Key to the Liquor Cabinet
Some people think “being prepared” means stockpiling bottled water and flashlight batteries under the bed. We vouch for a cabinet full of versatile booze, proper tools, and non-cheesy mixers. Who’s going to be more popular when natural disaster strikes?
Catastrophe aside, when you’re in the mood after work for a nice adult beverage, you don’t want to have to trek to the liquor store. If friends drop by unexpectedly, you’d like to be able to offer them several options for cocktails.
We’ve put together three different bar scenarios, which offer ascending levels of preparedness. We tell you what kinds of liquor, equipment, and mixers you’ll need to create a slate of great, classic cocktails. Except for limes, lemons, and ice, all of these things can be stashed in your cabinets until the need arises. We also recommend snacks, both plain and fancy, and other booze you should have on hand that doesn’t get mixed.
Note: We didn’t include ingredients to make tiki drinks or blender drinks, because in our experience a person typically drinks these only when on vacation in tropical climes. (If you love piña coladas, feel free to ignore us.) Nor did we include things like premade sour mix, margarita mix, or premixed “cocktails” in plastic bottles. All those can be made easily from scratch to produce much tastier drinks.
With the items in Level 1, you’ll be able to make everything from margaritas to Cosmos to Manhattans to mojitos.
You’ve got the basic repertoire down and are ready to accessorize. This level adds a few unexpected crowd pleasers: a kir royale champagne cocktail, a homemade Bloody Mary, a Negroni, a Sidecar, as well as some simple homemade bar snacks.
This is the ultimate pimped bar, with suggestions for more unusual liquors and mixers that top bar chefs around the country are using right now. You’ll be able to make cutting-edge drinks and obscure favorites.
If the only things in your liquor cabinet are a half-full bottle of José Cuervo and a crusty container of Bailey’s, toss them out and start here. With the items in Level 1, you’ll be able to make everything from margaritas to Cosmos to Manhattans to mojitos. In fact, you’ll probably have the most impressive bar of any of your friends—or even your friends’ parents. But wait—it just gets better.
Liquors
1 bottle of bourbon
1 bottle of gin
1 bottle of rum (light)
1 bottle of tequila (100 percent agave)
1 bottle of orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
2 bottles of vodka —1 plain and 1 infused, such as Hangar One’s Mandarin Blossom (keep 1 in the freezer at all times and 1 on the bar)
Angostura Bitters
Champagne or sparkling wine
1 bottle of dry vermouth
1 bottle of sweet vermouth
1 bottle each of white and red wine
1 bottle of gin
1 bottle of rum (light)
1 bottle of tequila (100 percent agave)
1 bottle of orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
2 bottles of vodka —1 plain and 1 infused, such as Hangar One’s Mandarin Blossom (keep 1 in the freezer at all times and 1 on the bar)
Angostura Bitters
Champagne or sparkling wine
1 bottle of dry vermouth
1 bottle of sweet vermouth
1 bottle each of white and red wine
tools
Boston cocktail shaker
Hawthorne strainer
Double jigger
Bar spoon
Basic cocktail glassware such as rocks glasses, collins glasses, wineglasses, and champagne flutes
Citrus squeezer
Muddler
Waiter’s corkscrew
Champagne stopper
Cutting boards
Paring knife
Bowl for ice
Ice tongs
Toothpicks
Paper cocktail napkins
Hawthorne strainer
Double jigger
Bar spoon
Basic cocktail glassware such as rocks glasses, collins glasses, wineglasses, and champagne flutes
Citrus squeezer
Muddler
Waiter’s corkscrew
Champagne stopper
Cutting boards
Paring knife
Bowl for ice
Ice tongs
Toothpicks
Paper cocktail napkins
Mixers and Garnishes
Big bottle of cranberry juice
Big bottle of orange juice
Soda water (seltzer)
Tonic water
Cola
Ginger ale or ginger beer
Lemon-lime soda
Brandied cherries (we’re not into maraschino cherries)
Cocktail onions
Green olives with pimientos
Superfine sugar
Big bottle of orange juice
Soda water (seltzer)
Tonic water
Cola
Ginger ale or ginger beer
Lemon-lime soda
Brandied cherries (we’re not into maraschino cherries)
Cocktail onions
Green olives with pimientos
Superfine sugar
Fresh Stuff to Buy
Last Minute
Last Minute
snacks
Assorted charcuterie
Assorted cheeses
Beef jerky
Cheese straws
Kettle Chips (Cheddar Beer is our favorite.)
Sesame sticks
Wasabi peas or peanuts
Assorted cheeses
Beef jerky
Cheese straws
Kettle Chips (Cheddar Beer is our favorite.)
Sesame sticks
Wasabi peas or peanuts
What You Can Make with This
Just for starters—there are plenty of other drinks and variations.
