By this stage of your life, assuming you are over the age of 21 years, you have probably made up your mind on what is a reasonable cost for adult beverages. That decision was made on the basis of what your bank account could stand for this line-item, what you can appreciate in terms of quality, and how much peer pressure is applied by your so-called friends.
Using those criteria, you have probably given many thoughts to what you should purchase and what you desire to enjoy. Those are usually two different criteria based on your sensory faculties and your credit card limits.
The adage, “Champagne tastes on a beer budget” comes into play with personally irritating frequency.
Some of us spend a lot of time with the purchasing decision on the core spirit to be included in the cocktail. That approach is not flawed, just incomplete.
Every ingredient in a cocktail’s recipe is essential and important. A cocktail demands balance in the construction of the drink and ingredients are not listed on the recipe simply because they make good team mates. If you follow that belief, then you begin to understand why every ingredient must be respected inddividually. The sum of the parts is almost always greater than the individual pieces. After all, that’s the point of a cocktail.
So while you spend an inordinate amount of time reasoning a core ingredient purchase, it’s a mistake to spend moments or resources purchasing a supporting cast of cheap players The most expensive spirit cannot overcome a lime that is not in top-notch condition.
This is not to suggest that off-brands are out-of-bounds. Sometimes a “store brand” can be everything a well-known brand is. But do your research and understand the proprietary product, There are often valid reasons reputable merchants want to sell items with their names prominently featured on the label. If time allows, do a side-by-side test run of the proprietary product. Satisfy yourself that the lower ccst ingredient measures up to what you are trying to achieve. The end result could be quite satisfying. After all, you don’t want ruin the inclusion of the upscale core ingredient.
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