Stocking your at-home bar

[MadJohnShaft]

Gun

[deleted account]

did dong hack your account?  (see the NBA thread)

[Jor el]

Hey Shaft,

Do you think your kids will bust into your liquor cabinet ?

[deleted account]

before taking the car for a spin?

[MadJohnShaft]

Shit, I hope not. If that was me as a teen I'd be all over that.

I am pondering getting a three tap kegerator for my home brew and that occurred to me as a potential problem. They sell tap locks ($130) for three. I doubt wife will let me keep it upstairs.


I picked up some Basil Hayden's Kentucky bourbon since I keep seeing it around, it was okay but didn't grab me. I'll try it again when I am in the mood for it. I read about it - it's a Jim beam small batch that includes rye. It's light in body so probably great for old fashions but at $45 a bottle too expensive for that.

[mortlock]

but its got a really cool label..

[MadJohnShaft]

Yeah

Much better is George Clooneys Tequila- delicious!

[deleted account]

^^ VERY good shit

[kokojones]

I gave up on the utilitarian idea of strategizing liquors for guests and have been steadily amassing a collection of whatever I feel like drinking.  My previous record buying budget now treats me to a new rum or two every month.  I also developed a taste for mezcal.  Bulleit rye is still our house booze, but more often than not I go for the rum.  I think I have twenty different bottles now.

[MadJohnShaft]

Solid!



Cognac
For sidecars, brandy milk punches, crustas, daisies, and smashes.

White Rum
For daiquiris and mojitos.

Gin
For martinis, gin and tonics, Tom Collinses, etc.

Bourbon
For Manhattans, old fashioneds, and whiskey sours.

Vodka
Vodka is the workhorse of the liquor cabinet, used in basic drinks such as vodka tonics, screwdrivers, and the vodka martini.

Tequila
For margaritas, sunrises, and palomas. The best tequilas are made from 100 percent agave; check the label.


Cointreau
A bar essential -- clean, full of natural orange flavor, and not too sweet.

Red Vermouth
For Manhattans.

White Vermouth
Essential for truly sublime martinis.

Bitters
Bitters are used not to make the drink taste bitter but to help other flavors blend.

[socket]

I have vodka, raspberry rum, and some shitty whiskey. A bunch of beer though.

[mortlock]

the raspberry rum is what gets people into trouble.

[kokojones]

the raspberry rum is what gets people into trouble.

Ha!  We won a bottle of raspberry Smirnoff during a family white elephant game over the holidays.  99% certain it will get regifted before we ever crack it open.

[kokojones]

Solid!

Cognac
I have half-pint bottles of Remy and Courvoisier VSOP for short additions to stuff, mostly Vieux Carré.

White Rum
I've found that the white/golden/dark descriptors to be fairly misleading as there are dozens of rum expressions.  An unaged "white" rum from Jamaica is way different than a rhum from Martinique and waayyyy different than Bacardi.  Bacardi may as well be labeled as vodka it's been so industrially column-distilled.

That said, Havana Club and Caña Brava are more traditional Cuban light style rums that make great daiquiris. Although, I also like a daiquiri made with a darker and super funky Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross or even Plantation's Stiggin's Pineapple which is their Jamaican rum given a second maturation with actual pineapple rinds in the barrel. 

Gin
My least favorite (so far).  I have the basic London dry on hand for G&Ts, and I just picked up an aged gin from a local distillery.  Supposed to have the finesse of gin with the oak body of bourbon.

Bourbon
Basil Hayden in the house, some gifted pints of Makers and Woodford on hand, too.  Mostly we stick to Bulleit rye for Manhattans, Old Fashions, Boulevardiers, et al.

Vodka
Grey Goose bottle sees the least action of all probably.

Tequila
Been more into mescal lately.  Del Maguey's Vida is as smokey as any Scotch and makes a fine ass margarita.  Otherwise, our house marg' recipe is Herradura Silver, fresh lime, and...
Cointreau
...which stays permanently in the freezer just for this.  We also created a bourbon cranberry punch for our wedding that used Cointreau.  Otherwise, I primarily use Pierre Ferrand dry orange curaçao.  Amaro Nonino subs well, too.

Red Vermouth
Carpano Antica, almost exclusively,  but have some Dolin on-hand as well. 

White Vermouth
Rarely used but I have an upopened bottle of Noilly Prat ready in the basement overflow storage.

Bitters
In addition to the aperitifs like Campari and Aperol, Cynar, FernetBranca, and Cocchino I have the basic Angostura and Peychauds along with various tiki, orange, cherry, black walnut, and black mission fig bitters.