Approve
Bolero
Bronx Cocktail
Cape Codder
Claret Lemonade
Cosmo Rickey
Cosmopolitan
Cuba Libre
Daiquiri
Gimlet (This version is made with Rose’s Lime Juice, though we prefer it with fresh-squeezed lime juice.)
Gin and Tonic
Hazy Days of Winter
Highball
Bolero
Bronx Cocktail
Cape Codder
Claret Lemonade
Cosmo Rickey
Cosmopolitan
Cuba Libre
Daiquiri
Gimlet (This version is made with Rose’s Lime Juice, though we prefer it with fresh-squeezed lime juice.)
Gin and Tonic
Hazy Days of Winter
Highball
You’ve got the basic repertoire down and are ready to embellish. You learned how to wield your muddler making mojitos in Level 1, so now try buying fresh fruit and muddling it into your favorite spirit. This level adds a few unexpected crowd pleasers: a kir royale champagne cocktail, a homemade Bloody Mary, a Negroni, a Sidecar. We’ve also included recipes for some simple homemade bar snacks. And a few tools you don’t need but will find plenty of use for. How did you live this long without fancy ice tongs?
Liquors
A fruit or nut cordial, such as cassis, framboise, amaretto, Drambuie, or Frangelico
A premium sippin’ version of your favorite liquor(s)—for example, Scotch, tequila, vodka, cognac, rum, gin (think artisanal, drink it plain, and enjoy)
1 bottle Campari
1 bottle dark rum
1 bottle dry sherry
MYO
Simple Syrup, a solution of sugar and water, is common in professional bars—it mixes right into cold drinks, eliminating those annoying undissolved sugar particles. (You should be able to find it in specialty groceries if you don’t feel like turning on the stove.)
Tools
A citrus channel knife for making perfect lemon or orange twists
Some nice ice trays—these silicone ones from Crate & Barrel make perfect cubes that are easy to remove.
Ice bucket
Fancy ice tongs
Wine bucket
Speed pourers to help prevent spills and heavy-handed pours
Fancy decorative toothpicks like these tulip picks
Drink tags to help keep straight who’s drinking out of which glass
Paper napkins with a nice print or design
Mixers and Garnish
Bottle or can of tomato juice
Fancier juices, such as passion fruit, pomegranate, or guava
Unsweetened versions of common juice (so that you can control the sugar content), such as Knudsen’s Just Cranberry, Just Concord Grape, or Just Cherry
Interesting purchased pickled things, such as green beans, okra, jalapeños, or asparagus
Candied fruit, such as ginger, pineapple, or kumquats
Dried vegetables or fruit, such as dried apple rings or dried chiles
Horseradish
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Worcestershire sauceFresh Stuff to Buy Last Minute
Seasonal fresh fruit, vegetables, or herbs for muddling or for garnishes
Snacks
Graduating to this level means you should try your hand at some homemade refreshments. Here are some suggestions:
Anchovy-Marinated OlivesCandied Pumpkinseeds
Five-Spice Glazed Nuts
Fresh Herb-Baked French Fries with Creole Mustard
Black Sesame and Mustard Popcorn
Parmigiano–Black Pepper Popcorn
Spicy Cinnamon-Sugar Popcorn
NOW YOU CAN ADD THESE DRINKS TO YOUR REPERTOIRE
Affinity
Americano
Apple Martini
Bay Breeze
Between the Sheets
Black Russian
Bloody Mary
Brave Bull
Cuban Manhattan
Debonair
Dusty Dog
French Martini
Grapefruit Spike
Greyhound
Americano
Apple Martini
Bay Breeze
Between the Sheets
Black Russian
Bloody Mary
Brave Bull
Cuban Manhattan
Debonair
Dusty Dog
French Martini
Grapefruit Spike
Greyhound
Havana Cocktail
Hot Buttered Rum
Kir and Kir Royale
Lounge Lizard
Melon Ball
Negroni
Rob Roy
Rusty Nail
Rye Lane
Sangría
Sidecar
To Hell with Swords and Garters
Volga Boatman
Fancy fruit juices mixed with your favorite liquor and sour element
Hot Buttered Rum
Kir and Kir Royale
Lounge Lizard
Melon Ball
Negroni
Rob Roy
Rusty Nail
Rye Lane
Sangría
Sidecar
To Hell with Swords and Garters
Volga Boatman
Fancy fruit juices mixed with your favorite liquor and sour element
TO GET TO LEVEL 2, START WITH LEVEL 1
If you’ve come this far, you’re a bona fide cocktail hobbyist. You appreciate the hand-crafted, nuanced concoctions you’ve had at the country’s best bars, and want to replicate these drinks at home. We’re not talking margaritas anymore, but rather Red Chile–Guava Margaritas with Chile-Infused Tequila and cayenne-spiked salt edging.
