Sipping candidate #1: Bourbon
If you're ordering bourbon in any small-town bar in Kentucky, you ask for it straight up or you risk a lot of funny looks from the bartender and your fellow patrons. (I know this not because I've actually been to Kentucky, but because I am a regular viewer of "Justified.") Maybe you'd like to practice at home before you make the trip. Here are some of my favorite bourbons that stand up quite well on their own.
Pricey pick: Blanton's Single Barrel ($50)
Even the most pretentious of boozehounds will be impressed if they see a bottle of this on your shelf, and rightly so. It's rich, sweet, smooth, and delicious, and at 92 proof it'll take the edge off rather quickly but also won't burn your throat going down even if you drink it neat.
Affordable pick: Bulleit ($25)
Bulleit is very good bourbon, and it's also fairly ubiquitous (not advertised-during-NFL-games ubiquitous, but available-in-most-decent-liquor-stores ubiquitous). Great in an Old Fashioned or all by itself, and therefore a wise choice for your liquor cabinet.
Sipping candidate #2: Rum
Like tequila, rum is known to most people as strictly a cocktail ingredient (or something reluctantly gulped from a shot glass). That's because Bacardi has essentially cornered the international rum market, almost to the extent that "Bacardi" and "rum" are as interchangeable as "Kleenex" and "tissues." Bacardi is perfectly suitable in a mojito or a piña colada, but it's definitely not for sipping. If you want to consume rum straight-up, aged rum is the only way to go.
Because of its dark color, aged rum can easily be mistaken for dark rum, even though the two spirits are nothing alike. Dark rum is basically light (read: clear) rum with coloring and flavoring added. Aged rum, like bourbon or scotch, gets its amber tint from spending many years in a barrel. Therefore, a good aged rum might actually remind you more of whiskey than it does other types of rum, and that's not a bad thing at all.
Pricey pick: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23-year ($40)
Slightly-less-pricey pick: Cruzan Single Barrel ($30)
Either of these is a great choice for sipping on a warm summer evening. Throw in a lime wedge if you really want to live it up.
Sipping candidate #3: Mezcal
In the past few years mezcal has emerged from relative obscurity to become a popular component of many craft cocktails. The shorthand way of describing mezcal is to say that it's the scotch of tequila; it's aged much longer and tends to have the same kind of smoky flavor associated with scotch. Because it has such an intense and distinct taste, it'll come through strongly even in a cocktail where it's a minority ingredient. But once you've tried it in a cocktail, you may be tempted (as I was) to see what it's like on its own. The answer: Pretty damn fantastic.
Mega-pricey pick: El Jogorio Espadin ($80)
I know, I know. This is definitely a once-in-a-while purchase for once-in-a-while sipping. (Or you can go Full Gwyneth and give bottles out as party favors at your next locavore BBQ. Up to you.) It has some very distinct notes that separate it from even most top-tier mezcals, although I am neither knowledgable enough nor pretentious enough to be able to tell you exactly what those notes are.
Regular-pricey pick: Alipus San Baltazar Guelavila ($40)
Mezcal is priced pretty similarly to single-malt scotch, so there aren't a lot of good choices below this price point; however, the Alipus is great on its own or in cocktails, and it doesn't have the overly-smoky profile that I've tasted in some cheaper mezcals.
Sipping candidate #4: Aquavit
Here comes the weird one. Aquavit (or akvavit) is a very popular spirit in Scandinavia but a total unknown to most Americans. It's similar to vodka in that it's distilled from grain or potatoes and typically comes in at 80 proof, but the flavor is quite different. As with gin, herbal infusions help to take away the astringent alcohol-y taste, but the most unique (and noticeable) element is caraway. That's right, caraway. So if you're intrigued by hard liquor that tastes vaguely of rye bread, aquavit is your pick! (Seriously, it's worth a try. Twenty million beautiful blonde people can't all be wrong.)
Fairly-affordable pick that is also the only one I've seen for sale in the States: Linie ($30)
Bulleit is very good bourbon, and it's also fairly ubiquitous (not advertised-during-NFL-games ubiquitous, but available-in-most-decent-liquor-stores ubiquitous). Great in an Old Fashioned or all by itself, and therefore a wise choice for your liquor cabinet.
Sipping candidate #2: Rum
Like tequila, rum is known to most people as strictly a cocktail ingredient (or something reluctantly gulped from a shot glass). That's because Bacardi has essentially cornered the international rum market, almost to the extent that "Bacardi" and "rum" are as interchangeable as "Kleenex" and "tissues." Bacardi is perfectly suitable in a mojito or a piña colada, but it's definitely not for sipping. If you want to consume rum straight-up, aged rum is the only way to go.
Because of its dark color, aged rum can easily be mistaken for dark rum, even though the two spirits are nothing alike. Dark rum is basically light (read: clear) rum with coloring and flavoring added. Aged rum, like bourbon or scotch, gets its amber tint from spending many years in a barrel. Therefore, a good aged rum might actually remind you more of whiskey than it does other types of rum, and that's not a bad thing at all.
Pricey pick: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23-year ($40)
Slightly-less-pricey pick: Cruzan Single Barrel ($30)
Either of these is a great choice for sipping on a warm summer evening. Throw in a lime wedge if you really want to live it up.
Sipping candidate #3: Mezcal
In the past few years mezcal has emerged from relative obscurity to become a popular component of many craft cocktails. The shorthand way of describing mezcal is to say that it's the scotch of tequila; it's aged much longer and tends to have the same kind of smoky flavor associated with scotch. Because it has such an intense and distinct taste, it'll come through strongly even in a cocktail where it's a minority ingredient. But once you've tried it in a cocktail, you may be tempted (as I was) to see what it's like on its own. The answer: Pretty damn fantastic.
Mega-pricey pick: El Jogorio Espadin ($80)
I know, I know. This is definitely a once-in-a-while purchase for once-in-a-while sipping. (Or you can go Full Gwyneth and give bottles out as party favors at your next locavore BBQ. Up to you.) It has some very distinct notes that separate it from even most top-tier mezcals, although I am neither knowledgable enough nor pretentious enough to be able to tell you exactly what those notes are.
Regular-pricey pick: Alipus San Baltazar Guelavila ($40)
Mezcal is priced pretty similarly to single-malt scotch, so there aren't a lot of good choices below this price point; however, the Alipus is great on its own or in cocktails, and it doesn't have the overly-smoky profile that I've tasted in some cheaper mezcals.
Sipping candidate #4: Aquavit
Here comes the weird one. Aquavit (or akvavit) is a very popular spirit in Scandinavia but a total unknown to most Americans. It's similar to vodka in that it's distilled from grain or potatoes and typically comes in at 80 proof, but the flavor is quite different. As with gin, herbal infusions help to take away the astringent alcohol-y taste, but the most unique (and noticeable) element is caraway. That's right, caraway. So if you're intrigued by hard liquor that tastes vaguely of rye bread, aquavit is your pick! (Seriously, it's worth a try. Twenty million beautiful blonde people can't all be wrong.)
Fairly-affordable pick that is also the only one I've seen for sale in the States: Linie ($30)
