The bottle you pick is your first real profit lever. Glass Bottle (no modifiers) is your baseline. Dirty Plastic Bottle is a noob trap: -10% Sale Chance and -10% Price. Never touch it for anything you plan to sell.
Beer Bottle (+20% Sale Chance) is your go-to for high-volume, low-margin runs where you need guaranteed buyers. Square Bottle (+20% Price) is the premium pick for expensive liqueurs and aged spirits. Wine Bottle (+5$ flat) beats Square Bottle only when the base price is low—do the math: Wine Bottle gives +5$ regardless of percentage, so for a 20$ base, that’s 25% effective; for a 50$ base, it’s only 10%.
Rule of thumb: Square Bottle for any bottle with base value above 25$. Wine Bottle for anything below. Beer Bottle when you need to offload inventory fast.
Base Ingredients: The Foundation Matrix
Every alcohol starts from one of three base types: Water, Apple Must, or Grape Must. Water is free from the tap but adds no modifiers. Apple Must adds Apple (+2$) and Cloudiness (-50% price—brutal). Grape Must adds Grape (+20%) and Cloudiness.
The Cloudiness penalty is savage. Always filter Apple Must and Grape Must using the Filter Press or clarifying agent before fermentation. This removes the -50% and leaves only the positive fruit modifier.
Alcohol Cost vs. Profit: The Tiered Breakdown
Here is the raw base cost per alcohol type, before any modifiers:
| Alcohol | Base Cost | Key Modifier Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 0$ | None |
| Homebrew | 6$ | Low |
| Moonshine | 9$ | Medium |
| Vodka | 12$ | Medium-High |
| Chacha | 12$ | High (Aged eligible) |
| Mead | 13$ | Medium |
| Cider | 18$ | High (Aged eligible) |
| Infused Spirits | 18$ | Very High |
| Brandy | 20$ | High (Aged eligible) |
| Wine | 23$ | High (Aged eligible) |
| Beer | 24$ | Low (Hops penalty) |
| Whiskey | 24$ | Very High (Aged eligible) |
| Liqueur | 28$ | Highest (multi-modifier) |
For beginners: Start with Moonshine (9$ base). It requires only Homebrew + distillation. The low cost means you can test modifiers without risking big losses. Once you have a reliable modifier setup, move to Whiskey (24$ base, Aged eligible) or Liqueur (28$ base, accepts almost any modifier).
For profit maximization: Liqueur at 28$ base, with Square Bottle (+20%), plus a high-value modifier like Aspen Bolete (+30% price, +30% sale chance) or Fly Agaric (+30%), plus a combo if possible, easily pushes final price above 60$ per bottle.
Modifier Math: Stacking for Maximum Price
Modifiers stack multiplicatively on base cost, then additive flat bonuses are applied. The formula:
Final Price = (Base Cost × (1 + Σ % Modifiers)) + Σ Flat Modifiers
Example: Liqueur (28$ base) + Square Bottle (+20%) + Aspen Bolete (+30%, +0$ flat) + Banana (+25%) = 28 × (1 + 0.20 + 0.30 + 0.25) = 28 × 1.75 = 49$. Then add flat modifiers: none here, so 49$.
Now add Honey (+25%, +5$): 28 × (1 + 0.20 + 0.30 + 0.25 + 0.25) = 28 × 2.00 = 56$ + 5$ = 61$.
Best single modifiers by category:
- Price %: Corn Malt (+30%), Fly Agaric (+30%), Aspen Bolete (+30%), Barley (+30%)
- Flat Price: Saffron Milk Cap (+15$, but -70%—net negative unless base is very high), Boom combo (+16$)
- Sale Chance: Corn Malt (+30%), Aspen Bolete (+30%), Citrus Peel (+15%)
Combo Modifiers: The Power Multipliers
Combos require two specific modifiers on the same bottle. They are applied on top of the individual modifier values.
Top combos for profit:
- Flat (Banana + Carbonation): +60% price, -1$. Requires Soda for Carbonation. Massive percentage boost.
- Alert (Energy + Fly Agaric): +30% price, +5$, +10% Sale Chance. Energy Drink gives -10% price but +4$, Fly Agaric gives +30%. Net: +20% price, +9$, +10% sale chance.
