What are your thoughts on this office supply retailer?

Or, if you'd rather not disclose your stance on the aforementioned, an equally scintillating discussion topic:
What are the staples in your liquor cabinet? The bottles that get replaced long before they risk being emptied?

Mine would be Campari, Wray and Nephew, black strap, baby Saz, and green Chartreuse.

I'm glad all this talk of cocktails stirred something inside of you.

Yes, a general list.

I forgot to ask in my original post, but an equally important question is do you feel any of those cocktails don't deserve to be there? And what would you add? I'm sure you've got some good contemporary ones that would benefit this list.

That is a good suggestion. I think my three major groups are: Drinkers like me (anything goes as long as it's well-designed); people unfamiliar with mixed drinks that don't mind liquor; and people unfamiliar with them that do.

My bar is already fully stocked and has the ingredients for any of the drinks I listed above, excepting perishables and certain wines or wine-based drinks.

This is for general purpose. I have people over a few times a week. Usually one to three people. Not always having drinks, but the option is always there for guests. Because of the format I'll be presenting drinks in (see my additional post above), choosing one shouldn't be a huge challenge. And since it's often just a small gathering, there's no harm in discussing any of them at length if a guest is curious.

I did a poor job relaying the fact that this is for general use and not any specific event. However, I like your format for parties. You're quite lucky to have so many cocktail enthusiast friends!

I have just posted a response to my original post clarifying that confusion.

I was considering cycling drinks over time. Maybe remove a handful of the bottom performers every few months and replace them with seasonally appropriate ones. Or I could have a 'specials' section at the beginning of the menu.

I apologize for a misleading original post. This won't be for a large gathering, but just for any time a guest drops by and would like a drink.

I've actually yet to try the Pegu Club. It's high on my list to try but I keep pushing it off for some reason or other.

The Negroni must have been a Freudian omission. Had I thought of it it would have easily made the cut. However, for some reason I'm not terribly fond of them, despite my love of all the components.

I was just thinking the Tiki category is under-represented here. I need to brush up on my Tiki knowledge first, though.

Good call on highballs.

Unfortunately, I am still too much of a novice myself to have many respectable personal inventions.

I've just responded to this concern above, but I agree completely and simply failed to mention it in my original post.

I like your point about potentially using a more romantic, descriptive style. That would certainly be easier for novice drinkers to parse.

Done, done, done, and done.

Ah! I'm not sure how I forgot those. Thank you. I've never had a Monkey Gland and I need to get my bottle of Benedictine before I can shake up some Cocktail's a La Louisiane.

An illustration of how this system might work:
Rather than deciding upon a Chartreuse Swizzle from the full cocktail list, one would first narrow their preference down to 'light and complex'. Turning to the appropriate page, one would come to a list of twenty or so drinks fitting that description, arranged in some logical format- let's say by base spirit- and, given one's seething antipathy for gin, whiskey, and all other manner of traditional base spirits, opt for a drink which uses a nonstandard composition. Intrigued by one in particular but nonplussed by foreign words like 'Chartreuse' and 'falernum', the glossary would prove a wonderful aid. Having now decrypted the arcana of this cocktail, one confidently settles upon the Chartreuse Swizzle as the drink most suited to one's current mood and general preferences.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, All.

This menu will be a permanent fixture at my bar and not for any particular event. I want to create this so I don't have to rattle my brains for the 'right' cocktail for each guest if and when I'm entertaining. Since I generally entertain at most a handful of guests at any given time, the size of the cocktail list is not problematic for me because I'll end up making a limited quantity of drinks regardless.

The massive list won't prove an issue for guests because I plan on having a 2x2 or 3x3 'Selection Grid' (Table of Contents). The two axes will represent the two most important criteria for choosing a drink (complex vs. simple and heavy vs. light are the two spectra I'm considering right now, but please propose better ones if you have any). Drinks will be listed in the appropriate section. Therefore, guests in the mood for a light and complex drink will have one-quarter (or -ninth) as many cocktails to sift through.

I'm also considering then subdividing those classifications, perhaps by base liquor, to narrow options even further. The daunting task of choosing from a straight list is replaced by a pleasant decision between a few choice cocktails.

