Most home cocktail people fail the same way: twelve mediocre bottles, zero good drinks.

You need three.

1. A London dry gin that isn't Tanqueray or Bombay. Citrus and juniper, not perfume. $28–38. This covers gin & tonic, martini, negroni, last word.

2. A rye, not bourbon. Higher spice, drier finish. Old fashioneds, manhattans, and anything you'd otherwise dump whiskey into won't go sweet-flat.

3. A 100% agave blanco tequila that doesn't taste like cleaner. Sip it neat first. Then highballs. Then margaritas. If you wouldn't drink it alone, don't mix with it.

Skip the flavored liqueurs until those three are in rotation. A tight bar beats a crowded one.

If you want the actual names I buy — and why — that's what The Cellar Note is for.