When it comes to baking, there are a few basic ingredients that will almost always be included in a recipe: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla. While only a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract is usually called for, a small bit adds depth to your baked good and enhances other, already present flavors. The easiest way to add a splash, of course, is to buy a bottle of imitation or real vanilla. Imitation is never going to be as good as the real thing, but genuine vanilla can come with a hefty price tag thanks to the cost of the beans. But what if you didn't need to buy a bottle? What if you could make your own?

A recipe of just two ingredients — bourbon and vanilla beans — it couldn't be easier. Sure, you'll have to wait a few months before the extract is ready to use, but the end result is definitely worth the wait. Now you just have to decide which bourbon to use as your base. With so many different brands available, we reached out to a few experts to get their recommendations on which were the best.

Our host of bartenders and beverages director delivered 13 of the best bourbons to use for making vanilla extract. No matter what you choose to work with, one thing both Joseph Oddo, beverage director at D.C.'s Jack Rose Dining Saloon and Chase Henry from the Wiseguy Loung agree upon is that you definitely want something higher proof. "100 and up is best, though over 120 is where things are really going to go crazy," Henry says.