Build a Better Bar: Base Spirits

If you find yourself staring blankly at the wall of spirit offerings at your favorite liquor store wondering, “What’s good?” wonder no longer. This month and next I’m offering a guide to stocking a home bar with the essential liquors.

The three-part “Build a Better Bar” series started Feb. 28 with suggestions on the best bar tools; today we move on to the hard stuff.

I hope you will walk away with a base knowledge of the difference between spirits, which can help you decipher what works best for you.

VODKA

Those of you who are of the opinion that vodka is vodka and it doesn’t matter what brand you drink or what it is made from, I highly suggest a blind taste test to highlight vodka’s various base ingredients and how they affect taste and texture:

>> Potato: A heavier mouthfeel/viscosity, creamy and round (like Chopin)

>> Rye: Lean and dry, with subtle spice notes of black pepper or baking spice (like Belvedere)

>> Sugar cane: Light, clean with a hint of sweetness, earthiness and grassiness (like Hawaii’s own Ocean)

>> Wheat: Crisp, clean, with hints of citrus; a good all-around, approachable vodka (like Absolut ELYX)

>> Rice: Delicate, refreshing, with subtle rice notes and just a hint of sweetness, akin to sake (like Ao Japanese vodka)

RUM

Rum tends to be the wild child of the spirits industry as it is not regulated like a lot of other spirits. It’s typically made in the Caribbean, where various islands produce different styles.

The French-speaking islands tend to make earthy, vegetal rhum agricole, whereas the Spanish-speaking islands produce more of a lighter-bodied style from molasses. Funkier, earthy styles come from Jamaica and Barbados.

Theses styles are all unique, but that doesn’t make one superior. It’s all a matter of taste.

>> Molasses vs. agricole: Agricoles are made from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice, compared with a sugar cane byproduct such as molasses. In Hawaii we have our own agricole in Manulele Distillers’ KoHana rum.

>> Solera aging: A system used to age rums, sherries, ports and wines. In a snapshot, the barrels are set up like a pyramid, the bottom level being the oldest. When rum is taken from the bottom barrels to fill bottles, the barrels above them refill the lower ones, creating a blending process over many years. This removes rough edges that some rums may have and lends a complexity.

>> Sipping vs. mixing: As with all spirits, styles and ages vary. Some rums are created for mixing in cocktails, some are so fine they deserve a large ice cube and not much else. Some producers use terminology like “VSOP” and “XO” to indicate the age of their rum, but there are no standards that spell out what those terms mean in the world of rum.

As I mentioned earlier, “wild child.”

GIN

I often hear comments like, “Oh, I can’t drink gin … I overdid it in college.”

For those who identify with that statement, or who have never developed a liking for the botanical party that is gin, I encourage you to try the different types before banishing gin from your repertoire.

>> London dry: The classic, juniper-forward style, full of the botanical richness that gin connoisseurs tend to value (like Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire)

>> American-style: A perfect introductory gin, crisp and light on the juniper notes, focusing more on citrus and floral characteristics (like No. 209 and Aviation)

>> Old Tom: A recipe popular in 18th-century England that basically fell away from existence until the craft cocktail resurgence of the last 10 to 15 years (like Hayman’s Old Tom, Anchor Distilling Old Tom). Its slightly sweeter style makes it rounder on the palate. Used in the classic Tom Collins.

>> Plymouth: Distilled at Black Friars distillery in Plymouth, England, with a unique style — clean and citrus-forward

>> Nouveau: Some gin producers are thinking outside the box and creating new varietals such as the Empress 1908, using dark blue butterfly pea extract in its botanical mix so that when pH levels change due to he addition of an acid, the indigo color turns a soft pink.

TEQUILA

The one rule to remember: If you want the real deal, made from pure blue Weber agave, make sure it says so on the label.

>> Mixto vs. 100 percent agave: If the label just says “tequila,” it is a “mixto,” which means it is only required to contain 51 percent blue Weber agave. The rest can be neutral grain spirits, cara­mel coloring, artificial flavoring, etc.

>> Tahona vs. roller mill: The agave can be crushed with an old-school tahona stone wheel or run through a more industrial-style roller mill or shredder. Because the tahona stone crushes the cooked agave much more gently, its earthy, fresh flavors remain more intact.

One of my absolute favorite tequilas, Fortaleza, is a tahona tequila. Made in very small batches the traditional way, the agave sings in the glass. I am especially fond of Fortaleza’s aged versions, the reposado (“rested,”aged under a year) or anejo (“aged,” a minimum of a year old).

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.