Liquor Cabinet Roulette

Sure, sometimes when you sip a cocktail you’re actively looking for a buzz. But other times, you’re just after a complex, flavorful drink, alcohol or no alcohol. And while there are any number of ways to doctor up sodas and juices such that they’re a little more exciting, they do have a tendency to taste like…well, sodas and juices.

The holidays are quickly approaching, and with them, inevitable family gatherings. A good drink can go a long way toward smoothing over any awkward dynamics. But when you’re faced with only your uncle’s odd liquor cabinet, how can you make a great drink? Here are six of the bottles you’re likely to unearth, and the best way to make a drink using each of ‘em.

You’ve Got: Brandy you’ve never heard of
Make A: Hot toddy

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These days, most cocktail fans are on good terms with amaro—the bittersweet family of Italian liqueurs including Campari, Montenegro, and many more. But it’s hardly the only type of liqueur with a long Italian legacy. The “Rosolio” style of aperitivo recently caught the attention of Italian barman Giuseppe Gallo, who set out to recreate it.

The world of sherry is fascinatingly diverse: there’s rich, nutty Oloroso and light, dry Fino, as distinct from each other as a white Vinho Verde and a juicy Merlot. If you’re after the sweetest, most decadent of them all though, that’s Pedro Ximenez. (Or if you want to be cool like a bartender, just call it PX.)

If you’re a cocktail fan, odds are you’ve heard plenty about amari—that’s the plural of amaro, the Italian style of bitter herbal liqueurs. Recently, Americans have started to get into the game, creating their own amari. Some are very much based on Italian liqueurs; others forge their own path.

Okay, we hear you—kombucha cocktails? Before you roll your eyes too hard, we, your resident cocktail experts, are going to extol the virtues of the fizzy fermented drink.

Some people have herb gardens for salads or pasta sauce; ours exists almost exclusively for cocktails. And as summer winds to an end, our herbs are growing out of control. So we’re putting them to use with three super-herbal drinks starring basil, rosemary, and thyme. Break out your muddler and give them a try. 

Even if you’ve never tried absinthe, you’ve heard plenty about it. “The green fairy” is iconic, as are legends of its power. Long illegal in the States, absinthe is said to provoke hallucinations, although we’d venture to guess that’s not from any hidden superpowers; it’s because Pernod absinthe, the classic, is an eye-popping 68 percent alcohol.

Like any rational drinker out there, we love a good Cognac. And in the summer, we’re all about Cognac’s distant cousin—Pineau des Charentes. (We just need a shorter, easier-to-pronounce name for it.)

Plenty of drinkers opt for gin and vodka in the summer and save bourbon and Scotch for the colder months. But not all whiskeys are as brawny and muscular as others. Recently, we’ve fallen for a far lighter, more subtle whiskey — the Japanese-made Kikori, from the southern island of Kyushu.