If You're Going To Order Shots, Skip The Premium Bottles

You're out at the bar with your friends. Halfway through the night, one of you decides that it would be a fun idea to do shots. Not one to say no to a good time, you join your friends in getting a few shot glasses of vodka or scotch and seeing who can put them down the fastest. But that trademark burning you get in the back of your throat is nothing compared to the bill you may get for ordering them — imagine paying almost $50 just for a few measly glasses of booze!

The idea behind doing shots is simple: For a couple of bucks, you and your friends get to engage in a contest to see who can down their liquor the fastest out of a tiny finger-sized glass. In most cases, shots aren't too expensive, depending on the type of alcohol you order. For example, a shot of tequila may range around $5 to $15 dollars depending on the brand or vintage. If you order a cheap, common alcohol, you probably won't be paying that much compared to ordering a high-end, top-shelf drink to show off to your friends. Top-shelf alcohol may be good for a night out, but ordering shots with it may leave your wallet feeling sore.

Some bartenders believe that ordering the premium stuff for shots is generally a waste of money. To these bartenders, you're probably much better off ordering the cheap stuff than you are trying to impress your friends.

Have you ever heard of the rule of thumb that a really good, high-end steak doesn't need anything on it? It's the idea that if you have a high-quality steak, you don't put any A1 sauce or barbeque sauce on it or else it'll ruin the flavor. This same principle of treating a high-quality and expensive item with the respect it deserves also applies to using high-end liquor for your shots.

Head bartender of the Chicago-based restaurant Indienne Chetan Gangan explains to Insider that ordering premium liquor, such as top-shelf tequila, defeats the whole purpose of the drink. A good drink is meant to be savored; enjoyed slowly without rushing through it. There's a lot of work and time put into making a drink as high-quality as that, and it should be enjoyed without diluting or misusing it. If you order it as a shot, which is something you are supposed to drink down quickly, you're pretty much wasting your money on something you can't even enjoy in the first place. 

A cheaper or standard alcohol, one that is made for straight consumption rather than encouraging you to savor it, is a much more acceptable choice. Why would you waste $20 on a shot of top-shelf scotch that you can't even enjoy when you could spend $5 on a shot of the cheap stuff you usually enjoy anyway?

Now, you may find yourself at a crossroads. You obviously don't want to spend a huge amount of money on expensive liquor you won't be able to enjoy, but at the same time, you don't want to be a cheapskate and get something so low-quality and terrible it becomes a waste of money. What's a good type of alcohol to use when you want to order a round of shots?

A good rule to keep in mind when choosing liquor for your shots is that the drink in question shouldn't just be cheap — it should also be easily taken down without trouble. The drink should have a smooth flavor to it instead of something complex, making it much easier to drink in one quick gulp. That's why drinks like whiskey, bourbon, and vodka are popular, as their "clean" and simple flavors make them much easier.

Another good rule to keep in mind is to see if the drink can be flavored. While some may like the pure, clean taste of vodka, others may find it easier to gulp down a shot of peach schnapps or a standard rum and Coke. Although making a drink too fruity or sweet could ruin the taste of the original drink, it doesn't hurt to add a few minor flavor enhancers.

So long as the drink is both cheap and delicious, you can enjoy as many shots as you want — in moderation, of course.