What's up my friends! I hope you will enjoy the selection I made for this video! But again, this is not really about the brands. It's mostly about the kind of spirits I think you need to build a home bar. Making this kind of video, it's hard not to point out some specific products so hopefully you will find I picked some nice ones. Cheers! P.S. No vodka was poured during this video... simply because I don't feel it is essential unless you really like it.
Thanks a lot mate! Glad to hear you like the adaptation because there will be more in a near futur. I have two vids in the bank at that set and then, new set again. 🤪
JEAN-FELIX!!!! I often wonder how great bartenders start their own bars!!! Question answered!!! Although I'm surprised at the omission of Vodka, I kind of get it based on your palate, from what I can see. Great video!!!! CHEERS!!!
Thanks man! I knew I would shock some with that. Maybe I should have said it in the video but the fact that vodka was not a thing during golden age of cocktails and because I think one trying to start making cocktails at home will probably start with the classics, I didn’t include a spirit that will not be required much often.
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks I've always thought vodka is just fire water added to get you more drunk, not for the flavour of the cocktail 🤷♀️ if it’s not the only alcoholic ingredient, you could basically replace it with water, or just leave it out. Not quite sure which is better for the flavour profile. Even if it is the only alcoholic ingredient, you can probably just leave it out and enjoy a mocktail without losing much. I might be wrong, do correct me if it’s essential in some cocktails, but I just don’t see the point of plain vodka, personally. Infusions and flavoured vodka is obviously completely different!
Was a bit surprised to see four bottles of rum, but no vodka. On the other hand, as a former strictly whisky drinker slowly discovering the world of cocktails I really like the rums.
If you are in France watch out for COMPAGNIE DES INDES Rums, they are an independent Bottler. Try the Tricorne Blend as a light rum. Its my favorite for mixing.
I live in France, and I confirm that no Rye Whisky is available, in shop or online. I also tried to order from Spain (there are big online shops, and generally much cheaper than in France except for whisky and French alcohols), but there is no Rye Whishy available. I think that the demand is so high in America that brands don't want to export in Europe.
Hi, nice video! Regarding rums, a Jamaican one is a must have, in my opinion. It’s essential for iconic cocktails like Mai Tai, Zombie, Ancient Mariner etc. Now, I wouldn’t go for a Hampden, 78€ in the country I live, but for an Appleton 8 Y, 40€, which is not as funky as Hampden, but is a great mixer and sipper as well. My other must have rum is a Demerara one. Coffee and caramel aromas that make them special. El Dorado 12 is great value for money, for mixing and sipping too. If I had to keep strictly 4 bottles in my bar, I would skip the Agricole…I don’t like them at all, and I replace them with a light white rum in every recipe…but that’s just me.
Hi JF, living in a rural area in Germany, I can totally relate to you not getting any Rye whisky! It's really is a shame...it's even tough to find a nice bourbon. I don't know how this works in France, but in Germany the solution ist to order online. For single bottles Amazon works quite well. And there are also A LOT of liquor store who sell online. For me, that's he only way of getting some quality spirits without having to drive one hour or so...
Hello !! You are living in France now? I have started to watch your channel yesterday because I'm tired of not so good quality cocktail I get where I live. I love everything about your channel, so nice to find a RUclipsr the same size as me that does a content that I enjoy so much! I was seeing you speaking about Bordeaux in another video. It's my home town, do you live there? Cheers!
Salut Benjamin. Merci pour les bons mots! Je suis effectivement sur Bordeaux mais pour combien de temps encore.... on ne sait ps. Pour être honnête, le 9 juillet nous devons quitter l’appartement où nous sommes et n’avons tjrs pas trouvé où aller ensuite. C’est très compliqué déjà pour un Bordelais de se loger à Bordeaux... pour un Canadien avec un visa et qui n’est ps fiscalisé en France... c’est un CAUCHEMAR! Donc si tu connais quelqu’un qui peut louer son appart à un cas social comme moi... fais moi signe 😆
2023 August... J-F , it sounds like you know your spirits. I bought my bottles years ago, when the price was reasonable. I feel sorry for the new folks starting out, easy to spend big money on liquids, glasses & supplies in the states. Great presentation 🍷🍸🍹🧉
While in Paris a bartender gave me a booklet cataloguing all the spirits available in France and locations where they can be purchased. I'm sure you can find a bar willing to part with a copy.
Cosmo, mule, vodka martini, Russian... I feel like there are plenty of reasons to include vodka. Especially considering how cheap it is to get a decent one.
I would suggest La Maison Du Whisky if you were looking for a rye (Rit 100 is out of stock at the moment). In France you may be able to order from some of the German sites (I can use neither without import charges to the UK nowadays). I second all the comments about adding bitters to your list and look forward to another video on it!
Europe welcomes you :) and our massive choice of alcohols! Thanks for the essentials, I hope you will make a video about liquors and other 'special' additives - there are so many, I'm lost a bit. Of course, as all comments below - missing vodka is kind of sad...especially for polish viewer - try one of our many 'craft' vodkas and you will love them :) I can also recommend to search for European local spirits and be creative with them - we have great meads in Poland for instance.
As vodka is supposed to be a neutral spirit, what differentiates a craft vodka from something else? As far as I know, all plain vodka is just alcohol that burns less or more depending on the quality, better quality is just smoother fire water? This is a genuine question, I'm not just trying to say they’re all the same, I'm genuinely curious about your expertise here!