Cocktail menus can be intimidating if strange ingredient names are tossed about without accompanying descriptions. To make the less 'cocktail savvy' comfortable around all the jargon and reduce the dreaded 'eye-closing, finger-pointing' cocktail selection method, all cocktails will have a list of ingredients and all ingredients will be listed in a glossary of terms.

Lastly, for educational purposes, I'd like to toss in creator and (approximate) year of creation alongside drink names and include a snippet of history beneath the ingredients list, especially for drinks with great backstories.

So you see, it's more than just a list. I suppose it's a sort of cocktail menu-book. Hopefully this clears up any confusion.

I'm planning on creating a cocktail bar-quality menu for my home bar. I think it will be a good way to introduce the unaware to how good cocktails can be and allow the more experienced drinkers to explore new ones. It will also be an excellent exercise in case I ever decide to start up my own bar.

Given the wide audience, I'd like to have a mix of historical and contemporary, strong and light, complex and simple, and I'd like to give roughly equal attention to all spirits. I believe a healthy dose of everything best showcases the world of drink.

In your opinion, what cocktails need to be featured? Right now, these are the ones I'm considering:
G&T
Moscow Mule
Americano
Daiquiri or Floridita or Hemingway Daiquiri or Papa Doble (if anyone can definitively distinguish those last three for me, please do)
Diablo
Mai Tai
Manhattan
Margarita
Martinez
Martini
Old Fashioned
Sazerac
Presidente
Vermouth Cocktail
Jasmine
Sunflower
Corn N Oil
Argento's Dream
Boulevardier or Old Pal
Last Word or Final Ward
Chartreuse Swizzle
Japanese Cocktail
Penicillin
Trinidad Sour
Wolf's Bite (Clyde Commons)
Aviation
Caipirinha
Cameron's Kick
Cesar's Rum Punch
Mary Pickford
Paper Airplane
Ramos Gin Fizz
The Prospector
Ward Eight

A question occurred to me while reflecting upon my love of gin and, after seeing EvergreenDan's comment on board malaise, I thought I'd poll the Chow Spiritsers about what they would like the future of liquor to hold: Specifically, what a future base spirit might look like.

Each major category (gin, rum, tequila, brandy, whisk(e)y, [vodka?]) has some unifying thread that makes it unquestionably X spirit, yet each permits variation (e.g. Beefeater vs. Hendrick's vs. Death's Door).

So what would your spirit's dominant flavor be? Apple? Rice? Tea? What about characteristics? Floral? Spicy? Woody? Citrusy? Keep in mind these flavors should be generally accessible and approachable. Art in the Ages' new Sage is a good source of inspiration.

Finally, some points to consider:
Distillation vs. maceration
Source of alcohol (neutral spirit, malted or unmalted grains, fruit eau de vie)
Ageing (if aged, even more considerations: Time, new vs used barrels, etc.)
Additives

Care to share your $35-50 top picks?

I was a bit surprised, because I wouldn't have imagined you creating a sweet drink.

I used pink grapefruit juice rather than white, but I'm fairly certain the matter is with my rum selections. What are the rums you're making it with? I have a sadly limited rum cabinet so I had to make do with a motley hodgepodge.

Please get back to us on that ice study. Kazuo Uyeda has a nicely scientific analysis of ice, but not in quite the same vein of which you speak.

The "problem" I find with tiki drinks is that they're generally good, but homogeneous enough that I find it hard to distinguish on memory alone. Side-to-side's would undoubtedly be more helpful.

Or-what? I think you're mispronouncing it. It's ah-ma-reh-toe. But I agree that almond extract pairs well with freshly muddled jelly beans.

Yes, the Corn 'n Oil was the first drink I made with my falernum and I would third that opinion.

Thanks for the Ninth Ward rec. I like the concept.

I tried the Cesar's Rum Punch at your recommendation a while ago and liked it.

By 'standard', I was referring to swizzles, Corn 'n Oil, and Zombie. Embarrassingly, I had not yet tried a Zombie until recently because I haven't had a grapefruit lying around.

Could you post your Jet Pilot recipe? The ones I've seen look suspiciously similar to a Zombie.

Just made this. Thank you for giving me a drink to use my nocino in! A bit sweet, but a novel combination of falernum, nocino, and cachaça.

*I did deviate slightly from your posted instructions: I used a DOF instead of a cocktail glass. Alas, my 5+ oz. cocktail glasses are nowhere to be found.

