It's mostly hype. The cheaper stuff tastes the same (or damn close) and I've never noticed more of a hangover. My hangovers consistently come from the mix used in any mixed drinks (coke or margarita mix being the big two). Still, I'll drop an extra $.50-$1.00 a drink for brand name if I'm out only because at the end of the night it costs me an extra $5 at most.
Heck yeah, there's a difference. Is it worth it? For me it is. I don't always buy "super premium" brands, but I love Hornitos in my margaritas and can certainly taste the difference. I remember when it cost under $11 bucks at the corner Twin Liquors. Good luck finding a 5th of it for that price today! Scotch has an incredible difference between the brands and how long it's aged, although it isn't my drink of choice. I love Myer's in my Cuba Libre, which is not to everyone's taste. When you get right down to it, it's what you like. If the cheap stuff does it for you, then go for it. Just think twice about serving it to guests that might have better taste buds than you do.
It depends. I find some cheap Vodkas/Tequilas awful, and I'm talking about dirt cheap, not Smirnoff/Jose. Everything else, I've always stayed clear of the dirt cheap kinds. My suggestion is buy some cheap grain alcohol and make hunch punch if you want cheap, good tasting, want to get drunk fun. If you want to just have liquor on hand buy the middle of the road stuff(Smirnoff, Absolute, Jose, Captain, etc). Expensive stuff isn't worth the money IMO.
I don't drink often enough to justify some of the top brands, so I generally stick the middle tier brands.
Oh man, I've got to seriously disagree with this. Have you ever been to a whiskey tasting event? Have you ever walked into a room of a connoisseur and let him talk/taste you through the different Scotches? Have you ever tried a Margarita made with well tequila/triple sec versus high-end tequila/Cointreau. There is a huge difference. What kills me is someone like my sister who mixes 7up with Crown. No respect. (ooops, haven't been around the bars of late so maybe that's the norm these day)
Whats wrong with Crown and 7? Crown is definitely not what I would call top shelf liquor. Tastes like typical Canadian whiskey, its not all that bad, but its just marketed to appear as something more than it really is. It tastes pretty damn good with 7. I don't drink that kind of whiskey anymore (scotch only) but ya... 7 and Crown was nice.
There is the next day. Go drink a bunch of Clan MacGregor scotch and see how you feel the next day. The next weekend, drink the same amount of Glenlivet. There is a difference, IMHO
Gotta agree. Crown is all right, but I wouldn't think twice about mixing it, especially with 7up. Jack and ginger ale is good, too. If we're talking The Glenlivets and MacAllens of the world well, to mix those is downright shameful. To the OP, you've got to work on refining your taste buds, man. There is a massive difference between the cheap vs. expensive brands of booze in the world from beer to wine to liquor. Same deal with coffee and tea. It's all an acquired taste. And people who say they like the taste of straight liquor are most certainly NOT lying.
I'm trying to figure out how anyone can like Vodka straight. Awful taste. I used to like Tequila, Crown, or Jagr straight up. Can't drink Tequila anymore.
I thoroughly enjoy vodka on the rocks, usually with a wedge of lime, but have no problems if it is without lime. Rum is the worst for me to drink straight, but for some reason it mixes really well.
That's why I said about not being around the bar business in a long time and I could be way off base in this day and age. But back then we bartenders generally looked down mixing sodas with Crown...in a sacrilegious kind of way. And Crown was considered a high-end call drink.
Spot on. I drink goose str8 with a lemon and a ice water. You know when you have the cheap stuff the next day vs top shelf. Like you said, the distill process is what counts. Get cheap cognac and get remy vsop or some other good quality cognac and there is a huge difference. Go get that plastic bottle trash and see what happens.
~18 bucks and destroys any other vodka But for most other alcohol you get a weird curve. The first part being the cheapest represents low quality and low taste. More expensive gets you higher quality (less of the alcohols that cause headache like methyl and heavier alcohols) and slightly better taste. The top shelf stuff like the better scotch gets extra taste that some drinkers like but you will not. They do not have any higher "quality" just that extra taste.
I can drink rum straight, and think vodka mixes well. Weird. Rum and vodka are the most important liquors to keep at the house because of how much you can mix them with.