@@JasminMiettunen Most of the common brands try to be as neutral as possible and I think that is the main difference to crafted ones. They usually got light flavour notes such as vanilla, weed, rye or so
@@JasminMiettunen depending on destilled product which vodka is made from it could be sweeter or have more 'bread notes'. You can try craft potato vodka compared with mass produced. It is much more complex :)
@@malwinakob3460 that’s interesting, and now that you remind me, I have heard that what they’re made from does affect the taste, to there must be some taste there even if I don’t have enough experience to identify it! What kinds of brands would be considered craft? The word craft makes me think they would be small brands not available abroad, maybe I should check out some Finnish made vodkas.
Thanks a lot for your advices! C'est tellement vrai qu'il est difficile d'avoir du rye via nos fournisseurs. Pour ce qui est des rhums, le rhum agricole est un indispensable en France, uniquement pour les ti punchs. Tu as réussi à me faire changer d'avis sur le beefeater que j'avais mis de côté. Merci, super vidéo 👍
Hey Fabien! Bien content de savoir que tu es prêt à adopter le Beefeater. Les big brands sont souvent associé à mauvaise qualité mais ce n’est ps tjrs vrai. Cheers
For rum I think you also need a Guyana. I like Hamilton 86 or Eldorado 8 or 12. Without a Guyana rum there's a couple classic tiki drinks you aren't going to be able to make, including the Painkiller- which is a real crowd pleaser. For agave I think you need a Blanco tequila, a reposdado, a low smoke mezcal and a high smoke mezcal. If you can only pick one, I'd go with just a good reposado. Punt e mes is nice, but cocchi di torrino is my favorite- also I can buy it in a 350ml bottle. For modifiers I think luxardo maraschino and an absinthe are pretty essential.
Jean-Felix I just watched this video now from a few months ago. It's excellent for anyone wanting to stock a home bar! Cheers! :-) P.S. I am glad you found a source for Rye! I have seen some awesome videos that you have made since this video so you must have found a great place to get American Rye! I am in Vancouver so being a Canadian I always want to recommend LOT 40 if you can find it! It's fabulous Canadian Rye! 🙂
May I suggest a new rye you might not have tried before. I just found this one for myself the other week and it is fantastic. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Whistlepig you will not be dissapointed!
Beefeater Gin is ok but Bombay is the Cadillac of Gin's. In my opinion. Flavor wise Bombay is an explosion of flavor while the beefeater is watered down.
Nicely done buying all these bottles and immediately putting them in a video so you can write them off 😉😉. (TBH I have no idea what France’s tax laws are but I hope you can write them off 😂)
Thank you for excellent rum suggestions! Absolutely agree regarding Cointreau. I would first pick Cointreau as the most versatile. I found that you can't use something else in gin cocktails that call for Cointreau for example. For vodka in vodka martini or such let me humbly suggest Beluga since it's incredibly smooth but still has that vodka note which some might expect :D For those open to experiments, I'd suggest trying Polugar and then some adequately priced vodka for shaken cocktails.
Beluga is great, but it's pricey imo. For little less money and still very good quality, I would go for the grey goose or the belvédère (especially in France, since they're French)
Nice vid dude, as usual. Would have loved to hear more about bitters. Those are pretty expensive and small bottles and I’m always hesitant to try any other than Angustora. Im quite tempted with the fernet to replicate your banana old fashioned but not sure how useful it can be for further home cocktails/non pro bartenders. Would Peychaud be safest choice?
I don't know what it is but I've been destroying my bottle of Martini & Rossi Rosso. 2oz, a splash of triple sec or one slice of lemon if I wanna mix it up but mostly stirred and chilled .
No Angostura bitters? I know it is something that you might not even bother with when starting your own bar, but the moment you try it in a cocktail its such a game changer. I cant imagine my modest home bar without it any more.
I was debating whether or not I should include bitters in the video and when I realized this video will already be close to 20 minutes, I decided I would make a full video about bitters. But you are right, Angostura is essential. Cheers!
I totally stick to youre choice of spirits 👍🏻 and yet there are so many others to mention: Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Bookers Bourbon, Compagnie des Indes Tricorne, Revolte from Germany, Burkes by Rum Artesanal, Forsyths White WPE by Velier, El Dorado >12yrs, Appleton Estate >12yrs, Sea Master by RA, Smith & Cross, Don Julio (all types), Del Maguey (the Vida is nice as basic), Mezcal Lokal (it's a Pechuga Mezcal with a nice funky taste), Mancino Vermouth (the Ambrato and the Chinato), Belsazar (from Germany), Pierre Fernand Dry Curaçao and on and on and on... Holly s*** I need to become a millionaire some how 😁 P.S. I've already read that you were focusing on spirits used for classic cocktails, but I need to mention my favorite Cachaça for Caipirinhas in summer - the Magnifica Traditional ❤️ P.P.S if you are looking for a good marked to get all the spirits you want, you need to come to Germany, we got everything over here, believe me 😉
Just a tip, you might want to separate your recommendations by category or something :) If people reading this haven’t heard of these brands, this might be a confusing comment and feels silly to google all of them one by one!
If you like spirit forward cocktails I’d say Negroni or Boulevardier. If you prefer sour or refreshing drinks, Enzoni or the Camparinha I did on my channel. Cheers
Great vid as always Jean Felix, thanks. The Hampden estate 8 sells in my neighborhood for 71€ and the Appleton estate reserve 8 for 34.5€ and the Appleton Estate extra 12 for 38.5€ - What is so special about the Hamden and is it worth double the price? Please educate me.
It's a single pot still distillate with wild yeast and fermentation. Super funky, lots of hogo and high ABV. It's just delicious. That said, Appelton 12 could do the trick. It's really good and awesome value for money. Cheers!
Can you recommend some cocktails, I want to get out of my comfort zone. my favorite cocktails are the painkiller, sloe gin fizz, Ramon gin. I don't like super sweet drinks like the grasshopper and brandy Alexander.