- Boom (Porcini + Pepper): -20% price but +16$. Only good if base is high enough to absorb the -20%.
Combo to avoid: Infection (Mouse + Cloudiness). -30% price, -3$. Only useful if you want to tank your profit.
Hidden Mechanics: Infinite, Inversion, and Aging
Infinite Combo (Wheat + Grape)
This modifier becomes permanently locked to the bottle. You cannot remove it with filter press or clarifying agent. Use only when you are sure the combined effect is positive. Wheat (+20% price) + Grape (+20% price) = +40% permanent. That is solid—use this on your best Liqueur or Whiskey.
Inversion Combo (Corn + Aspen Bolete)
This inverts all modifier values on the bottle. Positive becomes negative, negative becomes positive. Strategic use: intentionally apply negative modifiers (like Mouse: -10%, -1$) then invert them to +10%, +1$. Or take Saffron Milk Cap (-70%, +15$) and invert to +70%, -15$. That turns a niche modifier into a massive profit booster.
Warning: Inversion applies to all modifiers on the bottle, including bottle modifiers. If you use a Dirty Plastic Bottle (-10% sale, -10% price) and invert, you get +10% sale, +10% price. That makes Dirty Plastic Bottle suddenly viable.
Aging
Applies to: Chacha, Cider, Brandy, Wine, Whiskey. Effect: +30% price, +7$. This is a flat bonus on top of everything. Always age these types if you have the time. The aging process takes in-game days but requires no additional ingredients.
Cloudiness removal: Always filter Cider, Brandy, Wine, and Liqueur before bottling. The -50% penalty is brutal. Use Filter Press or clarifying agent. This is non-negotiable.
The Ultimate Profit Recipe
Target: Liqueur (28$ base)
Steps:
- Distill Vodka → Spirits (12$ base cost)
- Add Spirits to Table with Sugar → Liqueur (28$ base)
- Add Corn Malt (+30% price, +30% sale) and Aspen Bolete (+30% price, +30% sale)
- Add Banana (+25% price) and Soda (Carbonation) → triggers Flat combo (+60% price, -1$)
- Bottle in Square Bottle (+20% price)
- No aging needed (Liqueur is not eligible)
Final calculation: Base: 28$ % modifiers: Corn Malt (30%) + Aspen Bolete (30%) + Banana (25%) + Flat combo (60%) + Square Bottle (20%) = 165% Flat modifiers: -1$ (Flat combo) 28 × (1 + 1.65) = 28 × 2.65 = 74.2$ 74.2$ – 1$ = 73.2$
Sale chance: Base 100% + Corn Malt (30%) + Aspen Bolete (30%) = 160%. You will almost never fail to sell.
Risk Management: Sale Chance
Sale Chance is the hidden tax. A bottle with 70% Sale Chance means 30% of your production is wasted. Always stack Sale Chance modifiers on high-cost bottles. Corn Malt (+30%) and Aspen Bolete (+30%) are the kings. Citrus Peel (+15%) is a cheap backup.
Never use Hops (-15% Sale Chance) or Pepper (-12% Sale Chance) on expensive bottles unless you have massive Sale Chance from other sources.
Quick Reference: Best Combinations by Goal
Highest pure profit: Liqueur + Square Bottle + Corn Malt + Aspen Bolete + Flat combo (Banana + Soda). Estimated final price: 73$ per bottle.
Best for beginners: Moonshine + Beer Bottle + Corn Malt. Base 9$, +30% price, +30% sale, +20% sale from bottle. Final price ~12$, near-guaranteed sale. Low risk, steady income.
Best aging candidate: Whiskey + Square Bottle + Corn Malt + Aspen Bolete + Aged. Base 24$, +30% (Corn) + 30% (Aspen) + 20% (Bottle) + 30% (Aged) = 110% = 50.4$, plus +7$ flat = 57.4$. Solid profit with aging time.
Inversion exploit: Start with Dirty Plastic Bottle (-10% sale, -10% price) + Mouse (-10%, -1$) + Saffron Milk Cap (-70%, +15$). Apply Inversion combo (Corn + Aspen Bolete). Result: +90% sale, +80% price, +1$ flat, -15$ flat. Net: base × 1.80 – 14$. On a 28$ Liqueur: 50.4$ – 14$ = 36.4$. Not the best, but turns trash into profit.
