Booze on a Budget: 3 Ways to Make Cheap Liquor Taste Top Shelf
Lifestyle The ListTop shelf booze, beer and vino are fine – but saving cash is even better! Restaurateur and bar expert Ron Pacioni says saving a few bucks doesn't have to tax your taste buds. In fact, you might be surprised by how simple it is. Read on for a few hacks to help you class up cheap booze.
1. Beer Salts
Popping to the top of our list are beer salts. “If you don't know what beer salts are, they are citrus infused salts,” explains Ron. This trick stems from the Mexican tradition of adding lime and salt to beer. “You can pinch it in your beer, or even rim the glass of your beer,” says Ron. Beer salt cut the bitterness of less expensive lagers. And for an extra boost, you can also rim your glass with lime! You can find beer salts at BevMo and Total Wine for about two dollars a bottle.
2. Blend Wine
We're stirring things up at number two, by putting budget wine in a blender to boost flavor. “It's called hyper-decanting,” shares Ron. “What you do is put your wine in a blender and literally blend it, that's it. And it will level up that wine.” You can add years of aging in less than a minute. “You can do this for reds, you can do this for whites, for anything,” adds Ron. So get to blending to enjoy a deeper flavor.
3. Adding Citrus to Bourbon
We'll wrap it up by adding a touch of class to bottom shelf bourbon. “It's very easy, all you need to do is add a little citrus to it,” reveals Ron. “The citric acid really balances the flavor profile of the cocktail and will make it delicious.” Who knew a little citrus could go a long way? Put this hack to the test with Pomelo's "Run for the Roses" recipe below.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Four Roses Bourbon
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz R&W Peach Liqueur and
.25 oz cinnamon syrup
Directions:
Pour in each ingredient one at a time over ice. Shake and pour over rocks on glass.
Looking for ways to save money on booze? Now you’ve got three ways to take your liquor from budget to bougie.
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