Great video, thanks for sharing! I too love Rittenhouse Rye, but if you are looking for another excellent rye, I noticed at the 1:27 timestamp in this video (bottle all the way on the left) that the store you went to stocks the Hudson Manhattan Rye from upstate New York. One of my favorite ryes! If you make your way back to that store I think that would be a great choice.
I was wondering if someone would spot it. I'm cought HAHA! I actually didn't consider it tbh. No offense but It was the only american rye there and since I never tried it and because I heard bad things about it, I didn't want to buy it. Next time I see a bottle, I'll try it. Thanks ;)
Super intéressant ! Je suis d’accord à 100% avec le Havana Club 3 ans et Le Plantation 3 Stars est une autre excellente option comme tu l’as mentionné. Côté rhum, en SAQ j’ai bien aimé le Appleton 8 ans et le El Dorado 12 ans comme bons rhums vieillis en bas de 40$. Le Havana Club 7 ans serait une autre bonne option abordable en SAQ. Coté whiskey, je pense qu’en bas de 40$ c’est extrêmement dur de battre le Wild Turkey 101.. 50.5%, bonne dose de Rye.. quoi demander de plus! Sachant qu’on n’a pas de produit Four Roses, malheureusement.. :/ Sinon, parlant de Rye, si je me fie à de nombreux reviews, le Lot 40 m’a l’air de la meilleure option en bas de 40$ au Québec, sinon en bas de 50$ pour un Rye américain qui remplacerait Rittenhouse, Knob Creek Rye et Sazerac sont d’excellents candidats selon moi ;-P Cheers Jean-Félix !!
@@thesherbet that's strange. Never seen anything like that in Ohio. The Plantation stuff is a pretry good sub like he said though. Thr stuff in mexico was just so damn cheap! I got the aged version for 10 usd...
@@mrpipps90 sounds like a good deal, they're around £20 here in the UK. Can definitely recommend Flor de Cana 3yr too though, sorely overlooked but a great equivalent for a light rum
Magique! Merci :) Je ne suis toujours pas habitué à toutes les possibilités pour acheter de l'alcool en France. Au Québec, c'est via la liquor store gouvernementale et c'est tout. J'adore :)
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks la magie d’internet et les possibilités de l’Europe font qu’on peut trouver beaucoup de choses même dans d’autres pays (espagne, allemagne, belgique,…)
Everyone is commenting about vodka (which I mainly use as a preservative for syrups), but what about aromatic bitters? Also would be good to see a followup with additional base spirits beyond the essentials - calvados or applejack, aged tequila, more rum and whiskies...
@@CoffeinCowboy Oh yeah if we go into liqueurs part two, then Maraschino is definitely on the list, and Chartreuse, and a coffee liqueur. I'd also consider absinthe pretty important even if it's just for a rinse.
How do you feel about Four Roses Single Barrel 40% ABV compared to Buffalo Trace 40% ABV and Wild Turkey 101 50% ABV when making cocktails? Is the Four Roses still your recommendation at a lower proof, or would you go for the Wild Turkey for the higher proof?
I think both are great and if you can afford it, buy them both. But if you want only one orange liqueur and looking for the one size fits all kind of bottle, I’d say Cointreau is the right pick.
I tried to explain it in other comments. I tried to focus my choices on what you would need at first when building a home bar and I assumed one getting into cocktails at home will first start with classics. The thing is, at the time when most of the classics were invented, vodka was not really part of the game so I didn’t include it. That said, the best value for money imo is Ketel One for the vodka. Cheers
As a Mexican, the best advice that I can give you is that if you find an "Ñ" on a word, pronounce it as a "ni" (as in "niece"), it is closer to the correct sound that can be alien to you (as the "tl" of the nahuatl words). So, an Añejo Tequila (it's basically "aged"), it would be "anieho". Cheers!
Hi !! I love your channel ! I’m a Bartender in south of France i’d like to know where do you live bro ?? Maybe we can catch up drink some Mezcal Negronis 😏
Hey! Thanks 🙏 no vodka mainly because you don’t see it in most of the classic cocktails … but if I had to pick a good and cheap vodka I’d go with Ketel One
I get that it’s your personal choice about what bottles you want in your bar but leaving out Vodka is a big miss. Google any popular drinks list and there will always be a drink that calls for vodka
You can try to find your fave bottles at Amazon, if you cannot found it on the French one tried it on the Spanish or on the German one...they all have different things and different prices
I'm from Portugal and I buy it, and there isn't even a Portuguese Amazon Just pay attention with the UK because of the taxes but inside the EU it will be kay
You are absolutely right. I’ll make a sequel to that vid with all of what is also essential that I didn’t talk about. Ango will mos definitely be in that vid.
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks The LCBO is unfortunately really limited across the board. Glad to hear that La SAQ can solve my troubles. Gives me another excuse to visit Quebec City!
I must say I always had a bottle of Bulleit rye. Value for money in Quebec, you can hardly do better than that. Sazerac Rye is also a great pick. Cheers!
Salut JF. Chez nous personne aime mes cocktail avec du Campari. Je les fait maintenant avec de l’aperol ou de lamermalade et la famille les aime maintenant. Dans quel region de la France êtes vous. J’espère que vous aimez bien.
Si ça marche pour vous c’est parfait! Je me trompe ou vous avez la dent sucrée? Parce que je trouve tjrs que l’apéro le dans un cocktail qui demande du Campari devient bcp trop sweet à mon goût. 😬 On est à Bordeaux en ce moment
Whats up Bernard. I didn't include vodka on the list for two main reasons. First one, I based most of my selection on what I believe one would need to start a home bar. When startig a home bar, I assume you want to start with classic cocktails. Back to when classics where created, for the most part, vodka was not a thing so the list of cocktails with it is actually very short. Second, I don't use it much often so for me it is not essential to begging with. But of course eventually you need one vodka and my go to is Ketel One. I think value for money it's great... for mixing.