In Level 3, the ultimate pimped bar, we give you suggestions for more unusual liquors and mixers that top bar chefs around the country are using right now. You’ll be able to make cutting-edge drinks and obscure favorites. You’ll also get instructions for creating your own pickled vegetables and dried fruit for garnishes, homemade infused liquors and simple syrups, and fancier bar snacks.
Liquors
Anise-flavored liqueur, such as Herbsaint, pastis, or Pernod Ricard
Apéritif, such as Amer Picon, Dubonnet, Lillet, or Torani Amer
Fortified dessert wines like port, Madeira, muscat, or Sauternes
Homemade infused alcohols (see below)
Unusual bitters, such as Fee Brothers, Peychaud’s, or Regan’s Orange Bitters
Special ingredients and unusual alcohols: Bénédictine for Artillery Punch, Cachaça for Caipirinha, Galliano for Harvey Wallbanger, Gosling’s Black Seal rum for Dark ’n’ Stormy, Luxardo maraschino liqueur for Aviation Cocktail, Milk vodka for the Quaker Shaker, orange flower water for Ramos Gin Fizz, Pimm’s No.1 for Pimm’s Cup, Velvet Falernum for Full Moon Punch, Licor Cuarenta y Tres, Mezcal, Nocino, Pisco, Unicum, Zubrowka
Mixers and Garnishes
Agave nectar
Sugar cubes
Sugar cubes
Tools
Decanters for wine and liquors
Food dehydrator for making edible dried-fruit garnishes
High-end cocktail shaker, such as this Bauhaus reproduction
High-end ice bucket like this one from Moss
Personalized napkins or coasters from ForYourParty.com
Soda siphon
A Wine Saver for preserving open bottles
Fresh Stuff to Buy Last Minute
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Fresh eggs
Whole milk
Fresh eggs
MYO
Homemade pickled garnishes: Pickled Jalapeños
Homemade salts to rim the glass of your margaritas: Cayenne Salt, Cumin Salt
Home-dehydrated fruit. Try a slice of dried strawberry in a glass of Champagne.
Infused simple syrups: Bay Leaf Syrup, Blackberry Syrup, Ginger Syrup, Lavender-Thyme Syrup, Mint Syrup
Infusing alcohol with herbs, fruit, and spices is an easy way to gain major points with your guests. Here are a few of our favorites:
Bourbon infused with a vanilla bean to make a vanilla Mint JulepGinger-Infused Vodka to go in our Clear Ginger
Cosmopolitan
Spicy Chile-Infused Tequila for our Red Chile–Guava Margarita
Spiced Rum
Oat and Honey Vodka
snacks
If you want to go all out, try these recipes for some great snacks—courtesy of our favorite watering holes.
Arancini with Tomato and Mozzarella from Cafe 2 at MoMA
Bacalao Croquetas from Nacional 27
Montaditos with Boquerones and Olive Relish from César
Here are more recipes, adapted from some of our favorite chefs:
Wok-Charred Edamame with Spicy Miso and Ginger, by chef Chris Santos from The Stanton Social
To make the sauce, combine 1 cup each miso and sake with 1 teaspoon each fish sauce, five-spice powder, and hoisin sauce. Whisk to combine. Then add 1 tablespoon Sriracha and 3 teaspoons ginger juice. Season to taste with soy sauce and add a little sambal for spiciness if desired. Pour some grapeseed oil into an extremely hot wok or sauté pan. Add 1 cup of shell-on edamame per person and cook until lightly charred. Add 2 tablespoons water to help steam and cook the edamame. Once the water has evaporated, add enough sauce to coat the edamame. Cook until slightly reduced. (The final product will be saucy.)
Chorizo-Stuffed Dates, by chef Joshua Perkins from The Globe
Buy some high-quality fresh chorizo and some medjool dates. Remove the pits from the dates and fill them with chorizo. Wrap each date with smoked bacon, and sear the bacon-wrapped dates on all sides in a hot skillet until crisp, about 15 minutes, and serve.
Piquillo Peppers with Avocado Goat Cheese, from Ciudad
In a food processor, pulse together 4 ounces of soft goat cheese with the flesh of 4 ripe avocados, the juice of a lemon or lime, a few dashes of Tabasco, and some salt and pepper. Drain a jar of piquillo peppers and pat dry with paper towels. Place the goat cheese mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag with one corner cut off. Stuff the peppers by filling each with the goat cheese–avocado mixture and serve.NOW YOU CAN ADD THESE DRINKS TO YOUR REPERTOIRE
TO GET TO LEVEL 3, START WITH LEVELS 1 AND 2
