With the following glassware (six of each is a good number) you’ll have the foundation of a well-stocked bar. Target has a great selection of glassware, including a line from the Austrian company Riedel.
A beautiful silhouette if ever there was one. Hopelessly top-heavy, you’d spill less of the drink if you threw it in your guest’s face. But a cocktail looks heaven-sent when delivered in one of these.
AKA rocks glass. Short and wide. Good for Scotch on the rocks, or, wouldn’t you know it, Old-fashioneds. Good for gin and tonics, any drink served on the rocks that would normally be served in a martini glass. They can double as wine glasses as well, if you feel like going the rustic route.
Very elegant. Use them for all manor of sparkling wine or sparkling wine cocktail like the French 75 or the Champagne cocktail.
It’s what most people picture when they think of a glass--tall, straight sided. Use this for rum and cokes, large gin and tonics, and Collinses (you probably saw that coming).
Unless you have mountains of money, don’t bother buying fancy glasses for each and every varietal (type of wine). An all-purpose goblet will do. If you have the room, get some red and white glasses. I use IKEA’s $1.99 wine glasses. They are inexpensive, well-made, and elegant. You can use these for water, wine, beer, even cocktails if you’re in a pinch.
Tools you’ll need
Cocktail shaker
jigger or measuring cups
Toothpicks (for maraschino cherries or olives)
a channel knife (for making zest curls)
a corkscrew
a bottle opener
soda siphon (handy but by no means necessary)
Booze in the cabinet
Gin
Vodka
Bourbon
Whisky (Scotch or Irish)
Tequila
Rum
Brandy or Cognac
Triple Sec
Sweet Vermouth
Dry Vermouth
Angostura Bitters
Red Wine
White Wine
Sparkling wine
Beer
Club soda or seltzer
Tonic water
Lemons
Limes
Maraschino cherries
You really should have:
It would be nice if you had:
Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
Rye
Armagnac
Eau de vie (pear, plum, etc.)
Creme de Cassis
Licor Cuaranta Y Tres
Butterscotch Schnapps
Maraschino Liqueur
Limoncello
Cointreau
Orange Bitters
Peychaud’s Bitters
Ginger beer
No bar should be without a bottle. Use it to make an Aviation, a Barbara Bush, a Gin Fizz, a Gin & Tonic, a Martini, a Negroni...the list goes on.
If company’s coming over I reach for the Tanqueray. If not, Gordon’s is my house gin. If Gordon’s is still on the pricey side for you try my recipe for “Home-made” Gin. It’ll turn grandpa’s bath tub hooch into something much more drinkable.
Usually made from potatoes or wheat. Use it to make a Simpatico, a Bloody Mary, a White Russian, a Greyhound, a Moscow Mule, etc.
Smirnoff is a good buy. It’s not crazy expensive and it frequently tops blind vodka tastings, beating much more expensive brands like Grey Goose and Hangar One.
If you’re in Scotland, Japan, or Canada it’s whisky. If you find yourself Ireland or America , it’s whiskey. Either way it’s made from grain and aged in oak barrels. Johnny Walker Red Label is what I keep in my bar for cocktails, Black Label for sipping. You can go with Irish, Scotch, or Canadian whisky. And there’s single malt and blended. Single malts are cultish and tend to be rather expensive.
Johnny Walker is blended; it’s also what a lot of true whisky aficionados pour into their own glasses.
Think of it as a corn-based whisky. Historically it comes from Bourbon County, Kentucky but it is made all over the U.S. I use it a lot--to make a Manhattan, a Baby Sadie, etc.
I use Jim Beam, Rebel Yell, or Early Times. If someone else is buying it’s Knob Creek.
Made from sugar cane. Comes from the Caribbean and South America, for the most part. You can buy really expensive rum now, but I still usually buy Castillo. It’s also nice to have a bottle of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, which is made in Bermuda, and is crucial to making an authentic (and delicious) Dark & Stormy, or Down & Dirty, as a family friend calls it. I use light or amber rum for the most part. Make sure you don’t grab a bottle of spiced rum by mistake ‘cos it’s gross.
Made from the agave plant in Mexico. Body shots just aren’t the same without it. There are two and only two drinks that I make with Tequila at this point, the Margarita and Yucka. I tend to use Blanco (white) or Plata (silver) tequila, not the whisky-colored oro. If you really like tequila, you can buy cognac-quality brands now for cognac prices, but there’s meant for sipping, not mixing.
Brands to buy: Sauza or Cuervo, Gosling’s Black Seal
GIN
VODKA
WHISK(E)Y
BOURBON
RUM
TEQUILA
Some tips for buying alcohol. Buy the highest quality booze you can afford. A Gin & Tonic made with Tanqueray tastes better than one made with Gordon’s. But I’m not sure it tastes twice as good (Tanqueray costs about twice as much as Gordon’s). So keep in mind what you’ll use it for. Mid-level spirits are fine for cocktails and mixed drinks. A rum and coke made with a $200 bottle of rum is going to be tasty but so too would one made with a $15 bottle of Bacardi.
Some tips and definitions....
ARROWS IN THE QUIVER
(as it were)
Glassware
Martini
Old-fashioned
Champagne Flute
Collins
Wine
Keep this in mind: If no one drinks Margaritas or whiskies and soda, don’t bother with buying tequila or whisky. You can tailor the list to suit the drinking habits of your intended audience. These lists are what I think a well-stocked bar should contain. And with them, you’ll be able to whip up a Rob Roy or an Old Fashioned, should the need arise.
