Spirits for Cocktails: A Guide From Gin to Brandy

This spirits guide for cocktails covers the six families you will meet behind any bar: gin, vodka, rum, tequila and mezcal, whisky, and brandy. For each one you will learn what it is made from, how it tastes, what the label tells you and which drinks it is best for. Read it once and the back bar will stop looking like a wall of strange names.

Every spirit is made in two steps. First, a plant or grain is turned into a weak alcoholic liquid, like a beer or a wine. Second, that liquid is distilled, which means heated so the alcohol rises as vapour and is caught and cooled again. What you start with and what you do after distilling decide the style. Some spirits are bottled clear. Some rest in wooden barrels and take on colour and flavour from the wood.

You do not need to memorise brands. You need to know the families, because a recipe that says "gin" or "rum" nearly always means a style, and the style matters more than the name on the bottle.

How to read any spirit label

A label is a small instruction sheet. Read it in this order.

The category. Words like gin, rum, tequila, bourbon or brandy tell you what is inside. In many countries the law sets what a category word may mean, so a bottle that says "tequila" must follow the rules of tequila. The rules differ from country to country. Check the body that sets them where you live.
The style. London Dry, blanco, añejo, single malt, VSOP. These words tell you how the spirit was made or aged.
The strength. Written as ABV (alcohol by volume, a percentage) or as proof. Strength changes how a spirit behaves in a drink. A higher-strength spirit tastes stronger after the same shake and needs a little more water.
The age, if any. An age statement usually refers to the youngest spirit in the bottle. Ageing happens in wood, so a clear spirit has often had no ageing, or has been filtered to remove colour.
The producer and place. A named distillery is a good sign. It means someone is willing to put a name to the liquid.

Be careful with words like "premium", "small batch" and "handcrafted". They have no fixed meaning on their own. Look for a style name and a producer instead.

Colour is not a reliable guide. A clear rum may have spent years in a barrel, and a dark rum may be coloured with caramel. This surprises almost everyone the first time.

Gin: juniper, styles and the drinks

Gin is a neutral spirit flavoured with botanicals, and juniper must lead. Other botanicals might be coriander seed, citrus peel, angelica root, orris, cardamom or flowers. The distiller picks them and the result is a fingerprint.

The main styles:

London Dry. Dry, juniper-led, crisp and clean. Nothing is added after distilling except water. This is the default for Martinis, Gimlets and Gin and Tonics.
Plymouth. A softer, slightly earthier style with a gentle finish.
Old Tom. A sweeter, older style. It sits between London Dry and the sweet gins of the past, and it makes a rounder Collins or Martinez.
Contemporary or new-western gins. Juniper is still there, but another botanical, such as cucumber, rose or citrus, leads.
Genever. An older Dutch and Belgian spirit that is malty, closer to whisky. It is not the same thing as gin, though gin comes from it.

To learn the difference in practice, read London Dry vs Old Tom gin: the difference in the glass. A good rule: if the drink is dry and spirit-forward, such as a Martini, choose a London Dry. If the drink has citrus and sugar and you want a softer feel, an Old Tom is a fine choice.

Classic gin drinks: Martini, Negroni, Gimlet, Tom Collins, Bee's Knees, Gin and Tonic.

Vodka: what neutral brings

Vodka is made to be as neutral as possible. It can be distilled from grain, potato, grapes or other sources. After distilling it is filtered and often distilled several times.

Neutral does not mean "the same". Grain vodkas can taste clean and slightly sweet. Potato vodkas often feel fuller on the tongue. Grape vodkas can taste a little soft and fruity. The difference is small but real when you taste the spirit cold and by itself.

What vodka does in a drink is simple. It adds alcohol and body, and it gets out of the way. That makes it a good choice when another ingredient should lead: coffee in an Espresso Martini, ginger beer in a Moscow Mule, tomato in a Bloody Mary, cranberry and lime in a Cosmopolitan.

Two practical tips. First, do not spend a lot on vodka for mixing. A clean, mid-priced bottle is enough, and the rest of your budget goes further on fresh citrus and good ice. Second, if a drink tastes flat and boozy, the problem is rarely the vodka. It is usually the dilution or the balance.

A common problem with the best-known vodka drink is flat foam. See Espresso Martini with no crema: why and how to fix it. The fix is fresh coffee, a hard shake and a double strain.

Rum and cachaça: molasses, cane and colour

Rum is made from sugar cane. There are two big routes. Most rum is made from molasses, the thick syrup left after sugar is boiled out. Some, called rhum agricole in the French islands, is made from fresh cane juice and tastes grassy and bright. Cachaça, the spirit of Brazil, is also made from fresh cane juice, which sets it apart from most rum.

Styles you will see:

White rum. Light, clean and often aged briefly and filtered. It is the base for the Daiquiri and the Mojito.
Gold rum. Aged in barrel for longer, with some oak and caramel notes.
Dark rum. Heavier, with deeper molasses and baking spice. Use it in a Dark and Stormy or a tiki drink.
Spiced rum. Rum flavoured with spices. Sweeter, so adjust any added sugar.
Jamaican, Spanish-style and agricole. Different traditions. Jamaican rum is strong in flavour, with fruity "funk". Spanish-style rum is lighter and smoother. Agricole is grassy.

For the idea that colour is not age, read white, gold and dark rum: what the colour tells you. For Brazil's spirit, read cachaça vs rum: what makes it different.

Classic rum drinks: Daiquiri, Mojito, Mai Tai, Dark and Stormy, Caipirinha (with cachaça).

