| ITEM |
DREAM BAR |
REASON |
THRIFT BAR |
REASON |
| Vodka |
Sundsvall |
Exceptional aromatics, firm wet stone palate, complex |
Gordon’s |
Domestic, yet copper pot distilled |
| Bourbon |
A. H. Hirsch 16 year old Pot Stilled |
Only true pot-distilled Bourbon currently available |
Old Fitzgerald 8 year old 1849 Straight Bourbon |
Classic Bourbon profile matches that of brands at twice the price |
| Tennessee Whiskey |
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel |
Benchmark for the style |
George Dickel Black Label |
First rate, but often overlooked sippin’ whiskey |
| Rye |
Old Rip Van Winkle 13 year Straight Rye |
Uncompromising Rye palate for true enthusiasts |
Rittenhouse Rye |
Good Rye, great price |
| White Rum |
Rhum Chauvet (Martinique) |
Distinctive floral bouquet, great mixer |
Cruzan Virgin Islands White Rum |
Light-bodied, yet still rum instead of de facto vodka |
| Dark Rum |
St. James Millesime Rhum |
Complex, XO Cognac-like palate, truly amazing |
Ron Matusalem Classic Black Rum |
Old line Cuban brand, aged and bottled in Florida, good value for the money |
| Gin |
Plymouth Original Dry Gin |
Classic Dry Gin flavor profile |
Gordon’s London Dry Gin |
Domestic, yet copper pot distilled |
| Blended Scotch |
Johnny Walker Gold Label |
Lush, complex palate |
Famous Grouse |
Leading Blended Scotch in Britain, relatively unknown in US |
| Single Malt Scotch |
Bowmore 30 year old |
Because your snobby friends have already had Macallan 25 year old |
Aberlour 10 year old Highland |
Consistently the best choice for $20 or less |
| Irish Whiskey |
Midleton 1995 Very Rare |
Vintage dated first still run nectar of the gods |
Power’s Gold Label |
#1 choice in Dublin pubs, note the pot still character |
| Tequila |
Herradura Seleccion Suprema |
La crema de la crema de la agave azul |
El Toro Gold |
Complex, compact texture, under $10, good mixer, can't beat it with a piña |
| Brandy |
Kelt Petra, Tour du Monde |
This is what the Masters of the Universe are drinking |
Monarch California Brandy |
Remarkably smooth palate, under $8 |
| Vintage Port |
Dow 1945 Vintage |
Hugh Johnson says at peak, we agree |
Quady 1990 Starboard Port |
California's best |
| Tawny Port |
Taylor 30 year old Tawny |
Perfect flavor profile of nuts and dried fruit |
Ficklin 10 year old Tawny |
Dead ringer for top quality Portuguese Tawny |
| Fino Sherry |
Hidalgo Fino Superior, El Cuadrado |
Crisp, dry with hint of almonds. Perfect apéritif |
Lustau Jarana Fino |
Mass produced, but excellent quality, widely distributed |
| Oloroso Sherry |
Osborne Rare Oloroso Amoroso |
Lush, concentrated notes of raisin, dates, almonds and Spanish sunlight |
Barbadillo Very Old Oloroso |
Consistent quality, great value for under $15 |
| Peach Liquor |
Blanca de Navarra Peach |
Very ripe fruit notes, perfectly balanced |
Southern Comfort |
Back bar staple |
| Coffee Liquor |
Kahlúa |
Benchmark for the style |
Sambrosa |
Pretty good knock-off |
| Triple Sec |
Luxardo Triplum Triple Sec (Italy) |
Made from the "Golden Apples" of Greek mythology |
Marie Brizzard Triple Sec |
Good quality, reasonable price |
| Amaretto |
Amaretto di Saronno |
The original, and still the best |
Amaretto di Amore |
Pretty good, and half the price of Amaretto di Saronno |
| White Vermouth |
Carpano Punt e Mes |
Fresh-tasting, first-rate Italian brand |
Quady Vya Extra Dry |
Pretty good interpretation of the style |
| Red Table Wine |
Opus One 1989 |
Instant brand recognition, immediate peer envy and it even tastes really good |
