Two bottles, and what they really make
There are 435 ways to pick two bottles out of this library. 23 of them have a drink that uses both. Every other pair is two bottles doing separate jobs on the same shelf, which is worth knowing before you buy the second one.
Where these numbers come from
Barello is a home cellar and bar app that tells you what to open tonight, what to keep, and what you can mix from what you have.
Every count on this page is taken from its cocktail library: 80 recipes, each carrying the rules that decide whether a bottle on your shelf satisfies an ingredient. That's the same engine the app runs on, so nothing here is an estimate.
The library and the matching tool are free and need no sign-up. The cellar side, with the drinking windows, is the app.
The pairs that mix 23 of 435
| The two bottles | What uses both | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Aromatic bitters and whisky (bourbon or kentucky) | Old Fashioned, Sazerac | 4 |
| Campari or red bitter and sweet vermouth | Americano, Milano-Torino | 4 |
| Gin and sparkling wine | French 75 | 13 |
| Gin and orange liqueur | White Lady | 11 |
| Gin and maraschino liqueur | Aviation | 11 |
| Gin and crème de mûre | Bramble | 11 |
| Gin and dry vermouth | Dry Martini | 11 |
| Gin and sweet vermouth | Gin & It | 11 |
| Aged rum and white rum | Zombie | 5 |
| Campari or red bitter and dark rum | Jungle Bird | 5 |
| Campari or red bitter and sparkling wine | Spritz | 5 |
| Aromatic bitters and sparkling wine | Champagne Cocktail | 4 |
| Coffee liqueur and vodka | Espresso Martini | 4 |
| Dry vermouth and vodka | Vodka Martini | 4 |
| Orange liqueur and vodka | Cosmopolitan | 4 |
| Campari or red bitter and white wine | Bicicletta | 3 |
| Crème de cassis and sparkling wine | Kir Royale | 3 |
| Aromatic bitters and aged rum | Three Dots and a Dash | 2 |
| Orange liqueur and tequila | Margarita | 2 |
| Whisky (bourbon or kentucky) and red wine | New York Sour | 2 |
| Brandy or cognac and crème de cacao | Brandy Alexander | 1 |
| Brandy or cognac and orange liqueur | Sidecar | 1 |
| Orange liqueur and aged rum | Mai Tai | 1 |
"Covers" counts every drink the pair can make between them, including the ones that need only one of the two. Kitchen staples are assumed, the same way the app assumes them: a sour isn't blocked by invisible sugar.
The pairs that cover the most, mixed or not
| The two bottles | Covers | What uses both |
|---|---|---|
| Gin and white rum | 14 | nothing uses both |
| Gin and whisky (any) | 14 | nothing uses both |
| Gin and vodka | 13 | nothing uses both |
| Gin and sparkling wine | 13 | French 75 |
| Campari or red bitter and gin | 12 | nothing uses both |
| Gin and non-alcoholic spirit | 12 | nothing uses both |
| Gin and dark rum | 12 | nothing uses both |
| Aromatic bitters and gin | 11 | nothing uses both |
This is the table most "best two bottles" lists are really showing you, without saying so. It's a good list. It's answering "how many drinks does this open up", not "what can I mix from these two".
The one worth having both ways
Gin and sparkling wine cover 13 drinks between them, and unlike the pairs above them on the list, one of those drinks uses both: a French 75. That's the rare case where the second bottle buys you something the first one couldn't reach.
The full list for that pair, with what each of the 13 needs.
Why so few pairs mix
Classic cocktails are mostly one spirit plus a kitchen. A Daiquiri is rum, lime and sugar. A Gimlet is gin, lime and sugar. Neither wants a second bottle, and the drinks that do want one usually want a modifier rather than another spirit: a vermouth, a bitter, an orange liqueur. That's why the mixing pairs above are nearly all a spirit and a modifier, and why two spirits together are usually two lists rather than one.
Which makes the buying advice simple. Pick your second bottle for the drinks you already want, not for the pair. Every bottle this library holds, and what each is worth on its own, is on the home bar page.
What can I make with two bottles?
More than you'd think, and less of it mixed than you'd think. Two bottles reach as many as 14 of the 80 drinks in Barello's library, but of the 435 possible pairs only 23 have a single drink that uses both bottles at once.
Do gin and rum go together?
Not in a glass. No classic cocktail in this library uses both, so buying the two gets you two separate lists of drinks rather than a new one. As a pair of first purchases they are still among the strongest, which is a different question.
Which two bottles make the most cocktails?
Gin and white rum, at 14 drinks. For a pair that mixes, gin and sparkling wine cover 13 and give you a French 75.
Tick what you own instead. Barello checks your shelf against 80 recipes and names the one bottle that would open the most new drinks. Free, nothing to sign up to.
What cocktail can I make?