Hosting is an art
There are tons of way to impress guests when entertaining in one’s home. You can show off the old big screen, flat or otherwise. You can always cash in cool points on having a good collection of pretty much anything that doesn’t make you seem like a pre-teen trapped in an adult’s body. So knives, books, art, and furniture are a yes; baseball cards, and action figures, and we’ll assume the 40 Year Old Virgin was based on a true story.
One guaranteed crowd-pleaser is a stocked home bar. Something about having a home bar, and by that I mean something that is more than a cabinet with a couple bottles of liquor and wine, really gets people’s juices flowing. You don’t even need to build a gigantic fully stocked home bar, just something with the “bar essentials” that can be placed in the corner or a back of a room or salon. Once that’s done, a simple cocktail recipe book and a little common sense is all you need. Here are the basics for a small bar at home.
THE BOOZE:
Beer, Lager(refrigerate)
Blended whiskey or Rye
Bourbon
Brandy
Gin
Pernod
Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and/or dry French
Rum, light
Scotch
Sherry, dry
Tequila, white
Triple Sec
Vermouth, dry and sweet
Vodka(keep in freezer)
White wine, dry French or California chardonnay(refrigerate)
Good start
MIXERS:
Cola
Cranberry juice
Diet soda
Ginger ale
Grapefruit juice
Lemon juice
Lemon-lime soda
Lime juice
Orange juice
Sparkling water
Tomato juice
Tonic water
GARNISHES AND CONDIMENTS:
Angostura bitters
Bar sugar
Black pepper
Cocktail Olives
Grenadine
Lemons
Limes
Maraschino cherries
Oranges
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
GLASSWARE:
Brandy sniffer
Champagne flute
Cocktail glass
Highball glass
Old-Fashioned glass
Pilsner glass
Wine goblet
TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
Bar spoon
Blender
Bottle opener
Citrus reamer
Corkscrew
Jigger
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Mixing glass
Paring Knife
Standard shaker
Strainer.
Don’t let sheer magnitude of the list scare you. Build your bar slowly by starting with the basics:
1.) A great sipping whisky (Macallan’s 18, Highland Park 21, Blue Label)
2.) A great mixing whiskey (Dewer’s 12, Crown Royal, Maker’s Mark, Black Label)
3.) A premium bottle of vodka (Belvedere or Grey Goose, and Ketel One)
4.) A great Reposado or Blanco Tequila (4 Copas, Gran Patron Silver, 1921)
5.) A great selection of beers (Lagers, Dunkels, and your college favorite for impromptu parties)
6.) Champagne (Either for a celebration, or for girls that don’t like the taste of alcohol)
7.) Amaretto (For making amaretto sours- only for girls that don’t like the taste of alcohol)
8.) Respectable selection of wines (Red, Whites, Chardonnay, Sovereign Blanc, Zinfandel, etc)
9.) Extra’s: Ice! , Quality glasses, Large Heavy Duty Shaker (don’t put anything carbonated in it- rookie mistake), Towels
10.) Mixers: Soda’s, Sour mix, Juices, etc.
11.) Something impressive to put it all in (Go dark wood, with darker leather)
Impromptu Party
Good luck and happy hosting.
Popularity: 16% [?]