@@komma8203 The standard Grand Marnier (Cordon Rouge), which I asume you are talking about, is a blend of orange liquor and Cognac. That means it has a more specific taste than a regular triple sec like Cointreau. Especially in Tiki drinks that require an orange liquor in my opinion it brings in some notes that won't fit. But there is also a classic triple sec by Grand Marnier, the Cordon Jeune, which is very similar to Cointreau and other triple secs.
Grand Marnier is great! But very different because it has a lot of cognac in it. So it is not going to work well in all scenarios. Cointreau on the other hand is purely orange flavoured neutral spirit. So nothing is distracting
I didn't include it in the video because as I said in other comments, I focus my selection on what to buy when you get into classic cocktails. At the time of the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classics were created, vodka was not a thing really. That's why I didn't include it. That said, my favourite Vodka (value for money) is Ketel One.
You are right, vodka is a thing now. Maybe I should have mentioned it in the video but I ddn't add it to my list because I assumed that when someone wants to start making cocktails at home, one would start with classic cocktails and vodka was not a thing during the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classic were created. But it is so popular now, I feel I will get many thumbs down for that ommission LOL
I knew this would show up in the comments but no, no vodka. In the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classic cocktails were created, vodka was not a thing. So when you start with cocktails, I assume you start with classics so I didn't include a spirit that wasn't going to be used much. I know I added Mezcal though... what you want, I feel Mezcal deserve more consideration LOL
What's up my friends! I hope you will enjoy the selection I made for this video! But again, this is not really about the brands. It's mostly about the kind of spirits I think you need to build a home bar. Making this kind of video, it's hard not to point out some specific products so hopefully you will find I picked some nice ones. Cheers! P.S. No vodka was poured during this video... simply because I don't feel it is essential unless you really like it.
2 questions, why did you have to leave all your liquor behind, and can I have it (i live in Canada and its hard to get a lot of stuff lol)
Best most informative budget friendly video I've seen, thank you 😊
Loved this vid and your adaptation..!
Thanks a lot mate! Glad to hear you like the adaptation because there will be more in a near futur. I have two vids in the bank at that set and then, new set again. 🤪
Thanks for all of the reasoning behind each bottle selection.
Pleasure! Thanks for watching ; Cheers!
Nice to see this from a European perspective!
JEAN-FELIX!!!! I often wonder how great bartenders start their own bars!!! Question answered!!! Although I'm surprised at the omission of Vodka, I kind of get it based on your palate, from what I can see. Great video!!!! CHEERS!!!
Thanks man! I knew I would shock some with that. Maybe I should have said it in the video but the fact that vodka was not a thing during golden age of cocktails and because I think one trying to start making cocktails at home will probably start with the classics, I didn’t include a spirit that will not be required much often.
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks I've always thought vodka is just fire water added to get you more drunk, not for the flavour of the cocktail 🤷♀️ if it’s not the only alcoholic ingredient, you could basically replace it with water, or just leave it out. Not quite sure which is better for the flavour profile. Even if it is the only alcoholic ingredient, you can probably just leave it out and enjoy a mocktail without losing much.
I might be wrong, do correct me if it’s essential in some cocktails, but I just don’t see the point of plain vodka, personally. Infusions and flavoured vodka is obviously completely different!
An affordable wodka that I often use in cocktails is Danzka! It is relatively smooth and comes in a cool metal bottle!
Was a bit surprised to see four bottles of rum, but no vodka.
On the other hand, as a former strictly whisky drinker slowly discovering the world of cocktails I really like the rums.
If you are in France watch out for COMPAGNIE DES INDES Rums, they are an independent Bottler. Try the Tricorne Blend as a light rum. Its my favorite for mixing.
Awesome! Thanks for the rec. Cheers!
I love CdI 😍 The Boulet de Canon Series is so incredible!!!
I live in France, and I confirm that no Rye Whisky is available, in shop or online. I also tried to order from Spain (there are big online shops, and generally much cheaper than in France except for whisky and French alcohols), but there is no Rye Whishy available. I think that the demand is so high in America that brands don't want to export in Europe.
Hi, nice video! Regarding rums, a Jamaican one is a must have, in my opinion. It’s essential for iconic cocktails like Mai Tai, Zombie, Ancient Mariner etc. Now, I wouldn’t go for a Hampden, 78€ in the country I live, but for an Appleton 8 Y, 40€, which is not as funky as Hampden, but is a great mixer and sipper as well. My other must have rum is a Demerara one. Coffee and caramel aromas that make them special. El Dorado 12 is great value for money, for mixing and sipping too.
If I had to keep strictly 4 bottles in my bar, I would skip the Agricole…I don’t like them at all, and I replace them with a light white rum in every recipe…but that’s just me.
Hi JF, living in a rural area in Germany, I can totally relate to you not getting any Rye whisky! It's really is a shame...it's even tough to find a nice bourbon. I don't know how this works in France, but in Germany the solution ist to order online. For single bottles Amazon works quite well. And there are also A LOT of liquor store who sell online. For me, that's he only way of getting some quality spirits without having to drive one hour or so...
If it also works like that in France I’ll be very happy. Thanks for the insight. I’ll have a look at it. Cheers
DHL makes everything possible 😎
Hello !! You are living in France now? I have started to watch your channel yesterday because I'm tired of not so good quality cocktail I get where I live. I love everything about your channel, so nice to find a RUclipsr the same size as me that does a content that I enjoy so much!
I was seeing you speaking about Bordeaux in another video. It's my home town, do you live there?
Cheers!
