Workhorse Spirits for Your Home Bar

It can be a challenge to find base spirits of a high enough quality to make good cocktails and a low enough price to make them often. I hope this list of recommended ingredients will help you get started!

The particular ones I've included are mixologically versatile, of good quality, and inexpensive by the standards of their respective categories (the target is always the $25-$35 per bottle price range, inching up to $40 for brandy and mezcal). They're also reliably available outside of greater Boston; if you'd like to know more about spirits specific to New England, visit our "Drink Local" page.

This list grew out of a blog post on bar staples back in 2016. It will continue to evolve as prices change and new products become available or old ones cease to be, so be sure to keep checking back!

Apple Brandy
Laird's Straight Apple Brandy

Brandy (detailed breakdown here)
Courvoisier VS (VSOP if you’re splurging)
St. Remy VSOP

Gin
Slightly Drier - Beefeater
Slightly Sweeter - Plymouth
Slightly More Citrus-Forward - Citadelle

Mezcal
Wahaka Joven Espadín

Rum
Unaged - Privateer New England White
Filtered Lightly Aged - Flor de Caña 4-Year White
Lightly Aged - Rhum Barbancourt 3-Star 4-Year-Old
Moderately Aged - Mount Gay Black Barrel
Aged Jamaican - Appleton Estate Signature
Jamaican Black - Hamilton Pot Still Black
Demerara - Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum
151-Proof Demerara - Lemon Hart 151

Tequila
Blanco, Reposado, or Añejo - Espolòn

Sherry
Lustau Amontillado

Whiskey
Bourbon - Old Forrester, Buffalo Trace
Rye - Wild Turkey, Rittenhouse
Blended Scotch - Monkey Shoulder

Vermouth
Sweet, Dry, or Blanc - Dolin

Vodka
Tito's