Tequila and mezcal: agave and smoke

Tequila and mezcal both come from agave, a desert plant. The heart of the plant, called the piña, is cooked and its sugars are fermented and distilled.

Tequila is made from blue agave in the places the law allows. The best bottles say "100 percent agave" on the label. If they do not, the spirit includes other sugars and the flavour is usually thinner. The ageing words:

Blanco or silver. Unaged or rested very briefly. Bright, peppery and green.
Reposado. "Rested" in oak for a short time. Smoother, with a little vanilla.
Añejo. "Aged" longer in oak. Rounder and darker, closer to a light whisky.

Mezcal can be made from many kinds of agave. Many mezcals cook the piña in a pit with wood, which gives the smoke. That smoke is why mezcal tastes different from tequila.

Look for the producer's registration number on tequila bottles. In Mexico it is called the NOM, and it identifies the distillery. It is a way to find out who made the liquid.

For a Margarita, a blanco is the usual choice because it keeps the drink bright. Aged tequila is better sipped or stirred. See blanco, reposado or añejo: which tequila for a Margarita for the full answer.

Classic agave drinks: Margarita, Paloma, Tommy's Margarita, Mezcal Negroni.

Whisky: bourbon, rye, Scotch and the rest

Whisky is made from grain, distilled and aged in wood. The grain, the country and the barrel all change the result. The spelling varies: Scotch, Canadian and Japanese labels say "whisky", and American and Irish ones usually say "whiskey". Both mean the same family.

Bourbon. An American whiskey made mostly from corn. Sweet, with caramel and vanilla. Mixes beautifully in sours and Old Fashioneds.
Rye. Made mostly from rye grain. Spicier and drier. It is the traditional choice for a Manhattan.
Scotch. Made in Scotland. Single malt comes from one distillery and is made from malted barley. Blended Scotch mixes malt and grain whiskies. Some Scotch is peated, which gives smoke.
Irish whiskey. Often smooth and light, good in coffee drinks and highballs.
Japanese whisky. Usually delicate and balanced, popular in highballs.

When a recipe says "whiskey" without a type, think about what the other ingredients are doing. A bourbon is rounder. A rye cuts through sweetness. The article bourbon vs rye in an Old Fashioned walks through the same drink made both ways.

Whisky is often tasted with a drop of water. Water opens the aroma and lets you find the notes. That is also what dilution does inside a cocktail.

Classic whisky drinks: Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour, Mint Julep, Rob Roy, Highball.

Brandy: Cognac, Armagnac, pisco and apple

Brandy is a spirit distilled from fruit, most often grapes. Most are aged in oak.

Cognac. Grape brandy from the Cognac region of France, double-distilled in copper pot stills. Elegant and fruity.
Armagnac. From another region of France, distilled in a different way. Often rustic and richer.
Pisco. A grape spirit from Peru and Chile. Often unaged or rested in neutral vessels, so the grape character stays bright.
Calvados and apple brandy. Distilled from apples. Good in a Jack Rose or a Sidecar twist.

You will see letters on French bottles: VS, VSOP and XO. They tell you the minimum age. VS is youngest and is fine for mixing. VSOP is older and a good all-round choice. XO is older still and better for sipping. For cocktails, the cheaper bottle often does the job. See VS, VSOP and XO Cognac for cocktails for the reasoning.

Classic brandy drinks: Sidecar, Pisco Sour, Brandy Alexander, Vieux Carré, Jack Rose.

A worked example: one drink, three spirits

Take a simple sour: 60 ml (2 oz) spirit, 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lemon juice, 22 ml (0.75 oz) simple syrup, shaken with ice and strained.

Make it with a London Dry gin. It is crisp and green, with a juniper edge. Make it with bourbon. It becomes round and warm, with vanilla and caramel. Make it with a blanco tequila (swap lemon for lime). It turns peppery and bright.

The recipe is the same. The spirit shifts the drink. When you taste all three side by side, you learn more about each spirit than from any label.

Common mistakes

Buying by price alone. A very expensive bottle in a mixed drink is usually wasted. A very cheap one may taste harsh. A fair mid-priced bottle is the sweet spot.
Ignoring the style word. "Gin" is not one thing. "Rum" is not one thing. Match the style to the drink.
Thinking colour equals age or quality. It does not.
Storing bottles in sun. Heat and light flatten flavour over time. Keep bottles upright, in a cool place.
Not measuring. If you free pour, a strong spirit hides the mistake until the third drink. Use a jigger.
Forgetting the guest. Spirits are strong. Offer water and food, and never push drinks on anyone.

Questions people ask

Which spirit should I buy first?

Start with the spirit in the drink you most want to make. If you do not know yet, a London Dry gin, a bourbon or rye, a white rum and a blanco tequila cover most classics.

Is expensive spirit better for cocktails?

Not always. In a mixed drink, other ingredients cover subtle notes. Spend on bottles you will sip. Choose a solid mid-priced bottle for mixing.

What does proof mean?

Proof is another way to state strength. Different countries use different scales, so read the ABV printed on the label.

Do spirits go bad?

A sealed or closed bottle of spirit keeps for a very long time. Over years, an opened bottle that is mostly empty can slowly lose flavour because of the air inside. Keep bottles closed and upright.

How do I drink responsibly when I am learning spirits?

Taste in small amounts, add water to dilute, and eat while you taste. Do not drive after drinking. The legal limits and drinking age are set by the laws where you live.

Learn this in five minutes

The track "Blanco to Añejo and Smoke" teaches you to read a tequila or mezcal label, tell blanco from añejo and understand where the smoke comes from. Each lesson takes about five minutes and ends with something you can taste or make tonight.