Spirit and Alcohol Substitutions
By Supercocktails.com
It may happen that your bar is lacking some ingredients: an inexperienced bartender might stop making some particular cocktails just because he misses that one ingredient, but that's not usually the best solution. Many spirits taste and look very similar, especially when mixed with other tasty ingredients, so you can usually get away with substitutions without people even noticing
Common substitutions:
Gin - Vodka
Gin and Vodka do taste quite different, but their color and texture is very similar and nobody will notice the change
Rye - Bourbon/Blended whiskey
This obviously only works in mixed drinks. If a clent asks for a plain rye you can't give him plain Bourbon! Just keep in mind that whiskeys and bourbons have very subtle differences, and the best whiskey enthusiasts will often notice the change
White Tequila - Gold Tequila
They have different colors, but the taste is very similar, so unless you're preparing a particularly clear drink you can easily substitute one for the other
Rum - Tequila
The most obvious and successful substitutions are white rum - white tequila and gold rum - gold tequila. The taste is quite different, but the drink will usually be good anyways.
Just don't go overboard and prefer heavily mixed drinks for these substitutions
Schnapps - Liqueur
While dry schnapps is similar to vodka in taste and texture and is not to be used in this case, you can easily substitute liqueurs with the sweeter brands of schnapps
Unacceptable substitutions:
Tonic Water - Carbonated Water (Club Soda)
They taste different! Carbonated water (soda or seltzer) doesn't really have a taste, since it's only carbon gas, but tonic water tastes like bitters (since it contains quinine) and it does actually alter the taste of your drink
Scotch Whiskey - Any other Whiskey
Scotch has an original and particular taste, and it's not usually possible to substitute it with another kind of whiskey or spirit
