"Must have" item's for your liquor cabinet?

the most drank at my place are

stoli vanilla
stoli regular
jaeger
henessy
captain

Depends on what your guests like to drink, but can't go wrong with some good quality vodka, tequila and gin.... could also get some baileys and kahlua for the ladies...

Makers Mark. Way better than JD

Cant go wrong with Johny Walker Black. Go with Blue if you are looking to impress somebody.

tequila for sure... cover shit like watermelon pucker, half tequila and half watermelon pucker makes a nice pink drink to give to girls and they'll go for it cause its pink and look harmless... yet nothing makes a girls clothes fall off like a half dozen tequila shots.

I have two new favorite poisons.





#1) Patron Silver - It's this very smooth tequila that doesn't have the harsh aftertaste some tequilas will have. Whatever you do, make sure you get the 'Silver', not the 'Reposado' (unless you really like the taste of tequila).



#2) Lucid - This is 'Absinthe'. It's like 130 proof (or something like that). You are supposed to serve it a certain way, pouring water on a spoon with a sugar cube on it. It turns this cloudy green color.

You guys should definitely check these out. They are over $50 a fifth, but they are worth every drop.

:D

If you've got Jack... you are set.

club soda

Good post. Definately get


vodka, scotch, gin, whiskey, tequila, and a few bottles of wine.

does this really make you hallucinate? say... 4-5 shots?

According to their FAQs:

Q: Is Wormwood responsible for hallucinations or is this a myth?

A: The reputation of Wormwood as a hallucinogen was promoted by many of the forces seeking to demonize absinthe in the early 1900's. It is generally regarded to be a myth. In any event, we believe that if you consume Lucid responsibly and in moderation, there should be no unusual effects.

This sounds like a disclaimer.

However, if you drink the stuff they are shipping into the US, you're getting the same thing the rest of the world is getting.

Add some Red Bull in there also as a mixer.

where can I get that? can it be shipped to the US? can you send me a bottle?

Hennessy is a definite must! Along with some cohibas :-)

Kübler Absinthe (legal in the US, but still the real stuff)
Macallan 18
Baileys
Tanqueray
Tonic
Chopin Vodka

...Good enough for most parties ;)

just a hot naked chick to serve me.. whatever she wants....

Don't forget the scotch! Single malt for me pls.

And I always appreciate when someone has Bitters on hand.

lots of tequila

For the best margueritas ever... gotta have:

Don Julio 1942
Grand Marnier Centenaire

(we also got a bottle of Cinquintenaire... soooooo good)

Stoli Elite is great
Chopin and Belvedere are great Vodkas... as is King of Prussia..

You get what you pay for... get good liquor and enjoy the taste.

You'll need rum also.

Johnny Walker Blue.

You can get it at your local liquor store in the US.

blueberry stoli, it's the shit mixed with cran

Pills...




j/k!

I try to keep a midrange bottle of each of the major alcohols for guests... My bar is pretty well stocked as is, mostly I'm more worried about keeping a variety of mixes on hand.

Must haves though are at least 1 good scotch in addition to your whiskey, so that guests don't start mixing your single malt with coke hi Shoehorn

I will never understand how someone can waste good alcohol on a mixed drink.

crown
stoli vanilla
patron
kahlua
frangelica

all the goods ;)

I entertain regularly, and was a bartender for a number of years... hope I'm not forgetting something important in this post, but I probably am...

having "a fully stocked bar" doesn't have to break you. You might be able to get away with having one for as little as $300 if you spend wisely... or maybe even as low as $200 if you do it on the cheap.

Aside from 'whiskey'...

Vodka (don't have to get too pricey here unless you like to display bottles - it's usually used as a mixer - I always have a handle of Ketel One or Skyy on hand, myself - cheaper and not many detectable fusels). Tequila (Cabo Wabo or Patron, imho, unless you wanna spend $80+ on a bottle), Rum (I always stock both light/golden and dark so that Mai Tai's are an option. Go Mount Gay for the light (best rum for its price by far, I think)... Myer's for the dark), _maybe_ Gin (not a lot of peeps drink it, but having at least a bottle of Tanquerey on hand is good... if you know someone that drinks gin and wanna spend a bit more, either find out what they like (gin flavors can differ greatly) or stock a solid mid-shelf gin - like Bombay Sapphire). You'lll also want dry vermouth (it's cheap) for martinis. That does it for the _must haves_, imho.

