What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Short summary for the ADHD crowd: Buying house tomorrow, what do I need in the bar?

OK, that got rid of 60% of readers, for the non-attention deficit crew, here's the deal.

We finally move into our own home out here in Florida tomorrow. I have 'set aside' space (from this time forward to be known as 'GET THE **** OUT OF DADDY'S SPACE') for a bar area on our enclosed patio.

Now, I tend to grab stuff when I go to places abroad, I just came back from Guyana with a couple bottles of Demerara rum. No idea if it's any good, but what the ****.

So, now, my question to you, good citizens of GD, is what would you consider essential for a bar worthy of having people round for the odd drink and occasional party.

I'm in Phoenix airport, but from memory, I reckon we currently have:

Three types of Gin
Normal Tequila
Premium Tequila
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Stupid expensive Russian Vodka I'll never drink
Triple Sec
Baileys
Amarulla
Cointreau
Whisky (Grouse I think)
Rum (Coconut, Dark and Demerera)

So, what should I get next time I'm in Duty Free?

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Oh yeah, for heavens' sake don't think I don't have beer. Wife called up and asked which case to buy from 'Assorted Mexican' and 'Assorted Sam Adams Summer Beers'

I asked her why she was asking and why hadn't she bought both already. She laughed.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

brandy, more types of gin, better (read Irish & proper scotch) whiskey, various liqueurs, port, sherry, i'm sure there are more, but off the top of my head, that's all I can think of.

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Whisky?

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

better whiskey and vodka, for god sake smirnoff red label is trash, not sure how easy its going to be to get nice vodkas in duty free though, absolut is probably your best bet of the cheap vodkas.
only get liqeurs if they are going to get drunk, otherwise they go reallyole around the caps as the high suger content dries out.

dunno, depends what you like really.
i tend to have jeagermeister handy and a decent absinthe when i can get hold of one

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Kahlúa, Pernod, Curaçao (couple of different flavours), Angostura bitters, Noilly Pratt, schnapps, spiced rum, polish vodka and Aquavit.

And get something with a dead animal in it for show :)

Also, don't forget the mixers such as Grenadine, Ginger Ale and Elderflower cordial

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no home is complete without a bottle of Ceauşescu vodka

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Get some Apple Schnapps, then you can mix it with 3 parts vodka and one part Cointreau and make an Appletini, Scrubs style

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Midori for Midori margueritas. Makes a lovely green concoction that most women find pleasant.

Amaretto, Frangelico and Chambourd are also fun. They are also excellent over vanilla ice cream.

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cognac.

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Frangelico is what i was going to suggest. Its a lovely hazelnut liquer; goes brilliant with lots of things; especially Baileys to make a shooter known as a 'nutty irishman'

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lots of decent suggestions here, dooley's if it takes your fancy.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Kahlua, Pernod and angustura bitters are the kinds of things you'll probably not use for months at a time (unless you like a long vodka) but regret not having when the opportunity arises.

Grouse is cooking whisky - single malts are all you need. Keep at least one bottle of something like a 15-year Glen Garioch (not terribly expensive) and something 'specialist' for a little treat now and then. Best bet for that is to find a whisky shop where you can bottle your own, or get someone to send some from the UK.

I'm not a huge fan of vodka, but for mixing Smirnoff is just fine and cheap, so there's no real excuse for ever running out. Find a vodka bar and try bits of everything, find something that you wouldn't mind sipping in withe bath with the missus.

Cognac, port, gin, Martini. Some good cigars hidden somewhere. A bottle of Baileys never normally goes to waste.

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Excuse my ignorence on this matter, but is it really much difference how a vodka taste? Aint vodka just something you use in a drink to put alchol there, or to get drunk fast (and relativly cheap)?

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good vodka and cheap vodka taste very different. It's like the difference between a good scottish single malt and a cheap american blend.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

As far as easy-to-get vodka, Stoli is cheap and very good and Grey Goose is moderately priced and even better. Absolut is fine for mixing but doesn't taste wonderful by itself.

For single malt, get a few things in and see what suits as there's a whole range of flavours and textures even within distilleries. Macallan is one of the single malts used for Grouse and, like Stoli, is excellent for its price. I got a bottle of Fine Oak Cask at Christmas - just 10-year but it was wonderful. Laphroaig is another that's easy to get hold of since it got bought out - it might not be suitable for someone who is an occasional drinker to begin with though.

