Improve The Taste Of Cheap Bourbon With This Common Kitchen Appliance. (It's Easier Than You Think)

We know that you're dutifully following all the rules for buying bourbon, but sometimes you still end up with bottles of booze that would have been better left on the shelf. Maybe that cheap hooch was a gift from a well-intended friend (or an enemy!), maybe you acquired it all on your own to tip just a bit into a sweet potato pie, or maybe it's old and dusty enough to be absent any origin. In any case, the stuff's still stuck in your liquor cabinet. It would be nice to get some use out of it. Turns out, a whirl through the blender is just the thing to invigorate the amber liquid.

Chris Blatner, executive bourbon steward, founder of Urban Bourbonist, LLC, and executive director of Bourbon Charity, tells Chowhound exclusively that "it's a wild-sounding idea, but yes, aeration can have an effect. Running bourbon through a blender or using a small handheld milk frother rapidly exposes it to oxygen, which can soften some sharp edges, burn off some volatile notes, and create a rounder mouthfeel. Some people swear by it, especially for bottom-shelf bottles." But Blatner also says to take this promising hack with a grain of salt: "Do I recommend it? If you're playing around with a $15 bottle, go for it. Just don't expect it to miraculously taste like a bourbon that is aged longer and priced three to four times more."

Many of the cocktails we still enjoy today were first created to mask the poor quality of bootleg spirits circulating during Prohibition. Ergo, you can capably cloak that plastic bottled bourbon in the same way. "That's where budget bottles shine," Chris Blatner says. "A touch of fresh citrus, a little sweetener, or some bitters can transform a rough pour into something completely drinkable. Even just adding a big ice cube and letting it open up for a few minutes can smooth out some of the rougher qualities. And honestly, if you find yourself regularly trying to 'fix' a bourbon, it might be time to find a new bottle that you actually like."

Some of our favorite bourbon cocktails don't even require a ton of ancillary ingredients to bring it up to snuff. A bit of sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of biters are enough to turn that rough swill into a polished Manhattan. An old fashioned merely swaps the vermouth for simple syrup. Even as little as a pour of lemonade can brighten up the worst bourbons — until you can drain them from your home once and for all.