The answer was litterally 10s later in the video ahaha
Salut Benjamin. Merci pour les bons mots! Je suis effectivement sur Bordeaux mais pour combien de temps encore.... on ne sait ps. Pour être honnête, le 9 juillet nous devons quitter l’appartement où nous sommes et n’avons tjrs pas trouvé où aller ensuite. C’est très compliqué déjà pour un Bordelais de se loger à Bordeaux... pour un Canadien avec un visa et qui n’est ps fiscalisé en France... c’est un CAUCHEMAR! Donc si tu connais quelqu’un qui peut louer son appart à un cas social comme moi... fais moi signe 😆
Also, how m curious... where do you live now? Cause in Bordeaux the cocktails scene is quite nice
Yessssssssss!!!! I'm def number 1!!!
2023 August... J-F , it sounds like you know your spirits. I bought my bottles years ago, when the price was reasonable. I feel sorry for the new folks starting out, easy to spend big money on liquids, glasses & supplies in the states. Great presentation 🍷🍸🍹🧉
While in Paris a bartender gave me a booklet cataloguing all the spirits available in France and locations where they can be purchased. I'm sure you can find a bar willing to part with a copy.
Good idea ;)
Starting from scratch is always interesting
It is! I haven’t bought that many bottles at once in a very long time. It’s actually super satisfying
Cosmo, mule, vodka martini, Russian... I feel like there are plenty of reasons to include vodka. Especially considering how cheap it is to get a decent one.
Good start! Meanwhile the hundreds of bottles I have now I could have never imagined owning.
Very cool rural space you got there! Would be awesome if you can light up that cabinet, it will make it pop big time!
Great video! Cheers
If I had stayed there for a longer period, I would have make of this the coolest bar shelf possible. But I already left that place.
The video I was waiting from you! Thanx for this info!
Awesome!!! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
Great video for people just starting out. Love the explanation at each step! For sure gonna use this if any friends want to start shaking up drinks.
Thanks Chris. Appreciate that! Cheers!
Antico formula is delicious in its own over the rocks with a wedge of lemon
Agree!
I would suggest La Maison Du Whisky if you were looking for a rye (Rit 100 is out of stock at the moment). In France you may be able to order from some of the German sites (I can use neither without import charges to the UK nowadays).
I second all the comments about adding bitters to your list and look forward to another video on it!
Thanks! I found it at Urban Drink :)
Totally agree on Beefeater gin. It is the flavor I think of when London Dry is called for.
Good video, very informative that you 😊
Europe welcomes you :) and our massive choice of alcohols!
Thanks for the essentials, I hope you will make a video about liquors and other 'special' additives - there are so many, I'm lost a bit.
Of course, as all comments below - missing vodka is kind of sad...especially for polish viewer - try one of our many 'craft' vodkas and you will love them :)
I can also recommend to search for European local spirits and be creative with them - we have great meads in Poland for instance.
As vodka is supposed to be a neutral spirit, what differentiates a craft vodka from something else? As far as I know, all plain vodka is just alcohol that burns less or more depending on the quality, better quality is just smoother fire water? This is a genuine question, I'm not just trying to say they’re all the same, I'm genuinely curious about your expertise here!
@@JasminMiettunen
Most of the common brands try to be as neutral as possible and I think that is the main difference to crafted ones. They usually got light flavour notes such as vanilla, weed, rye or so
@@JasminMiettunen depending on destilled product which vodka is made from it could be sweeter or have more 'bread notes'. You can try craft potato vodka compared with mass produced. It is much more complex :)
@@malwinakob3460 that’s interesting, and now that you remind me, I have heard that what they’re made from does affect the taste, to there must be some taste there even if I don’t have enough experience to identify it! What kinds of brands would be considered craft? The word craft makes me think they would be small brands not available abroad, maybe I should check out some Finnish made vodkas.
@@JasminMiettunen unfortunately usually craft are small destilleries not top big brands. Try to search for ones in your country locally :)
Thanks a lot for your advices! C'est tellement vrai qu'il est difficile d'avoir du rye via nos fournisseurs. Pour ce qui est des rhums, le rhum agricole est un indispensable en France, uniquement pour les ti punchs.
Tu as réussi à me faire changer d'avis sur le beefeater que j'avais mis de côté.
Merci, super vidéo 👍
Hey Fabien! Bien content de savoir que tu es prêt à adopter le Beefeater. Les big brands sont souvent associé à mauvaise qualité mais ce n’est ps tjrs vrai. Cheers
Very interesting Video & choices, but for me a vodka belongs in every home bar
For rum I think you also need a Guyana. I like Hamilton 86 or Eldorado 8 or 12. Without a Guyana rum there's a couple classic tiki drinks you aren't going to be able to make, including the Painkiller- which is a real crowd pleaser. For agave I think you need a Blanco tequila, a reposdado, a low smoke mezcal and a high smoke mezcal. If you can only pick one, I'd go with just a good reposado. Punt e mes is nice, but cocchi di torrino is my favorite- also I can buy it in a 350ml bottle. For modifiers I think luxardo maraschino and an absinthe are pretty essential.
Jean-Felix I just watched this video now from a few months ago. It's excellent for anyone wanting to stock a home bar! Cheers! :-) P.S. I am glad you found a source for Rye! I have seen some awesome videos that you have made since this video so you must have found a great place to get American Rye! I am in Vancouver so being a Canadian I always want to recommend LOT 40 if you can find it! It's fabulous Canadian Rye! 🙂
May I suggest a new rye you might not have tried before. I just found this one for myself the other week and it is fantastic. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Whistlepig you will not be dissapointed!
I wish I could. It was not distributed in Quebec (where I used to live) so I never tried it. I'll keep an eye open for it though. Cheers!
