DrinkWire is Liquor.com's showcase for the best articles, recipe and reviews from the web's top writers and bloggers. In this post, Bevvy offers opinions on why the occasional top-shelf splurge can be an interesting experiment.

In light of a spirited debate (get it?) that recently took place in our office, today's piece is a quick overview of an age-old argument in the cocktail world: should you bother to use your expensive, top-shelf booze in cocktails?

The short (and boring) answer is, well, "it depends." Anyone who argues that you should go for the fancy stuff probably isn't suggesting that you use Macallan 18 in a Washington Apple Shot, while those who oppose it probably aren't saying the nicest thing you should use in an Old-Fashioned is plastic-handle rotgut from Walmart. Where it gets interesting is in the gray areas.

Take, for instance, the Daiquiri. It's part of the pantheon of classic cocktail recipes, and its simple combination of lime juice, sugar, and rum serves as the template for all kinds of related drinks. But what rum should you use?

The original probably would have used Bacardi white rum, which isn't exactly renowned for its subtlety—but, back in early-20th-century Cuba, it was pretty much the only game in town. There's an argument to be made that the drink was built to cut through the harshness of the spirit, using the tart citrus and sweet sugarcane to soften its edges. For proponents of the "no fancy stuff" philosophy, a truly sippable, well-rounded rum would be wasted on a Daiquiri, because the other ingredients hide the complexities that make it great.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have drinks like the "Because You're Worth It" Daiquiri at the Bourbon O Bar in New Orleans. Made with a sultry, 25-year-old Flor de Caña rum, it's a very different cocktail. We had the pleasure of trying one during this year's Tales of the Cocktail, and while we likely wouldn't use this $130 spirit in such a way ourselves (we are a stingy bunch), the result was undeniably delicious.

What it really comes down to is whether or not you're willing to spare a few ounces of your top-shelf favorite for the sake of a mixed drink. Yes, a beautifully extravagant vodka will be fantastic in a Moscow Mule recipe—it would be strange if it wasn't. On the other hand, you won't be able to appreciate all the nuances you would if you drank it neat—it would be strange if you did.

So, is the improvement of one cocktail worth the loss of one straight pour? That, like pretty much everything else in this industry, is simply a matter of preference (and, in this case, a matter of just how much cash you're currently willing to splash). But until you try it, there's no way to be sure!

Photos: Will Shenton