Necessities for Drinks and Entertaining
Stocking the Liquor CabinetDo you have the ingredients for a Manhattan?A few nights ago my wife decided she wanted a Manhattan. Well, let's see. Bourbon Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Bitters, Orange Peel, and a Maraschino Cherry. We had the Bourbon and Sweet Vermouth (my wife had planned ahead). Alas, we had everything in stock except for the Bitters, the Orange Peel, and the Cherry. FAIL.This made me think about what a well-stocked bar should consist of (within reason). Here's my list: Vodka - My friends seem to like Grey Goose, but by all means choose your favorite. Gin - My brand is Bombay Sapphire, but I hear Tanquery 10 is great also. Blended Whiskey - my wife likes Seagrams. Bourbon - Jim Beam, or choose your favorite poison. Scotch - I gave up Scotch years ago. As I recall, I usually drank JB or Dewars. Tequila - I'm not a tequila drinker, buy my buddies seem to prefer Patron. White Rum - Brand isn't important to me. Rum and Coke drinkers don't seem to care.So, I think that does it for the basics in liquor. These are just for basics. Personally, I'd add an after dinner liquor such as a single malt scotch, and a sweet liqueur such as Amaretto or Kahlua.Here's what you need to add to make mixed drinks: Tonic water Club Soda Cola 7-up bitters grenadine bloody mary mix triple secEven though this is a "basic" list, it may seem a bit daunting. Start with your favorites...that you