stories : Feature
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.
That's nice that you prefer a Gimlet with fresh lime. I agree that it is a tastier drink. But without the Rose's Lime, it isn't a Gimlet anymore. Depending on what you use to sweeten, it either becomes a Gin Rickey (if you use sugar) or a Kamikaze (if you use orange liqueur).
It should be pointed out that any fortified wine like vermouth or punt e mes should be stored in the refrigerator and not on your bar. A opened bottle of vermouth will go bad at room temperature in a few weeks. One with a speed pourer left on will go bad in a few days.
I'm really excited. I already qualify for business class. Now I'll make a shopping list.
Fafner: No one should be using speed pourers at home. Take the time to open the bottle. Two seconds is too much to spend to do it right? Bugs just love the sweet smell of booze, and speed pourers will let them. (OK... you can get speed pourers with caps, but what's the difference, then? You still have to take off the cap, right? The old style pourers with the hinged stainless flap often stick and let in the bugs.)
A good bar doesn't use speed pourers for anything on the shelves, anyway: only for the bottles in the speedrack.
Sommelier,
I agree with you. I don't use speed pourers at home, or at work. My point was more about leaving vermouth out more than the speed pourers.
maybe I have a speedrack at home
I don't use speed pourers at home, but I do have portion-control pourers that I use for my monthly wine club. They dispense a nice even 2-oz pour, which makes it easy and fast for me to pour out a bottle and make sure that all 12 of us get a proper taste. I use the Posi-Pour brand, very handy.
am i missing something-- they list milk vodka, but no bottle of scotch, or other national whiskey varietal except bourbon on any of the "3 tiers"???
A gin rickey has no sugar (poppycock and balderdash!) only lime, gin, and soda water.
I always use speed pourers, even at home, because it gives me an accurate an uniform way to measure liquor and create the right proportions for the same tasty drink time after time. It also looks cool while you're doing it. If you have a problem with fruit flies, then you need to call an exterminator. Or, you could put those little white paper cone cups over the bottle tops like the bars do. Generally they only get into the really sugary stuff though.
Whether you are serving business, first or private jet, always have something for the non-drinker. It could be sodas, it could be coffees, it could be fruit juice. Better yet, it could be a non-alcoholic beverage that would appeal to the drinker as much to the non-drinker. But the needs of the non-drinker should never be overlooked!
you ought to be careful when putting speed pourers on any even remotely sweet-- (even SoCo, especially liquers)-- bugs, ants, whatever--will find it-- no matter how clean your place is--best to put the regular cap back on after the party
Triple Sec!!! I love this in almost any combo. It's wonderfully versatile.
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