The Aromatic 12 Bottle Bar

Do you remember the 12 Bottle Bar? It started out as a blog, transitioned into a book, and has become a national sensation as it partnered with Crate & Barrel.

I’m glad to say I’ve been a fan of Lesley and David from the beginning. Mostly because I really appreciated the core concept. Home bars can definitely get away from you. They can become overwhelming. Especially for the cocktail enthusiast. There are so many base spirits, liqueurs, aperitifs, cordials, vermouths, and so on.

But you don’t need all of them. You don’t. Thankfully great bars exist where you can visit and have them make you anything you want. But the home bartender can be very content with a much smaller number of bottles. Especially if you spend some time to thoughtfully consider what you like and what you don’t.

The 12 Bottle Bar has a core list of bottles. They count bitters among them. I don’t. I can’t. It’s possible that I may have a bitters problem. But that’s a different post. Today, I wanted to share with you my current set of 12 bottles for two reasons. One, I just picked up something I’m quite excited about. And two, when putting them all together, I realized they reveal something not all that surprising.

So what’s new? Well, I picked up a bottle of Leopold Bros Aperitivo. It’s a domestic Campari substitute that doesn’t rely on artificial colors to make it a vibrant shade of red.

The last thing I want in my cocktails is dreck. That includes high fructose corn syrup and bottled juices. Although, I might consider a few of the cold pressed, high pressure processed juices. But ultimately, that’s more of an academic discussion, since fruit juice doesn’t typically play a role in the drinks I make.

That statement may make more sense when you take a peek at the 12 bottles.

So let me break down what we’ve got and why. But instead of taking it left to right, I’m going to break the bottles out into categories.

Base Spirits
Tanqueray gin – It’s a classic. Intensely aromatic. Bold. English. So good.
Milagro silver tequila – I buy a bottle every May. Delicate. Floral. Great value.
Evan Williams bourbon – Solid. A workhorse. For the price, I haven’t found a better whiskey.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask – Smokey. Pour a glass and you’ll swear there’s a fireplace in the room.

Vermouth
Dolin dry – I hate this. I used to like it. But it’s too sweet for me. Soon to be replaced.
Carpano “Antica Formula” sweet – I love this. It’s expensive, but worth it. Small bottle FTW.

Stickies
Ramazzotti amaro – Italian. Brown. Bitter. Sweet. Aromatic. Citrus.
Leopold Bros. Aperitiv0 – Domestic. Red. Bitter. Sweet. Aromatic. Bracing.
Green Chartreuse – French. Herbal. Sweet. Herbal. Green. Herbal. So herbal. Did I say herbal?
Yellow Chartreuse – French. Herbal. Sweet. Yellow. Peppery. Plays well with whiskey.
American Fruit sour cherry cordial – Local. Sweet. Fruity. Cherry.
Luxardo Maraschino – Italian. Made from cherries. Tastes more like nuts. Sweet. Aromatic.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s an odd selection of bottles. And I do have to confess, there are a few additional bottles that are on their way out of my own 12 Bottle Bar. And there are a couple which I’m holding on to for my father-in-law who enjoys single malt scotches. But those do not make it in the regular rotation.

So, yes. I’m saying that Green Chartreuse is in regular rotation. How? You can’t make a Last Word without it. Plus it’s a critical ingredient in the Laphroaig Project. I even make a modified version of the Alaska Cocktail which puts a tablespoon of Green Chartreuse into two ounces of gin.

Most of the time though my cocktail preferences are much more simple. I’ll start with a solid pour of either gin or bourbon, then dress them up with something sweet and aromatic, and finish them off with a few dashes of complementary bitters. So that could be bourbon with a splash of Aperitivo, a dash of Ramazzotti, and a shake of chocolate bitters; or it could be gin, with a bit of dry vermouth, a small spoon of maraschino, and a dash of orange bitters.

The combinations are endless.

But as summer rolls around, it’s going to be Rickeys all the time. Gin, bourbon, or tequila. It doesn’t matter. They are all delicious and refreshing in their own way. Not to mention, they are super refreshing, and couldn’t be easier to make. Base spirit. Lime. Seltzer. There’s no mucking around with syrups, no shaking, no measuring. It’s a drink that is perfect in its simplicity.

These selections of bottles are perfect for me. I can’t imagine they would be a good fit for most people. But what I endorse if figuring out what drinks you enjoy and building a limited bar around those, knowing that it can change with the seasons.

Right now I’m really looking for a way to bring an absinthe into the mix, because that would be a great, refreshing treat for summer too. And again, as an intensely aromatic spirit, it fits well with the overall theme of the bar.

A big thanks to All Star Wine & Spirits in Latham for special ordering the Leopold Bros. for me. It’s delicious. The flavors are different than Campari, but I’m thrilled to have the negroni back in my life.