Thank you for a very informative budget friendly video 😊
Shocked you did not go with Hennessy. Good luck on the relocation! Hope things go fantastically for you. Keep the content coming!
Hennessy is still on my top list for sure. Especially for their consistency but H by Hine is a great "cocktail" cognac too at a better price tag.
Gotta say I love your videos, amazing info, entertaining, well shot. Everything!
Good perspective. I'm reloading and can immediately apply 🤘
Beefeater Gin is ok but Bombay is the Cadillac of Gin's. In my opinion. Flavor wise Bombay is an explosion of flavor while the beefeater is watered down.
I agree less water more flavor 😋
Nicely done buying all these bottles and immediately putting them in a video so you can write them off 😉😉. (TBH I have no idea what France’s tax laws are but I hope you can write them off 😂)
HAHAHAHA!!!
Great video! I'm spaniard so there is no problem with the price of cognac, because we use local brandy instead ...
Close enough ;) Cheers and thank you
Thank you for excellent rum suggestions!
Absolutely agree regarding Cointreau. I would first pick Cointreau as the most versatile. I found that you can't use something else in gin cocktails that call for Cointreau for example.
For vodka in vodka martini or such let me humbly suggest Beluga since it's incredibly smooth but still has that vodka note which some might expect :D For those open to experiments, I'd suggest trying Polugar and then some adequately priced vodka for shaken cocktails.
Beluga is great, but it's pricey imo. For little less money and still very good quality, I would go for the grey goose or the belvédère (especially in France, since they're French)
Can you believe I never had Beluga before!
Nice vid dude, as usual. Would have loved to hear more about bitters. Those are pretty expensive and small bottles and I’m always hesitant to try any other than Angustora. Im quite tempted with the fernet to replicate your banana old fashioned but not sure how useful it can be for further home cocktails/non pro bartenders. Would Peychaud be safest choice?
I will make a full video about bitters soon. But yes Peychaud is a logical sequel after Ango since it's used in many classic cocktails
Great video - really loving your channel!
Thanks Jazon! Cheers!
Tequila 8. Wonderful tequila great selection!
Thank you! Cheers!
I don't know what it is but I've been destroying my bottle of Martini & Rossi Rosso. 2oz, a splash of triple sec or one slice of lemon if I wanna mix it up but mostly stirred and chilled .
No Angostura bitters? I know it is something that you might not even bother with when starting your own bar, but the moment you try it in a cocktail its such a game changer. I cant imagine my modest home bar without it any more.
I was debating whether or not I should include bitters in the video and when I realized this video will already be close to 20 minutes, I decided I would make a full video about bitters. But you are right, Angostura is essential. Cheers!
Great content as usual. Thank you for your knowledge and love for booze! Cheers!
Thank you Diego. Really appreciate! Cheers!
FYI, VnB (vin et bière) has bulleit rye whisky 😉 about 45 euros
That’s a good Rye ! 🥃
Thanks! I found Bulleit Rye in a Carrefour last week HAHA!
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks cheers! 🥃
Damn, this one is for me. Thank you, TOTR. Good advices
Awesome! I'm very glad you liked the vid. Cheers!
I totally stick to youre choice of spirits 👍🏻 and yet there are so many others to mention:
Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Bookers Bourbon, Compagnie des Indes Tricorne, Revolte from Germany, Burkes by Rum Artesanal, Forsyths White WPE by Velier, El Dorado >12yrs, Appleton Estate >12yrs, Sea Master by RA, Smith & Cross, Don Julio (all types), Del Maguey (the Vida is nice as basic), Mezcal Lokal (it's a Pechuga Mezcal with a nice funky taste), Mancino Vermouth (the Ambrato and the Chinato), Belsazar (from Germany), Pierre Fernand Dry Curaçao and on and on and on...
Holly s*** I need to become a millionaire some how 😁
P.S. I've already read that you were focusing on spirits used for classic cocktails, but I need to mention my favorite Cachaça for Caipirinhas in summer - the Magnifica Traditional ❤️
P.P.S if you are looking for a good marked to get all the spirits you want, you need to come to Germany, we got everything over here, believe me 😉
Just a tip, you might want to separate your recommendations by category or something :) If people reading this haven’t heard of these brands, this might be a confusing comment and feels silly to google all of them one by one!
Can you imagine the lenght of that video if I had included all the bottles I like HAHA!!!
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks
24h-Live-Streaming on Twitch or so 🤣
It is just so great that today we got these broad range of nice spirits! CHEERS 😉
@@CoffeinCowboy 😂
What would be the best cocktail to try to find out if I love or hate Campari before buying my own bottle?
If you like spirit forward cocktails I’d say Negroni or Boulevardier. If you prefer sour or refreshing drinks, Enzoni or the Camparinha I did on my channel. Cheers
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks thanks! I’ll check them out!
Great vid as always Jean Felix, thanks. The Hampden estate 8 sells in my neighborhood for 71€ and the Appleton estate reserve 8 for 34.5€ and the Appleton Estate extra 12 for 38.5€ - What is so special about the Hamden and is it worth double the price? Please educate me.
It's a single pot still distillate with wild yeast and fermentation. Super funky, lots of hogo and high ABV. It's just delicious. That said, Appelton 12 could do the trick. It's really good and awesome value for money. Cheers!
Can you recommend some cocktails, I want to get out of my comfort zone. my favorite cocktails are the painkiller, sloe gin fizz, Ramon gin. I don't like super sweet drinks like the grasshopper and brandy Alexander.
Great video, thanks for sharing! I too love Rittenhouse Rye, but if you are looking for another excellent rye, I noticed at the 1:27 timestamp in this video (bottle all the way on the left) that the store you went to stocks the Hudson Manhattan Rye from upstate New York. One of my favorite ryes! If you make your way back to that store I think that would be a great choice.