Also a good idea to keep some cordials on hand... my top 3 recommendations: Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua and Amaretto... as those that prefer sweet drinks can drink them straight up (if not with milk-mixers, like a White Russian or Colorado Bulldog), or you can use either of them to flavor coffee for an after-dinner drink.

You'll also want, for mixing, at least coke, sprite, tonic (I always keep a few mixer bottles of soda (can pick up at some liquor stores like BevMo) in the bar), a few red bulls, OJ, Pineapple Juice, Cranberry Juice (juices frozen or canned, if you don't drink them regularly), Margarita Mix (or make your own sour mix if you wanna do 'em from scratch), Milk, and Sugar. Pick up some Rose's Grenadine and Lime (these are cheap - like $4 - $8 a bottle), as well.

if you wanna go the extra step (not necessary, though, unless you're throwing a party, maybe) , always have salt, limes, oranges, lemons, marishino cherries, celery (if you don't keep this regularly, you only need it for bloody mary's)... maybe a pineapple and some mint... on hand for garnishes in addition to what's listed above.

Add a selection of wine and beer, and you, at this point, I think you would have a basic "full bar."

Of course, there's always room to flesh out your bar significantly... you can adopt more varieties of whiskey (scotch drinkers would probably appreciate first dibbs here, but a bottle of Bushmill's Black would probably help our the cause signifiantly, too), more top-shelf alcohols, more cordials (Sambuca and Galliano are two of my personal 'not as common' faves), digestives (Jagermeister and Absinthe are party favorites), sweet vermouth for perfect or sweet manhattans... and some of those come with their own set of things you need to stock (for instance, Sambuca is _always_ served in a snifter with 3 roasted coffee beans dropped into it)... and you can always have countless varieties of just about any specific spirit, but, you wanted basic, and, provided you're following all but the last pararagraph in this post, I think you're more than covered.

Some people 1) enjoy mixed drinks and 2) don't bother with cheap alcohol no matter what it's use... If you have no problem buying good alcohol whenever you want it, it's not really "wasting" is it? Plenty more where that came from.

D when is your next party? I want to come.

It just occured to me that I'm harping in an alcohol thread with my bacardi avatar... I should really change that, although I love the logo, bacardi makes some of the nastiest stuff on earth (with the exception of their Anejo which is impossible to find in North America.)

I don't know anything about scotch. What should I get? And also, should I try to find a whiskey bar and sample some of their higher-end stuff before buying? Johnnie Walker Blue has always interested me, I do enjoy the Black and I think I've had the Red.

There was a good thread a couple months back about scotch... IMO something like a Macallan 12 is affordable and good enough for any guest.

I'm the guest!

Then just buy what you want to drink. Geez.

Dunno...

Usually the parties start somewhere else and then end up at my place by the time the night's through... or start at our place, and branch out from there...

or maybe we keep it simple and have a couple of couples over, or something...

One of the things that suck about apartment living is you can't ever let it get too out of control.

Lucid is a weaker version of the absinthes made by Ted Breaux. It's a formula made specifically to meet the US guidlines. For the full strength versions, visit http://www.bestabsinthe.com/

I had Lucid this past weekend, and it actually wasn't bad. It's not going to make you halucinate, but it alway's gives me strange dreams...

a big black dildo

right now mine consists of:
Belvedere
Bacardi
Crown Royal Reserve
La Fee Bohemian Absinthe
Patron Silver (shots)
El Casadore (Margaritas)
Kahlua
Baileys

The Macallan 12 and up is good..It's increasingly smoother as you climb up the aging ladder. 18 is well worth the $100+ a bottle price. If you have the budget, a 25 will blow your mind!

For sitting around with friends with a good scotch that won't break the bank, you can't go wrong with Glendiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12.

For some whiskeys that aren't Scotch, give Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky (12 year) a chance. The Japanese know how to do it!

If you like blends, Jameson 18 is a great Irish Whiskey with a sweet taste.

Hope this helps!

me its all about bourbon
Masterpiece aged an 20 years and then finished in port casks

Tito's Handmade Vodka and and assortment of GOOD tequila.

Here we go from left field

A lock. And a cheap door alarm.