This weekend my housemate and I are going to try some homemade
liqueur-making. The stuff I'm starting with will be mostly citrus
liqueurs or citrus-flavored (undiluted/unsweetend) vodkas.

In addition to some clear vodka-based recipes cut with plenty of
simple syrup, I want to try to make a more intense, Grand Marnier-like
brandy-based liqueur.

However, I know next to nothing about brandy. Obviously I don't want
to spend top dollar for an experimental recipe, but I don't want to
cut it too cheap either lest the product be doomed from the start.
:-)

So, what brandies would you suggest for an upstart homemade liqueur
hobbyist?

Thanks and cheers,

E