, right? For me, I keep my rums down here. Stand by to standby. Let's start with this guy here, Flor de Caña. Personally, I tend to reach for aged rum. I just enjoy the richer flavor. But if your favorite cocktails lean more toward the classics, having a good white rum is a good idea, too. Something like Plantation Three Stars. Foursquare makes one. I think it's called Extra Seco or something which is a silver rum. Even with a lot of those drinks you would normally use silver rum in. I like to use an aged rum. I just think it adds a little more character. But to each his own. The point is having a rum that's going to get used because rum has an entire library of incredible cocktails. Daiquiris for the ladies hopefully. Mojitos, rum old fashions are really nice. And that's before you even start getting into the tiki drinks with the little umbrellas and all the things for those kind of people. This is one of those bottles that actually earns its keep. Every bottle on the shelf has a job. This one's to bring that tropical vibe. Flor de Caña is a bottle that makes an incredible cocktail. But this, this is a bottle that wins people over. Diplomatico Reserva. Now look, I know some of you are already halfway through writing a comment. "Jeremy, that's got so much added stuff. It's dosed." I know. I don't care. It tastes good. I keep this on hand for when somebody says, "I don't really sip liquor neat." Pour a little bit of this over ice after dinner. It's sweet. It's rich. It's super easy drinking. It's fantastic for a sweet after-dinner kind of dessert cocktail. It's phenomenal with a cigar. And honestly, it it's almost dangerously easy to drink. Another one that's honorable mention here is Foursquare. Not near as sweet. These are aged. This particular one is aged in bourbon barrels. So, has a lot of bourbon influence. Again, a great rum after dinner with a cigar, that kind of thing. Not quite as approachable and sweet as this one, but still delicious. And depending on the type of person you are, if you're a big cigar person, don't like sweeter stuff, the Foursquare might be a good option. Every bottle on the shelf has a job. This one's job is a little sweet after-dinner treat.
The next bottle is probably the least versatile bottle on the shelf, which I know is a little contradictory because I said versatility, all the things, but just this bottle has exactly one job, and it's kind of a recent find for me, honestly. This bottle's one job is to make a Caipirinha or Caparinha. Still not completely sure how to pronounce that. Now, before everyone starts yelling, "Jeremy, that's only one cocktail. I thought you said this stuff needed to be versatile." You're right. Counterpoint. Have you ever had a Caipirinha? Caparinia. It's easily one of my favorite new cocktails that I found recently, especially in warm weather. If you watched our summer cocktail video I did recently, it's been the last couple videos. You've already seen me make one. Fresh lime, sugar, cachaça or cachaca. Again, these pronunciations are going to be horrible if you're Brazilian. I apologize. Some cachaça with some sugar and some lime in a glass. It's ridiculously simple. It's ridiculously good. So yeah, this bottle earns a permanent spot on my shelf for one cocktail because that one cocktail is worth it and it's my video. So, you know, whatever. I can contradict myself if I want to. Every bottle on the shelf has a job. This happens to only have one job, but man, it does it really, really well.
All right, this next one is probably going to upset some of you. Mainly because it's about to upset me. As Ron Swanson once wisely said, "Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets." I try to abide by that philosophy as much as humanly possible. With the exception of like some tequilas and stuff like that, I think Ron Swanson would even be okay with a good tequila. And if Ron Swanson never had a Caipirinha, he would change his mind about the rum, the Brazilian rum. But the clear alcohol thing holds true with our next category. Vodka. I've just never been a huge fan of vodka. If I'm pouring myself a drink, it's going to be bourbon or scotch or rum or even tequila or cachaça. I've just never personally enjoyed vodka. No offense if you're a vodka person. It's just just not my jam. Everybody's got different taste buds. But a good home bar just isn't about what you drink. It's about being able to make a great drink for whoever's sitting across from you. And that's why I actually have two recommendations. And I'm sure some vodka people are going to maybe say these aren't good recommendations cuz like I said, it's not my jam. From a lot of people that I've served and people in my house, these seem to be some popular ones. Grey Goose, kind of a gold standard, right? If you're drinking a martini, a Gibson, something spirit-forward, I would go with the bottle of Grey Goose. It's a little bit higher-end. It's a little bit nicer, a little bit cleaner flavors. But if you're making a lot of Moscow Mules, Bloody Marys, vodka, lime, stuff like that, Tito's all day. It's affordable. It's dependable. It's made in the USA. I mean, you can't beat that. And it's exactly what you're looking for in like a workhorse vodka. And that's all I'm going to say about vodka. Kind of makes me a little bothersome to talk about it. I just really don't like vodka. But it's it's a necessary evil. Remember, every bottle on the shelf has a job. And as much as it pains me, this one does, too. Let me get these out of the frame. It's It's kind of doesn't really have much flavor, right? And I know some vodka people are going to probably crucify me in the comments here, but it just to me, it's always kind of you just add it to things to add alcohol, which why just pick an alcohol that actually has some flavor and is good on its own or add something to the drink. Like I said, to each their own. I'm not judging. I'm just saying.
Now, obviously, there are like hundreds of bottles I could have put on the shelf. We didn't even get into cognacs. We didn't talk about Irish whiskeys, like I said, Japanese whiskey. Didn't really go into rye whiskeys very deep. Different budgets, different tastes, different opinions, and I'm sure every one of you has at least one bottle you're yelling at the screen because I left out. That's okay. There's a lot of alcohol out there. This was never really about making it kind of a list, a bottle list, best bottles. It was about kind of the theory behind building a home bar with purpose. Every bottle gets you into a different category of cocktails that you can make. Every bottle has a reason to be there. And if you start thinking about your own bar that way, instead of just buying random shit because it's hard to get or it's expensive, or buying things because somebody on the internet told you to, you're going to end up with a shelf you actually use. I think that's a hell of a lot more fun than having a shitload of bottles that have dust on them cuz they barely ever get picked up.
All right, guys. Cheers. Go build your own. Let me know down below what some of your favorite bottles in your home bar are. Maybe if I left something out that you think is just an absolute travesty. If you do like what we do here and you want to help support the channel, good way to do so. Check out our links down below. We've got lots of cool stuff. We make our own coffee. We partnered up with Beard Brand. We have some great beard oil and beard products. We got t-shirts. We got knives. All kinds of stuff. So definitely check out links below. Check out our new website, Modern Legion, where a lot of that stuff is located. If you did enjoy this, feel free to smash that like button. That always helps us out. If you're not a subscriber, please consider doing so. We'd love to have you on board. Hope everybody is having a fantastic week. And we'll see you in the next video. And Gin is another one that I've just It's weird because I've heard a lot of bourbon people or whiskey people like gins also. It's like another kind of rabbit hole they go down. But man, vodka and gin just vodka kind of reminds me a little bit of rubbing alcohol. And gin tastes like rubbing alcohol with potpourri put in it. It's just it's not good.