fair to good hooch

[mikado]

my gf and i recently decided we are going to start stocking a bar in our house. ive got some ideas, but what i want from you guys/gals is a little help with my setup. i am no millionare so i am looking for $20-$30 dollar bottles to start up. (slightly higher or lower wont kill me). i want your replies to look like the example given, if you dont have a bottle for every category no biggy, and if you have another category of suggestion i am all ears.
Whiskey- example
gin- example
vodka-
rum-
cognac-
brandy-

ok you get the idea. so lets see what youve got for me, and like i said i am open to suggestions/ideas

[djbarg]

Whisky - Depends on what exactly you are looking for. Crown Royal is the premier Canadian whisky. If you are looking for a nice sipping whisky - choose a fine Irish whisky such as Bushmills or Jaimesons. You can also go the route of good ole American bourbon like Jack Daniels or Jim Beam.

Vodka - My personal choice would be Belvedere. It's a traditional Polish grain vodka (made with rye). Another good one is Finlandia (Finnish vodka I believe) which makes a great vodka-tonic.

Rum - My top choice is Bacardi (yes I'm a traditional guy). Captain Morgan is pretty good as well.

Don't have too much experience with gin (tastes like a pine tree), cognac or brandy (too much involved with selection, much like wine). You may want to add a nice tequila (don't have much to say about this - other than it gives me nightmares!), and add a couple of liquors such as Jagr, Amaretto, Drambuie and maybe Kahlua (sp?). From my experience a well stocked bar will provide almost ANYONE with something they like (i.e. rum & cola, a sweet, fruity drink, etc.) It may take a lot of $ to get started, but the way I started was buying the stuff I liked and letting my friends try it.

Good Luck!

[mikado]

i completely forgot about tequila!
and yea, stocking a bar from nothing is certainly a costly adventure. my first problem is keeping it stocked. We bought a fifth of crown tonight as a matter of fact, but i dont work tomorrow so we will see if it lasts

[TheBeerLady]

If your budget is like me, you're going to have to build your bar a little at a time, and one easy way to do that is to make a list of your 3 or so favorite cocktails. Start with whatever you need to make those, and then branch out. I'm still stocking my bar (probably will be forever), and I just try to add something new when I have a little extra money in my pocket.

I'm a vodka fan, but it's hard for me to pick a favorite. Grey Goose is very smooth, and Absolut is always a good choice. If it's available in your area, try out one called Fox - it's actually made in Kansas, which I would never have believed. Taste wise, it's very comparable to Grey Goose, but not nearly as pricey. If you can invest a little more money, definitely try Hangar One!

Tequila - if you're just going to mix margaritas, almost any brand will do, but pick one that's 100% blue agave. If you'd like to sip a nice smooth tequila, though, look for a reposada or an anejo - these are aged tequilas. For what it's worth, reposadas are the best selling tequilas in Mexico (and I figure they should know what a tequila is supposed to taste like). Don't worry about the "gold" and "silver" nonsense - both are just unaged tequilas (no more than 60 days, and in stainless steel tanks), the gold is just colored to look different.

Rum - I don't drink a lot of rum, so I don't know that I have a particular brand I'd recommend. I've got both Bacardi and Captain Morgan here at home. I don't think either would be a rum aficionados top choice, but they both make respectable drinks LOL. I recently got to try the two new Tommy Bahama rums, and they were both good. Very smooth. I preferred Golden Sun to White Sand, but I like the dark rums anyway. If you can find it on sale, it's a good choice, but it's can be a little more expensive.

[Infinity]

As a college student I would agree with BeerLady, build the bar a little at a time and eventually you will have a fully stocked bar.

Vodka - Skyy (I also have great reactions with Skyy Melon and Skyy Vanilla)
Whiskey - Crown and Jack Daniels
Gin - Tanqueray (I get better reactions with this than Beefeaters)
Tequila - Sauza Silver (or any decent silver tequila)
Rum - Bacardi Superior and Cpt. Morgan's (for flavored rum I prefer Cruzan, especially for coconut)
Cognac - HenesseyVS (haven't tried anything else)

It is also a good idea to have a few liqueurs as well such as Triple Sec, Razzmatazz, Midori or Melon Schnapps, and perhaps some puckers for startup

[jimimac]

vodka-Smirnoff Just won a blind tasting award
rum-Sailor Jerry
cognac-You gotta spend some dough to get decent cognac
brandy-Christian Brothers
Bourbon- Elijah Craig 12 year old
Scotch- glenlivet
Tequila- Sauza
Canadian- Pendelton
Gin- Bombay Saphire
Alcoholic Mixers- Sweet & Dry Vermouth, Triple Sec, Apple Pucker, Peach Schnapps...
Pick up a good Sweet & Sour concentrate to have around the house for a variety of cocktails. Fresh citrus and a juice squeezer is always a nice touch.

[mikado]

thanks for the replies, and @ jimimac couvassier(sp?) is a cognac that i consider pretty good, and its only $25 i believe

[TheBeerLady]

For what it's worth, I just tried a new tequila (or new to me anyway) - Leyenda de Milagro reposado. Man, that stuff was SMOOTH!