The emphasis is no longer so firmly on premium for many, thanks to the current economic climate. Oli Dodd rounds up some bartender favourites that bring flavour as well as margin.

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It’s all enough to drive you to drink, if only you could afford it. The cost of living crisis has invaded British drinking like blood crossing the fields of Watership Down. First, it came for craft beer, now it’s pet nat and your tomato water cocktails.

When the sun was shining on our industry, the trend in spirits was towards premium, with a party line that was ‘drink less, but drink better’. But these days there’s an increasing need to find good value. The analysts back this up – a recent report by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America has labelled premiumisation “all but dead” and, in the UK, data provider IWSR has found consumers showing a “preference for downtrading”.

But downtrading doesn’t have to mean Aldi vodka and Special Brew – there are plenty of brands that punch well above their price point. The gin category is awash with them – Beefeater and Tanqueray are world class and dirt cheap – and there’s great value in the likes of Jameson and Wray & Nephew.

But we don’t want to tell you what you already know, so we asked some of the UK’s finest bartending talent for their favourite under-appreciated or overlooked bottles that won’t break the bank. 

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1 VELHO BARREIRO CACHAÇA

RRP: £22.75

Elyse Von Ruinn, formerly Charlie Brown’s and The Gate, Glasgow

One of my favourite value bottles of spirit to have on the back bar at any time, for a good time, is Velho Barreiro Cachaça. It’s one of the most banging, readily available cachaças you can get in the UK. Not only does it work in Brazilian drinks like Caipirinhas or Rabo de Galos, but you can also use it to funk up any cocktail. I like to use it to split the Midori base in a Japanese Slipper to elevate the drink and add a bit of funk.

» Distributed by Mangrove UK

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2 MEKHONG

RRP: £20.50

Gracie Goggins, The Last Word, Edinburgh

Mekhong Thai Spirit is a sugarcane and rice-based spirit. It’s rum based but gets mistaken for whisky because of its flavour profile. It’s sweet and herbaceous with toffee, ginger and vanilla notes. I use it as a split base for drinks and it helps support a lot of flavours, it goes really well with mezcal. Honestly, it’s gorgeous in cocktails, it slaps in a Jungle Bird or an Old Cuban, but can also do a Daiquiri and I highly recommend it in a Highball. You don’t see it much in bars – we used it at Halcyon and I’ll be working with it for the next menu at The Last Word.

» Distributed by International Beverage

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3 GIFFARD BANANE DU BRESIL

RRP: £20.75

Daniel Kaizen, El Bar de Cavita

London Banane du Bresil is my go-to; I add it to everything. It’s on my back bar at work, and I don’t have a cocktail on the menu with it, but still, we’re on our fourth bottle in six months. It’s the real bartender’s ketchup – it makes everything better. It tastes like every version of banana I ever had as a child – the fruit itself, the fake foam bananas, the cooked ones in banana bread and even banana fritters. Amazing in a Spritz and improves any Highball – 10ml in a Gin & Tonic, or Paloma, or Dark ’n’ Stormy absolutely slaps, and in an Espresso Martini it’s God-tier.

» Distributed by Mangrove UK

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4 APEROL

RRP: £15.95

Dan Berger, Blinker Bar, Manchester

I don’t think Aperol is utilised as a modifier as much as it should be. It’s overly associated with the Spritz and often forgotten about when it comes to cocktails, but it has a lovely fruity note with a touch of bitterness and adds great mouthfeel to a drink. It’s fruitier than Italicus and not as bitter as Campari, so it appeals to a wider audience and it boosts any berry flavour – cherry, raspberry, strawberry, all great flavours that work with Aperol. It’s great in a Strawberry Daiquiri with agricole.

» Distributed by Campari UK

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5 PUNT E MES

RRP: £16.50

Nathan Price, Bar Glue, Liverpool

The main thing I love about Punt e Mes is its versatility. Many more expensive and traditional vermouths work well with specific classics and specific drinks, some slightly sweeter, others more fruit forward, but Punt e Mes covers all those bases while maintaining a good price point, making it really workable in classics. If you’re looking for specific flavours for a new drink, it’s maybe not the best because of that cover-all-bases style, but if you want a solid sweet vermouth that’s malleable and adaptable, then you can’t go wrong. » Distributed by Nectar