I was wondering if someone would spot it. I'm cought HAHA! I actually didn't consider it tbh. No offense but It was the only american rye there and since I never tried it and because I heard bad things about it, I didn't want to buy it. Next time I see a bottle, I'll try it. Thanks ;)
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks Haha yeah, that makes sense if that's the feedback you received!
Super intéressant ! Je suis d’accord à 100% avec le Havana Club 3 ans et Le Plantation 3 Stars est une autre excellente option comme tu l’as mentionné. Côté rhum, en SAQ j’ai bien aimé le Appleton 8 ans et le El Dorado 12 ans comme bons rhums vieillis en bas de 40$. Le Havana Club 7 ans serait une autre bonne option abordable en SAQ. Coté whiskey, je pense qu’en bas de 40$ c’est extrêmement dur de battre le Wild Turkey 101.. 50.5%, bonne dose de Rye.. quoi demander de plus! Sachant qu’on n’a pas de produit Four Roses, malheureusement.. :/ Sinon, parlant de Rye, si je me fie à de nombreux reviews, le Lot 40 m’a l’air de la meilleure option en bas de 40$ au Québec, sinon en bas de 50$ pour un Rye américain qui remplacerait Rittenhouse, Knob Creek Rye et Sazerac sont d’excellents candidats selon moi ;-P Cheers Jean-Félix !!
J'approuve ;)
God I wish Havana Club wad available in the states. It blew me away when I was in Mexico.
I feel you! It is a wonderful and tasty juice!
i found some in a liquor store in Jersey City when i was over there a couple years ago but its a Mexican-made version, pretty close though!
@@thesherbet that's strange. Never seen anything like that in Ohio. The Plantation stuff is a pretry good sub like he said though. Thr stuff in mexico was just so damn cheap! I got the aged version for 10 usd...
@@mrpipps90 sounds like a good deal, they're around £20 here in the UK.
Can definitely recommend Flor de Cana 3yr too though, sorely overlooked but a great equivalent for a light rum
@@thesherbet flor de cana is available in the states but not in the state I live in... :(
Good choice 👌👍
Salut, pour info sur urban drinks on peut trouver le rittenhouse !
Magique! Merci :) Je ne suis toujours pas habitué à toutes les possibilités pour acheter de l'alcool en France. Au Québec, c'est via la liquor store gouvernementale et c'est tout. J'adore :)
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks la magie d’internet et les possibilités de l’Europe font qu’on peut trouver beaucoup de choses même dans d’autres pays (espagne, allemagne, belgique,…)
@@olivierm9777 merci bcp d’avoir porté ça à mon attention. Ça risque de me coûter cher maintenant 😂
I can't imagine not liking Campari
Big move! Nice place :) When you find that bottle of Rittenhouse, I hope it's not as expensive as it is in Australia!!
I found it. pretty expansive indeed.
No reposado, come on bro! 🤪 Also check out Citadelle Gin I think you’ll dig it 🍸
What a great video!
Thanks a lot mate! Cheers!
My friend I live in the U.S Texas where can I find the Havana Club Rum?
Online, n I believe I saw that they hold it at Nicolas
I'm good now, I found some at Metro ;)
Everyone is commenting about vodka (which I mainly use as a preservative for syrups), but what about aromatic bitters? Also would be good to see a followup with additional base spirits beyond the essentials - calvados or applejack, aged tequila, more rum and whiskies...
What about Maraschino? And more important what about China!?! 🤣
@@CoffeinCowboy Oh yeah if we go into liqueurs part two, then Maraschino is definitely on the list, and Chartreuse, and a coffee liqueur. I'd also consider absinthe pretty important even if it's just for a rinse.
I think I will make another video indeed. The non-essential essential bottles for your home bar. This video will me 2 hours long HAHA!!!
So the Havana Club 3year isn’t available in the states??
Cool video, thanks ! Any other option for the Hine H ?
How do you feel about Four Roses Single Barrel 40% ABV compared to Buffalo Trace 40% ABV and Wild Turkey 101 50% ABV when making cocktails? Is the Four Roses still your recommendation at a lower proof, or would you go for the Wild Turkey for the higher proof?
If I had to choose from these 3 bottles, I'd pick without a doubt Wild Turkey 101
Would you recommend cointreau over Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao??
I think both are great and if you can afford it, buy them both. But if you want only one orange liqueur and looking for the one size fits all kind of bottle, I’d say Cointreau is the right pick.
Hey JF so I’m from Austalia ! Recommendation for an aged rum for my bar ?
Hey what about the vodkas? They’re essential to me 😛
I tried to explain it in other comments. I tried to focus my choices on what you would need at first when building a home bar and I assumed one getting into cocktails at home will first start with classics. The thing is, at the time when most of the classics were invented, vodka was not really part of the game so I didn’t include it. That said, the best value for money imo is Ketel One for the vodka. Cheers
As a Mexican, the best advice that I can give you is that if you find an "Ñ" on a word, pronounce it as a "ni" (as in "niece"), it is closer to the correct sound that can be alien to you (as the "tl" of the nahuatl words). So, an Añejo Tequila (it's basically "aged"), it would be "anieho".
Cheers!
Hi !! I love your channel ! I’m a Bartender in south of France i’d like to know where do you live bro ?? Maybe we can catch up drink some Mezcal Negronis 😏
Hey man! Je suis sur Bordeaux
Ok i’m in Montpellier sure if you come contact me !!
Wonderfull video
No vodka?
Cheers from Chile.
