$3,200 Annual Booze Budget

Off Topic
1

I’m planning my 2009 budget and I’ve allocated $3,200 for booze. This will include beer, wine and spirits.

I’m planning on hitting the booze store once a quarter and spending $800 per trip. Right now it’s falling out like this:

$300 Wine - This will include a case of inexpensive (under $8 per bottle) red, white and prosecco (italian sparkling) and a few pricier bottles to put in the wine cellar for 10 - 15 years and a few for current special occasions.

The 3 cases of red, white and prosecco will cost me $225 so I’ll have $75 to play with for the ‘better’ bottles.

$150 Beer - A case of Bass, Guinness, Corona and a TBD German will run me about 30 per case or $120 total. That leaves me $30 for seasonals and special single/6 packs.

$200 Base Liquors (Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila and Whisky) - I can spend $40 per type of liquor.

$75 Cointreau - This is the 1.75 ml bottle. I know I could get a cheap triple sec for 12 bucks, but I mix a lot of drinks and can really taste the difference. I’m thinking of maybe getting the cheap triple sec for guests and She Say’s mother and saving the cointreau for me which would make it last longer.

So the total of all of the above is $725. That leaves me $75 for miscellaneous. I plan on having Creme de Cacao, Creme de Menthe, Cognac, Scotch, Amaretto, Campari, Sweet and Dry Vermouth, Kahlua, Baileys and flavored rums on hand.

How would you guys spend $800 on booze?

For the better planners out there, would your $3,200 annual plan simply be your quarterly $800 times 3, or would you look at it differently over an entire year? The only difference over the year that I can see is in the Winter I’ll drink more red wine and ‘darker’ liquors while in the Summer I’ll hit more white wine and islandy liquors.

Enough Booze Enough?
Enough Booze Enough?
Enough Booze Enough?
2

Build a house out of Natty Boh cases.

3

I would up the wine budget, especially if I was aging some reds.

Most good wine, that is meant to be aged, should cost $75 to start.

Just my .02

(Loled at the cheap booze for the mother in law… awesome)

4

I’m just starting to get into wines myself, and find myself liking Italian reds, specifically valpolicellas.

But who am I kidding, I’m Canadian…let’s go with 700 bucks worth of Moosehead and 100 bucks worth of maple syrup.

5

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I would up the wine budget, especially if I was aging some reds.

Most good wine, that is meant to be aged, should cost $75 to start.

Just my .02

(Loled at the cheap booze for the mother in law… awesome)[/quote]

You can get good cabs for under $75 a bottle so long as you have the patience to let it age.

Also, there are some great Pinot Noirs that you can drink now in the $25-$35 range.

But yes, save the cheep booze for the MIL.

I would use most of the money to buy beer and some booze as I raid my father’s cellar for the good wine.

I think that you forgot the tequila.

6

[quote]Christine wrote:
I think that you forgot the tequila.[/quote]

It’s in the $200 for base liquors.

7

$800 of whole milk. (then squat)

8

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I would up the wine budget, especially if I was aging some reds.

Most good wine, that is meant to be aged, should cost $75 to start.

Just my .02

(Loled at the cheap booze for the mother in law… awesome)[/quote]

The mother in law is of the generation that believes there’s no difference between cheap booze and good booze. We had a wine tasting at Chez Say last Sunday and she consistently claimed to like the cheaper bottle better.

I’ve been buying 2005 Bordeaux to age. These have been running me between $15 - $40. Any opinion/info. on this price point for this vintage?

9

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
Build a house out of Natty Boh cases.[/quote]

Thanks hon.

10

I would spend more on beer.

Hops + Barley > Grapes

Dump the Corona and Guinness for Double Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing ($50-60 for 12 double-deuce bottles) and Storm King Stout by Victory Brewing ($35-40 for case).

11

On a related note, Black Velvet’s are really good.

12

[quote]B rocK wrote:
$800 of whole milk. (then squat)[/quote]

High fives

13

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
I would spend more on beer.

Hops + Barley > Grapes

Dump the Corona and Guinness for Double Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing ($50-60 for 12 double-deuce bottles) and Storm King Stout by Victory Brewing ($35-40 for case).[/quote]

Good suggestions on the beers. I do think I’m gonna keep the wine budget higher as it seems to hit my waist less than beer and I’m vain like that.

14

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
I would spend more on beer.

Hops + Barley > Grapes

Dump the Corona and Guinness for Double Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing ($50-60 for 12 double-deuce bottles) and Storm King Stout by Victory Brewing ($35-40 for case).[/quote]

No Iron City?

15

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:

No Iron City?[/quote]

No Genesee ??

16

Hmm, interesting thought experiment. As far as planning it out goes…i’d probably spend more to start unless you think it’s ALL gonna be gone by the end of the 3 month period. Since a lot of this stuff doesn’t exactly go bad or anything, you can spend a lot up front, especially on the misc. stuff that you know is going to take you a long time to run out of.

If I had $800 I had to spend right now on alcohol:

I’d lower the wine budget since I just don’t drink that much wine and neither do many of my friends. So i’d probably end up getting some standard wines that I know everyone would like and leave it at that, maybe spending around $150.

I’d go with a keg every 1.5 months since I have a kegerator. Depending how cheap I go that would run from $120-$160 every 3 months, and i’d probably stick to stuff everyone would like such as labatt blue or any of the common domestics. Then i’d probably spend another $100 on bottles of heavier stuff that not as many people like, i.e. guiness, killians, maybe stella artois, etc. I’d have to think about this though and get recommendations. That adds up to around $250.

Liquor is where i’d probably spend the most. I’d get cheap versions of all the base liquors since for all the sweet mixed drinks I don’t want to be using nice stuff. I’d say around $120 for that (1 whiskey, 2 rum, 2 vodka, 1 gin, 1 tequila). Then i’d definitely get a couple bottles of nicer whiskey (probably jameson and a scotch in the $60 range), a bottle of magellan gin ($30), and a bottle of good tequila (around $50). The nicer gin because you can tell the difference in gin & tonics in my experience. And the good tequila and whiskey is for straight drinking, which no one really does with rum and vodka in my circle at least. That adds up to around $290.

The rest, like you, i’d probably spend on miscellaneous stuff that’s good for mixing, such as baileys. I’d probably skip the cointreau.

17

I am honestly appalled at some of the beer choices I’ve seen thrown around here.

Really, a good beer is almost better than a fine wine.

18

[quote]nowakc wrote:
Liquor is where i’d probably spend the most. I’d get cheap versions of all the base liquors since for all the sweet mixed drinks I don’t want to be using nice stuff. [/quote]

Good idea on the keg. I’ll give that some serious thought. Could have a different beer in the keg every quarter.

I do tend to disagree on your cheap liquor for mixed drinks though…and I think I’m in the minority, so I’d be interested to hear everyone’s take on this…but…for me…if I’m having a big party, then yeah, I’ll cut costs, but for my own personal consumption I’ll use top shelf everything for my mixed drink…I currently mix margaritas for me and She Say with Milagro Reposado, Cointreau and fresh squeezed lime juice…the mother in law gets Suaza, Triple Sec and bottle lime juice…the differenc in smell, taste and mouthfeel are startling…

I know someone’s going to jump all over me for this one, but last weekend I had a Rob Roy with 12 year old single malt scotch…beat the shit outta one made with Dewars White Label.

19

[quote]B rocK wrote:
$800 of whole milk. (then squat)[/quote]

You’ve never tried aging milk, have you?

20

Umm I don’t drink per say. But that seems like lots of money just for booze. I know a couple tropical spots you could head too a couple times a year for that price. All booze included.