Can we talk about home bars?
What booze do you recommend for a small home bar and which is worth saving money on and which is worth paying extra for?
Equipment that is essential?
favourite cocktail?
I like White Russians so Kahlua and vodka are an essential for me
Choose mixing quality boozes for all of the following - not premium, not hobo shelf:
Vodka, scotch, bourbon, rye, light and dark rum, cognac, brandy, tequila, pernod, fernet branca, jägermeister, cointreau, gin, sweet and dry vermouth, and a plethora of liqueurs for mixing, such as kahlua or creme de cafe for your white russian, pisang ambon, creme de menthe, and so on.
>>7537698
Essential spirits: Bourbon, Scotch, Gin, white and dark rums, vermouth, tequila, vodka, triple sec or Gran Marnier
Others: simple syrup, lemons, limes, oranges, bitters, grenadine, ice, maraschino cherries, milk/cream, tonic water, carbonated water, other mixers (cola, lemon-lime soda, etc.)
Equipment: shaker, strainer, spoon, jigger, knife for cutting garnishes, perhaps a juicer (though I just use a fork)
>>worth paying extra for
IMHO that comes down to personal preference
>>7537735
I think it depends on the drink. For example, frozen margaritas are certainly a thing, but in my opinion the only reason they exist is to cover up the taste of shitty ingredients. I prefer a margarita to be served over ice, not blended.
But that being said there are plenty of other blended drinks that are popular (as are frozen margaritas) so why not include one? Heck, a good blender is a kitchen staple anyway so surely you'd have other uses for it than just drinks.
>>7537698
>I like White Russians so Kahlua and vodka are an essential for me
>I just watched the big lebowski and want to look edgy and grown up by having lots of booze I will never drink on display
>>7537698
Pump an ounce or two of your favorite man juice into the white Russian for an extra layer of white cream. Seriously the best remix of a cocktail i've ever had. Blast away comrades!
>>7537770
What's your favourite cocktail anon?
your brother's semen in your mouth?
>>7537698
Home bars are relics of the ring a ding early 60's, when entertaining meant cocktails, and a good host was ready to accommodate his guests' preferences. Because back then people generally had "their" drink.
Generally people do not drink like they did back then (if only because today DWI laws are enforced). You really don't need a home bar unless you plan on doing a lot of entertaining.
Also, today's revitalization of cocktail culture focuses not just on top shelf liquor, but on fresh ingredients (juice, mint, ginger, etc) and artisan products (bitters, vinegar and the like). Keeping a home bar stocked like that seems awfully expensive and impractical.
What many people do these days is have a couple theme cocktails at their parties, then just offer beer and wine aside from that. It's more practical to offer a couple higher quality options to your guests than a wide variety of 1960's level cocktails.
>>7537789
You don't have to throw 1960's cocktail parties for a bar to be useful. It's nice to have a basic selection of spirits (etc.) on hand so that whenever someone comes to visit you can offer them a drink. It doesn't have to be a full-on organized themed party.
>>7537789
While I agree with most of the above, having a well stocked bar to me is like having a good amount of preserves or jarred items for all my charcuterie needs. Everything except dry ham and sausage and some cheeses can just be kept indefinitely in the right conditions.
>>7537806
This may be a bit off topic, but I find that many items from a bar are very useful to have around for cooking as well.
Bourbon has many uses in sauces and braised meat dishes. Rum is great for flambeed desserts. Wines are used for braising and reduced to make sauces. Cognac or brandy is excellent for deglazing a pan after searing meats. Vermouth is fantastic for steaming shellfish. Port and sherry are good in braises as well as sauces. Sweet liqueurs like creme de cassis, chambord, limoncello, etc, are great for desserts.
>>7537806
>While I agree with most of the above, having a well stocked bar to me is like having a good amount of preserves or jarred items for all my charcuterie needs
Were you born in le wrong decade too, m'lord? I daresay the appreciation for salting and preparing "the nasty bits", as I call them, is a lost art, much like chivalry, carrying around a pocket knife (a noble weapon from a more civilized time), and vintage bitters (bitter like my soul, LMAO)
>>7537735
It's alright to have a blender around. You can use it to grind ice, so it's handy.
>>7537800
I keep beer and wine around for when guests visit. Most folks I know only drink liquor once in a while, so they'd be far more likely to turn down the offer of a mixed drink than that of a beer or glass of wine.
>>7537806
Most of what I end up keeping around is stuff that is good to drink neat, because that's usually how I drink liquor.
>>7537806
the problem with having a well-stocked bar is where do you stop? the basics are good to have for obvious reasons, but when you start buying flavoured liquors and obscure bottles like Cremé de bananes that would only be used once or twice what point do you say enough is enough?
>>7537952
When you run out of space, really. I think it's nice to have your core group of drinks and just occasionally get a weird one in to try.
>>7537965
Not the Anon you're responding to, but my nearly 80 year old father still has dusty bottles of useless liqueurs in the closet behind his bar that he bought before I was born (and I'm not all that far from 50). Leads me to think it's really only worth it to buy stuff you're actually going to drink and enjoy.
>>7537987
Oh yeah, you need a plan for it or at least a few cocktail recipes and an excuse for a get together. I had a bottle of Becherovka floating around for over a decade because I couldn't figure out what to do with it.
