What’s the Best Booze for Cocktail X?
So you want to drink a martini. Congrats on making up your mind.
Now comes the hard part: Which gin do you use? Or what do you put in your Manhattan? Or your Mojito?
The answers, according to a contest, now in its first year, called the Ultimate Cocktail Challenge, are Tanqueray, Rittenhouse Rye, and Don Q Cristal, in that order.
Rather than simply reviewing spirits on their own, this cocktail competition evaluated spirits in popular recipes — dozens of them, in fact — to see which paired best with the other ingredients. The results: A unique and interesting way to look at spirits.
The results are of course just as subjective as any other booze review (and some of these spirits I don’t really recommend at all), but they’re certainly worth a look at least to get you thinking. Here’s the complete winners’ list. Get more information and a complete breakdown of scores here.
BEST GIN in a…
- Aviation – TANQUERAY NO. 10
- Dry Martini – TANQUERAY LONDON DRY
- Gin & Tonic PLYMOUTH
- Negroni – TANQUERAY LONDON DRY
- Tom Collins TANQUERAY LONDON DRY
BEST VODKA in a…
- Bloody Mary – VERMONT WHITE
- Cosmopolitan – CHOPIN
- Vodka Martini – ORZEL
- Vodka & Tonic – TITO’S HANDMADE
BEST TEQUILA in a…
- Margarita w/Cointreau – MILAGRO REPOSADO
- Paloma – TRES AGAVES REPOSADO
- Tequila Sunrise – TRES AGAVES BLANCO
BEST RUM in a…
- Daiquiri – BANKS 5 ISLAND
- Mai Tai – PLANTATION GRANDE RESERVE
- Mojito – DON Q CRISTAL
BEST COGNAC/BRANDY in a…
- Brandy Alexander – MARTELL CORDON BLEU
- Brandy Julep – MARTELL CORDON BLEU
- Sidecar – REMY MARTIN VSOP
- Stinger – REMY MARTIN VS
BEST SCOTCH WHISKY in a…
- Blood & Sand – HIGHLAND PARK 12
- Rob Roy – MACALLAN FINE OAK 10
- Rusty Nail – MACALLAN FINE OAK 10
- Scotch Sour – HIGHLAND PARK 12
BEST NORTH AMERICAN WHISKEY in a…
- Manhattan – RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE
- Mint Julep – RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE
- Old-Fashioned – WOODFORD RESERVE DISTILLER’S SELECT BOURBON
- Sazerac – RITTENHOUSE BOTTLED-IN-BOND RYE
- Whiskey Sour – WOODFORD RESERVE DISTILLER’S SELECT BOURBON
BEST ORANGE LIQUEUR in a…
- Cosmopolitan – COINTREAU
- Margarita – COINTREAU
- Sidecar – PATRON CITRONGE
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Despite the fact that Old Raj is clearly the answer for a dry martini, I’m glad Plymouth at least won the G&T. The whiskey section, on the other hand . . .
How can Riteenhouse rye be the best bourbon in a sazerec when it isn’t bourbon?
Anon – I think you might be confusing the ‘bourbon’ in Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Bourbon with a new category heading. Not to mention that listing the best bourbon for a sazerac would be a bit odd.
It is odd that they list a rye as the best whiskey for a mint julep which is a bourbon drink.