Hey! Thanks 🙏 no vodka mainly because you don’t see it in most of the classic cocktails … but if I had to pick a good and cheap vodka I’d go with Ketel One
I get that it’s your personal choice about what bottles you want in your bar but leaving out Vodka is a big miss. Google any popular drinks list and there will always be a drink that calls for vodka
You can try to find your fave bottles at Amazon, if you cannot found it on the French one tried it on the Spanish or on the German one...they all have different things and different prices
I dodn't know we could buy booze on Amazon. That's fun! Thanks!
I'm from Portugal and I buy it, and there isn't even a Portuguese Amazon
Just pay attention with the UK because of the taxes but inside the EU it will be kay
Four Roses sb, Hampden and Mount Gay in the thumpnail immediately triggert me 😁
HAHA!
Did you try to find on online shops the rittenhouse?
we gotta have Angostura bitters! :D
You are absolutely right. I’ll make a sequel to that vid with all of what is also essential that I didn’t talk about. Ango will mos definitely be in that vid.
Unfortunately can never find Rhum Agricole in Ontario.
Yeah, LCBO kind of sucks...
Really? That's unfortunate! There's a few good ones at La SAQ if you have friends passing by Quebec sometimes.
@@TrufflesOnTheRocks The LCBO is unfortunately really limited across the board. Glad to hear that La SAQ can solve my troubles. Gives me another excuse to visit Quebec City!
I can't get Rittenhouse at the SAQ. What was your go to Rye when you lived in Quebec?
I must say I always had a bottle of Bulleit rye. Value for money in Quebec, you can hardly do better than that. Sazerac Rye is also a great pick. Cheers!
Salut JF. Chez nous personne aime mes cocktail avec du Campari. Je les fait maintenant avec de l’aperol ou de lamermalade et la famille les aime maintenant. Dans quel region de la France êtes vous. J’espère que vous aimez bien.
Si ça marche pour vous c’est parfait! Je me trompe ou vous avez la dent sucrée? Parce que je trouve tjrs que l’apéro le dans un cocktail qui demande du Campari devient bcp trop sweet à mon goût. 😬
On est à Bordeaux en ce moment
Merci du commentaire. On progress dans nos goûts à des vitesses différentes. Hate au prochain vidéo.
@@paulbissonnette6253 si tu veux un bon cocktail crée autour de l’apérol plutôt que de l’utilise en substitut, essaies le Montréal cocktail 🍸
rye in france is a problem if anyone as some affordable solutions hit me up ! 50€ for a 20$ bottle is a shame....
Salud🍻🇲🇽
Did i miss the Vodka suggestions??
Whats up Bernard. I didn't include vodka on the list for two main reasons. First one, I based most of my selection on what I believe one would need to start a home bar. When startig a home bar, I assume you want to start with classic cocktails. Back to when classics where created, for the most part, vodka was not a thing so the list of cocktails with it is actually very short. Second, I don't use it much often so for me it is not essential to begging with. But of course eventually you need one vodka and my go to is Ketel One. I think value for money it's great... for mixing.
Or... you could just buy it online and have it delivered?!
Do you have a French channel as well?
Non désolé 😐
Nice video! Question. Are you portuguese?
Thanks! No I'm 100% Canadian
Whaaaaat??? 😮 No Champagne in your selection of essentials??? I am sooooo disappointed! 😂😂😂
HAHAHA!!! Would you jump in front of the camera if we make a Champagne cocktail special?
😮🤔 I will have to drink an entiere bottle before the big jump hahahaha
@@sefraisik9142 HAHAHAHA!!!
The one dislike hates monkey shoulder
😂
Have a friend on Holiday in Texas with me. Let me know, and I’ll send him home with a bottle of Rittenhouse for you!
PM’d you from IG, too.
Thanks man! Just replied to your DM. Cheers!
Why not grand marriner
Expensive lol
@@rohan4526 is it? Here in Norway they are mostly the same price
@@komma8203 oh you’re right, it’s the same price here in the states too lol. Idk why, I always just assumed Grand Marnier was more expensive
@@komma8203
The standard Grand Marnier (Cordon Rouge), which I asume you are talking about, is a blend of orange liquor and Cognac. That means it has a more specific taste than a regular triple sec like Cointreau. Especially in Tiki drinks that require an orange liquor in my opinion it brings in some notes that won't fit.
But there is also a classic triple sec by Grand Marnier, the Cordon Jeune, which is very similar to Cointreau and other triple secs.
Grand Marnier is great! But very different because it has a lot of cognac in it. So it is not going to work well in all scenarios. Cointreau on the other hand is purely orange flavoured neutral spirit. So nothing is distracting
You shouldn’t have start your video until you got some rye, that made your video low quality
where is wodka ?!!
I didn't include it in the video because as I said in other comments, I focus my selection on what to buy when you get into classic cocktails. At the time of the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classics were created, vodka was not a thing really. That's why I didn't include it. That said, my favourite Vodka (value for money) is Ketel One.
I dont think havana club is available in the US because our government is evil
Vodka???????? Cosmopolitan!!!! Moscow Mule and the standard: vodka and soda - Everywhere!
You are right, vodka is a thing now. Maybe I should have mentioned it in the video but I ddn't add it to my list because I assumed that when someone wants to start making cocktails at home, one would start with classic cocktails and vodka was not a thing during the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classic were created. But it is so popular now, I feel I will get many thumbs down for that ommission LOL
If you want to go for a classic Cosmo you use Gin instead of Vodka (and some other changes, but this is the far better version in my opinion).
Nice video, no vodka?🥲
I knew this would show up in the comments but no, no vodka. In the golden age of cocktails, when most of the classic cocktails were created, vodka was not a thing. So when you start with cocktails, I assume you start with classics so I didn't include a spirit that wasn't going to be used much. I know I added Mezcal though... what you want, I feel Mezcal deserve more consideration LOL
That said, my go to vodka is Ketel One ;) cheers!