I know. I just find the sheer quantity of ingredients intimidating for them. Any particular recommendations?

I've got a healthy amount of falernum. Beyond the standard falernum cocktails and the Chartreuse Swizzle, where else can I use it?

In my efforts to clean house tonight, I threw together said falernum and some sweet vermouth and was pretty pleased with the combination. Decided to up the ante and turn it into a full-on cocktail.
The cocktail:
1-1/2 oz gin (Plymouth)
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Dolin Rouge)
1/2 oz falernum (Paul Clarke's #8)
1/4 oz lime juice
Dash orange bitters (Fee Bros.)

The verdict:
Not bad. I'd up the citrus and switch to a more aggressive base spirit (tequila, agricole, or rye), however it has potential to be enjoyed for reasons other than its status as a non-failure. Anyone adventurous enough to give it a go and share your findings?

And while on the subject of perishable homemades; orgeat and grenadine are warding off vacancy in my refrigerator. Any favorites of yours that use them?

Ah. That's a shame. I had thought they were a bit more substitutable. Cherry Heering is quite low on my list of 'Next Purchases', so I guess the Blood & Sand and Singapore Sling (that's Heering, right?) will have to wait.

The reason I'm curious about kirsch is that I have a small homemade bottle I received from a friend in Austria. Also, the Goat's Delight is an unusual cocktail that uses it and orgeat which I am eager to try.

Davis: I was simply going by 12bottlebar's recipe. However, it looks like everyone's got their own idea of what a Brandy Crusta should be, with some going so far as to call for a 2:1 of brandy to lemon (clearly a sour at that point). I averaged them all and came up with:
2 oz cognac
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz lemon juice
Barspoonful maraschino
Dash Angostura

Gave it a taste, seemed a little light on orange flavor and requiring a touch more sweetness so I upped the Cointreau to a half ounce total. Shook, poured, and it's currently in my glass being 'assessed'. A little dry, even for me and I'm no sweet fan. I saw some recipe calling for Peychaud's which I wouldn't mind trying next time, as the Angostura doesn't seem quite right.

If anyone has a recipe they feel is spot-on, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks, guys. I'm not sure why it was transcribed in my notes as Maraschino. I'll give it another go when I get a bottle of Heering. While we're discussing cherry liqueurs, how do kirschwasser and cherry brandy compare?

The Final Ward is quite good as well. I believe I saw an Agricole variant on the boards at some point as well (perhaps by JMF?) that I am looking forward to trying when I finally open my HSE.

I need time with the Aviation to come to a conclusion. Mine is the sans-CdV version. I like it, but I feel like I could like it more with a little ratio tweaking.

I appreciate the Brandy Crusta recommendation. The out-of-character use of lemon juice as a modifier instead of a major ingredient is intriguing.

A friend recently got me a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino. Great. It's been on my wish list for a while.

I got myself a few bottles of Plymouth because they were twenty bucks a pop. And they've been on my wish list for a while.

I'm sure you all can recommend some worthy potations to try out. So far, I've thrown together a Last Word, Mary Pickford, Blood and Sand, and a Martini. Martini and Last Word were my favorites, Pickford was made using oldish juice so that docked it some points, and the Blood and Sand was okay but sweet and pretty Maraschino-heavy. What would you make with either (or both!) of these fine new ingredients?

Ah! I remembered having read this tidbit a while ago but forgot the specifics of your advice and couldn't remember where I had seen it. I appreciate the science, yarm. Egg drinks are so alluring but the daunting task of creating an airy foam generally disheartens me. Not to mention, I only just upgraded from my leaky 3 piece to a solid pair of tins from Cocktail Kingdom.

Can you offer any other insights? I recently made a Clover Club (dry with all but sugars for approx. 15 seconds, wet for 20) that easily surpassed my prior eggy ventures but still fell a tad short on volume.

Addendum:

I was thinking about Blackstrap and how it might go with Nocino which brought me to the Tenser's Transformation I recently had at Sable's. It is Blackstrap, Cynar, Averna, raspberry, lemon.

Could I sub Nocino for Cynar and Averna in the Tenser's Transformation and make it a flip? I'm sure I'd have to tweak a few other things as well to achieve a balance of flavours.