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[Tam o' Shantie]

My folks asked me what I wanted for christmas about 3 days beforehand, so I just asked for some cocktail making stuff - I figured that being a kick ass cocktail barman was a great way to trick people into liking you - and lo and behold, beneath the tree was a recipe book, shaker and stuff like that I probably won't be throwing any parties until I buy a new flat, preferably one that doesn't resemble a derelict crack den.

Only problem is, though I'm fairly savvy when it comes to rum, I've never been much of a connoisseur of anything else. If nobody has any decent suggestions, I'm sure Gordon's, Jack Daniels', Smirnoff etc will do no harm but I'm sure there are a nicer and more interesting alternatives for similar or slightly higher prices. Of course, I don't have the luxury of my own drinks distributor, so please keep the suggestions limited to stuff that is easy enough to find in a decent booze shop.

Vodka:

Absolut would be my preferred supermarket choice, but they have started selling 'Russian Standard' there too along with a host of others in recent times...is this the same stuff as Russky Standart or is it just a coincimental name?

Gin:

Prefer Tanqueray to Gordon's...anything else worth knowing?

Whisky/Bourbon:

Don't have a clue about Scottish or American whiskies of any sort.

Brandy:

Ditto. There is also a fairly regular call for cherry brandy and apple brandy.

Dry vermouth:

Seems to be a highly popular ingredient...is Martini a safe bet?

Liqeurs / syrupy things:

Grenadine I take it is cheap/easy to find in a supermarket, 'sugar syrup' gets mentioned a fair bit. Campari, Midouri, Creme De Bananes? Anything I should know?

[Metarie]

Things like sugar syrup are easy enough to make, you can find recipes online. The rest of that stuff is fairly easily found in supermarkets. I think Asda has a fair selection. While I'm sure some people will disagree with me, I think you'd be better spending money on the alcohol and the main mixer (tonic, fruit juices etc) rather than the syrups as a lot of the time they just add colour and a hint of taste.

Don't know if you're a big gin drinker, but if you are you should try some Feverfew tonic. It's lovely, rather tricky to get hold of though. Goes very nicely with Tanqueray.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Tam o' Shantie

Whisky/Bourbon:

Don't have a clue about Scottish or American whiskies of any sort.

Assuming you really don't have any knowledge then here's some key facts about Scotch:

Comes in two main types Blended or Single Malt. It's farily obvious what the difference is, blended has multiple types of whisky in it, single malt has just the one.

Cheap blends (famous grouse etc) will be fine for cocktails, avoid the really cheap stuff. As with most things in life, with whisky you get what you pay for.

Good whisky shouldn't burn your throat and will be surprisingly easy to drink.

If you go down the single malt route it gets a bit more complicated. Generally Speyside (Glenfiddich, Aberlour etc) stuff is lighter in colour and in taste, great if you're new to whisky or like me the peaty stuff gives you a migraine. Island and highland whisky (Tobermory, Talisker, Highland Park) is darker in colour and has a stronger, smokier taste.

Now's a great time to experiment as there's loads of the stuff on special offer. Co-op has Aberlour for £15 and Jura for £16, so that would be a bottle of Speyside and an Island one at a good price to give you an idea which style you prefer.

No doubt someone else will have more to add, but that's some quick thoughts to get you started.

[french_disko]

Sugar syrup is about £3 a 750ml bottle in the supermarket - look for "sirop de gomme" on the drinks shelves.

Don't get too bogged down with brands - you'll go through a lot of crap recipies before you get it right so don't spend a fortune on bottles that you'll mix then hate.

just get a blended whisky - anyone that mixes a malt deserves shot at dawn.

martini is a fine vermouth - you'll even get supermarket brands cheaper.

vodkas - it's worth getting a few of the flavoured vodkas (Absolut are around £15 each) but start with Orange as you'll use it most.

Make sure you have the basics - lemons, limes, cola, lemonade, tonic water, soda water, orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, olives, cherries, straws.

And most of all ice. Lots of ice.

[french_disko]

Originally Posted by Chris

Cheap blends (famous grouse etc) will be fine for cocktails, avoid the really cheap stuff. As with most things in life, with whisky you get what you pay for.

that's good advice right there.

best to avoid the dirt cheap bottles of everything, not just whisky, but don't go mad over getting the best either.

Simple place to start is with a gin, vodka, whisky, rum & the mixers.

And a decent book - I got this one for about a fiver in Asda a couple of years back - 501 Must-drink Cocktails: Amazon.co.uk: Books

[Tam o' Shantie]

yeah sorry I forgot to mention that I got a book, so won't be doing any real experimenting yet. i just listed a few of the most common ingredients that the tasty looking ones seemed to call for.

[Tam o' Shantie]

Originally Posted by Chris

Assuming you really don't have any knowledge then here's some key facts about Scotch:

Comes in two main types Blended or Single Malt. It's farily obvious what the difference is, blended has multiple types of whisky in it, single malt has just the one.

Cheap blends (famous grouse etc) will be fine for cocktails, avoid the really cheap stuff. As with most things in life, with whisky you get what you pay for.

Good whisky shouldn't burn your throat and will be surprisingly easy to drink.

If you go down the single malt route it gets a bit more complicated. Generally Speyside (Glenfiddich, Aberlour etc) stuff is lighter in colour and in taste, great if you're new to whisky or like me the peaty stuff gives you a migraine. Island and highland whisky (Tobermory, Talisker, Highland Park) is darker in colour and has a stronger, smokier taste.

Now's a great time to experiment as there's loads of the stuff on special offer. Co-op has Aberlour for £15 and Jura for £16, so that would be a bottle of Speyside and an Island one at a good price to give you an idea which style you prefer.

No doubt someone else will have more to add, but that's some quick thoughts to get you started.

The reason I don't have a clue about whisky is that I don't like it! I've tried the 'good stuff' and didn't find it any more agreeable. How does bourbon differ and am I likely to need both in my cabinet?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Tam o' Shantie

How does bourbon differ and am I likely to need both in my cabinet?

Well they taste different. I'm not so big on bourbon though so can't tell you much about it. Sure Flash or someone else can shed some light though.

As for needing both, maybe you should have a read of the book and see how many whisky/bourbon cocktails you plan to try and see if it's really worth it. Otherwise just buy the one you'll use most.

[french_disko]

Originally Posted by Chris

Well they taste different. I'm not so big on bourbon though so can't tell you much about it. Sure Flash or someone else can shed some light though.

As for needing both, maybe you should have a read of the book and see how many whisky/bourbon cocktails you plan to try and see if it's really worth it. Otherwise just buy the one you'll use most.

I've got Bourbons (jim beam, etc) in the cupboard - nice with coke & lime (and ice!).

Probably have about 10 different Malts in the house (no blends, funnily enough) & I only have them with a drop of water, nothing else. Especially ice!

They do taste very different - I'm sure they're interchangeable in a cocktail but they'd radically alter the taste in my opinion.

personally i'd say pick up a Bourbon and a blended whisky for the cocktails.

[french_disko]

Another thing - I spent ages (and I mean ages) getting loads of bottles to fill the cabinet. Stick with the essentials, like I said, and keep an eye out in Supermarkets / off licenses for special offers of bottles to add over time.

I really can't stress how much ice you need though!!!