Upgrading Your Spirit Showcase

I’ve always considered myself a beer guy, enjoying pretty much anything from cheap domestic light beer (for those hot summer days with my family back home) to limited release sours. No matter what type of beer it is, I’ll always give it a taste if it’s new to me, and more often than not I enjoy it enough to buy a four or six pack.

But recently, I’ve stepped up my game and started trying out tequilas and mezcals. And let me tell you what, it’s been a heck of an experience. I’ve already begun dipping into some better middle shelf choices and collecting a few bottles for a new collection. I never thought I’d be the type of person to buy more than one bottle at once (until it was gone and I drank it all), but it’s happening faster than I realize and I’m loving it.

The thing is, I’m wanting to make sure my “setup” is pretty classy without being too trashy. That’s a hard line to straddle if you’re not aware of the brands of liquor you’re buying, how much you’re collecting, and where you’re putting it all. So check out my few tips on how to pull it off right.

Get a bar cart.

If you’re especially a wine lover or a self-proclaimed mixologist and enjoy experimenting with new cocktails, a bar cart goes perfectly with whatever other furniture you’re going to use to display your collection. The cool thing is that having a bar cart isn’t just for fun and looking fancy; it’s actually useable and has some utility. Most won’t cost you more than a nicer bottle of liquor as is, so don’t write it off as too expensive and make the plunge for your collection.

Get rid of the bottom shelf liquors.

Unless you’re absolutely sure that you enjoy Jose Cuervo’s cheap stuff (which I highly doubt if you consider yourself a tequila connoisseur), don’t put anything on display that’s cheap or considered bottom shelf. It doesn’t make your collection look any more impressive by adding another useless bottle to the mix; rather, it makes you seem like you’re game to put any and all alcohols you drink up there, which looks rather bad. Stick to your middle shelf and top shelf spirits if you’re seriously considering going all out with a display of your collection. Otherwise, just keep the cheap stuff in the upper cabinets above your fridge like everyone else.