In our previous Basics for The Home Bar series, we covered what tools you need to make great cocktails in your home bar. That series was so well-received, and I got a lot of feedback asking what spirits should go along with those tools, that I decided to extend the series to include the essential spirits you should have for making great cocktails.

The most universal of spirits and a must-have for any bar is vodka. While vodka is generally considered odorless and tasteless, the range of taste experiences that vodka can provide is actually pretty wide.  Most people make the mistake of buying the least expensive vodka they can find, thinking that something neutral doesn’t need to be high quality. The indelible truth about cocktails, as it is with cooking, is that great drinks come from great ingredients.

After price, people generally look at brand names in the vodka space to make their purchasing decision. This is often why people buy Grey Goose Vodka.  While Grey Goose has done an exceptional job with branding, the vodka itself is one of the worst in the premium vodka space. The only thing premium about Grey Goose is the price. When stocking your home bar, don’t feel the need to have everyone’s brand of vodka–it’s a great opportunity to expose people to other higher quality brands of vodka.

When buying your home bar, I recommend that you get two bottles of vodka, with one from the each of the two major categories of vodka:

Neutral vodka: My favorite vodka in this space is Ketel One. It’s one of the few vodkas in the premium space that delivers exactly what it promises: a clean and neutral vodka experience with superb mouth feel. It’s also a brand that people recognize and an easy substitute for people who drink the Goose. Another good choice for a good neutral vodka is Smirnoff. It has slightly more grain notes to it than Ketel One, but it’s still fairly neutral. Smirnoff Vodka isn’t a premium vodka, but it’s exceptionally priced and delivers some amazing value.

Grain-focused vodka: Absolut is made from wheat and it has a bright, sweet center to it that tastes distinctly of wheat grain. The thing I love the most about Absolut is its smooth and thick mouth feel. This is essential when making something like a vodka martini (although I honestly always prefer gin in this space). In addition to wheat vodka, I’m a big fan of potato-based vodka, like one of my favorite sipping vodkas, Karlsson’s Gold. Karlsson’s has a wonderful chocolate quality to it that’s absolutely addictive.

It’s important not to overdo it–two bottles of vodka is enough—and choosing quality vodka is important. Quality over quantity matters, even with vodka.