California Petit Sirah, Parducci, Concannon, Bogle, most others |
Underappreciated, underpriced grape has complex, spicy palate and early maturity, go 2-4 years |
| White Table Wine |
Servin "Bougros" Gran Cru Chablis 1996 |
Top rated (97 points) Chablis from Burgundy |
Napa Ridge, Gallo Sonoma |
California Chardonnays with real gumption for less that $20 |
| Sparkling Wine |
Beaumont des Crayeres Nostalgie Brut 1990 Vintage |
Crisp, refreshing fruit flavors with subtle backnote of toasty yeast. Not just the same old Dom |
Cavas Lavernoya Primerisimo, Lacrima Baccus Grand Cuvée, Brut Cava, NV |
Top Spanish sparkler (90 points), under $20, good deal, as are most other Spanish bubblies |
| Domestic Pilsner Beer |
Rolling Rock |
"Bucket 'o Rocks" was best bar promotion of the decade |
Miller High Life |
Retro beer for a retro world |
| Domestic Light Beer |
Point Light Lager |
You can actually taste the hops |
Coors Light |
Crisp, clean, harmless |
| Domestic Craft Beer |
Capital Blonde Dopplebock |
From Wisconsin, it's what the angels drink after work |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
Good, consistent, widely available |
| Imported Beer |
Fuller's ESB Ale |
As good as ale gets |
Negra Modelo Dark Lager |
The best non-craft dark lager in the Americas, value priced too |
| Bitters |
Angostura |
The benchmark bitters |
Angostura |
No real substitute |
| Sweetened Lime Juice |
Key West |
Distinctive and different |
Rose’s |
The benchmark lime juice |
| Grenadine Syrup |
Homemade from pomegranate juice |
When you make it yourself you can adjust the sometimes cloying sweetness |
DaVinci Grenadine |
All natural, less than $10 |
| Bar Syrup |
Homemade |
Fresh is better |
Homemade |
Fresh is cheaper, and better |
| Tomato Juice |
Fresh, vine-ripened |
Fresh is still better |
Organic from the supermarket cooler |
Canned tomato juice is fit for penal institute inmates |
| Orange Juice |
Fresh squeezed Spanish blood oranges |
Unique Mirmosas, killer Screwdrivers |
Fresh squeezed supermarket orange juice |
Cheap luxury, indulge yourself |
| Club Soda |
Real (no CO2 cylinder) seltzer bottle |
If it was good enough for both James Bond and the Three Stooges… |
Canada Dry |
The Rat Pack brand of choice |
| Tonic Water |
Schweppes |
The original |
Seagram’s |
Decent quinine bite |
| Ginger Ale |
Blenheim |
South Carolina original, regular and "hot" |
Canada Dry |
The bootlegger brand of choice |
| Lemon-Lime Soda |
7-Up |
The Uncola is still unmatched |
Sprite |
Adequate mixer |
| Cola |
Coca-Cola |
It’s the real thing |
Pepsi-Cola |
Adequate mixer |
| Coarse Salt |
Sea salt from France or Italy |
Salt with character for Margaritas and Bloody Marys |
Kosher salt |
Salt with character, yet relatively inexpensive |
| Hot Pepper Sauce |
Endorphin Rush |
Very, very, very hot |
Tabasco Sauce |
Always available, always good |
| No. 8 Green Olives |
Fresh Greek |
Available in bulk from your local Greek fruit market |
Collins Green Olives |
Standard bar brand available in most liquor stores, adequate |
| Pearl Onions |
Fresh |
Fresh is always better |
Collins Pearl Onions |
Standard bar brand available in most liquor stores, adequate |
| Whole Maraschino Cherries |
La Cigalette En Provence |
Top brand from the south of France |
CherryMan Maraschino Cherries |
Most domestic Maraschino cherries come from CherryMan |
| Celery Salt |
Kosher celery salt |
You were expecting Morton's maybe? |
McCormick Celery Salt |
Good for hot dogs, adequate for drinks |
