When you think of some of your favourite alcoholic drinks, names like Gordon’s, Aperol and Baileys probably spring to mind.
But how do these popular top tipples compare with cheaper “copycat” versions at Aldi? We put them to the test to find out.
Other drinks we poured our thoughts over include Pimm's and Malibu.
It comes after Aldi recently found itself in trouble after M&S started legal action o ver claims its Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake is too similar to Marks’ Colin.
M&S says the Aldi cake infringes its trademark and "rides on the coat-tails" of its reputation and is trying to pull Cuthbert from shelves.
In return, Aldi has launched a #FreeCuthbert campaign on social media and has brought back its Cuthbert cake to stores for a limited time only.
What's your favourite Aldi dupe? Let us know in the comments below
We don’t know what the outcome of the case will be - but of course it raises questions about its other “dupes”.
In our first taste test, we compared Aldi crisps against snack giants such as Walkers, Quavers and Hula Hoops.
We also put cakes and biscuits to the test to see how they fared in comparison to Jaffa Cakes, Mars, Milky Way, Jammie Dodgers, Mr Kipling French Fancies and Cherry Bakewells and Choco Leibniz.
Here's how Aldi drinks compared to branded products. Keep in mind these are just based on one opinion so you may totally disagree.
Remember to stay DrinkAware if you're enjoying your favourite tipple this weekend.
Gordon's Gin vs Aldi Greysons Gin
Out of all the drinks we tested, Gordon's Gin and Aldi's Greysons were the ones that tasted the most similar - we were incredibly surprised by how alike they were.
For our test, we mixed each spirit with the same Schweppes tonic to create two gin and tonics.
Both were delicious in taste, with a crisp flavour that you'd expect from a London Dry gin, along with a fresh hit of distinctive Juniper berries.
Straight-forward gins for a no-fuss G&T. But did we prefer one over the other?
We wouldn't say we liked one taste more than the other gin, so as they were so on par, we'd happily swap Gordon's for a Greysons to save a bit of cash.
In our opinion, we think most people would struggle to tell them apart.
Aldi price: £9.99 (70cl)
Gordon's price: £15.50 (70cl)
Aperol vs Aldi Aperini Aperitif
Next up was Aperol. On first impression, we could see Aperol was a much darker shade of orange compared to the Aldi Aperini.
But how did they fare in terms of taste? For this part of our test, we mixed both aperitifs with the same Prosecco to create classic two Aperol Spritz.
The Aperol had more of a boozy punch to it - despite both drinks having the same 11% alcohol by volume (ABV) level.
The taste wasn't far off though, both were very close and had that familiar bitter orange that makes a classic Aperol drink - although again, we'd say Aperol was just that bit stronger.
We also found the Aldi one left a slight after taste in our mouth. A close match but we could tell them apart.
Aldi price: £6.99 (70cl)
Aperol price: £12 (70cl)
Pimm's vs Aldi Austin's Summer Punch
Now the weather is getting warmer, pubs up and down the country will be getting ready for a surge of orders for Pimm's.
Again, like the Aperol, we could see a difference in colour straight away with the Pimm's being a darker red.
You usually mix Pimm's with lemonade, so that's what we did - but again, using the same Schweppes branded fizz and equal alcohol measurements.
We did find the Pimm's had more of a sweeter, fruity kick to it compared to the Aldi Austin's Summer Punch.
We still enjoyed the Aldi version though, and it was a close call - so if you're watching your pennies, it could worth the switch to save £4.50.
But if we had to choose, on this occasion, we have to say the real deal just edged it for us.
Aldi price: £7.49 (70cl)
Pimm's price: £12 (70cl)
Malibu vs Aldi Cocobay Rum
We love a Malibu and lemonade, so I was intrigued to see how the branded version compared to Aldi Cocobay Rum.
Again, we used to same Schweppes lemonade for both drinks to keep it a fair test, along with the same measure of rum.
The drinks were so similar in taste - both identical in their tongue-tingling hints of tropical coconut goodness and rum.
They were both equally refreshing and we were very happy with both beverages.
The only difference we noticed was the Malibu had a bit more a syrupy consistency compared to Aldi.
If you're a Malibu fan, we think you'll be happy with Cocobay from Aldi - and it's £10 cheaper.
Aldi price: £4.99 (70cl)
Malibu price: £15 (70cl)
Baileys vs Aldi Ballycastle
Baileys is the perfect dessert drink - rich, smooth and almost chocolate-like in taste.
As you don't need to mix it, we tried the Baileys and Ballycastle as they are to see how they compared.
Both had a silky, velvet texture that you'd expect although the Baileys had a slight thicker consistency to it.
We found the Aldi one to be sweeter in taste, which we enjoyed, while the Baileys version had a much stronger kick to it and you could taste the Irish whisky much more.
This perhaps isn't surprising as Ballycastle has an ABV of 12% while Baileys is 17%.
Overall, both delicious but there is a noticeable difference.
If you like a sweet drink, you may even prefer Ballycastle to Baileys (and it's only £3.75) - whereas those who want a stronger taste should probably go for Baileys.
Aldi price: £3.75 (70cl)
Baileys price: £15 (70cl)