And get a bottle of Galliano for the womenfolk.

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I've got a bottle of that :)
Along with a bottle of Jameson's and 2 of Glenfiddich (both were presents)

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

That pretty much what I used to think until a year or so ago (I just avoided vodka as I hated the stuff).
We went to this Russian restaurant and they had loads of types of vodka. I indulged and tried some. It was actually quite pleasant. It was pretty expensive but it really opened my eyes to seeing that vodka doesn't have to make you want to retch.

Now if I'm in bars with different types of vodka, I'll often try the others (having made better friends with a Pole in my friendship group has helped this along, too).

The sad truth is that most bars stock cheap vodka as it sells in vast quantities. Vodka + coke is a ridiculous drink as people only put coke in it to mask the taste of the vodka, when a mixer should be used to enhance the taste of a drink, not mask it.



Now I'm going to ask a similar question - on the list you've got "Premium" and "Standard" Tequila. Tequila is rank, however you decorate it. Why would you want two types?! (why not have some sambucca?)

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

25 yr old bushmills is the irish whiskey you should have in your cabinet or failing that 25 yr old jameson

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

The only spirits I drink are amaretto and whisk(e)y, generally Jameson. Amaretto is good added to coffee, and I like whiskey with ginger ale.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

So there is a notable difference in taste (and thereby quality) in vodka. A new thing learned.

(as some people might now: I don't drink, so therefore Im experience with various types of boose is rather limited)

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

I've had honey and pepper vodka, it's a very interesting taste - the honey hits the sweet parts of your mouth and the pepper affects different areas. If I liked either taste then it would have been amazing, but it was certainly a worthwhile try.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

The difference is essentially alcohol content.

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i dunno man I like tequila with the lime + salt (and sometimes hot sauce)

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

sambucca is indeed nice. however you are wrong about tequila. The difference between a nice smooth tequila and a bottom of the range cheap as **** one is like the difference between a cheap and an expensive vodka.

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You don't like it then. You take the lime to get rid of the horrible taste of the tequila.



Also rr I've tried expensive tequila (much to my error) and it was still ****ing rank. Expense does not necessarily equate to quality.

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My experience with tequila is that if you drink it bare, it tastes like shit no matter what. But then again, I'm norwegian, what do I know about tequila.

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I like alcohol. It takes away the pain. :( *

I have nothing worthwhile to contribute to this thread. I'll drink pretty much anything.

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Actually, you should always keep of Stongbow in the fridge. :)

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Makers Mark, Crown Royal, Tequila Rose*, Grey Goose, and Gentlemens Jack are a must for me personally.

*This takes some getting used to and an open mind, but I love it.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

i didnt say expensive, i said 'smooth' its difficult to find a nice tequila, and, to be brutally honest, not particularly worht the effort, BUT, there is a big difference in taste between a nice tequila and a bad one

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

covers the subject

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

the sad story of a life

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Southern comfort.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

You racist, you!

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

No home cabinet should go without.

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I wouldn't reckon that absinthe is something that is oft-demanded from a quiet of Methuselah and co but whatever

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hell, DM probably invented absinthe or some shit

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

DON'T BUY CHEAP ABSINTHE. IT'S PETROL WITH FOOD DYE.


that is all.

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posting to agree with phang for possibly the first time ever

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If you like the Glen Garioch, try some "DoubleWood" Balvenie 12-year. I've had and enjoyed Balvenie in the past but hadn't tried anything two-cask from them, and it's awesome stuff. I've a litre of it here, acquired from Duty Free.

****ing the tax-man in the ass never tasted so good.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

you really need something shockingly expensive in there that you can refuse to touch around uncultured barbarians, but will inevitably get dragged out after a long party and be rapidly consumed by drunken unappreciative scum.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Dead_Meat, I'm noticing, as have others, a definite lack of decent whiskey. I'm positively shocked at you.

Jack Daniels is a must - it's the Smirnoff of whiskey, not overly expensive, but guaranteed to be decent.

You should get a nice jameson, or some Glenfiddich. Hell, like pab's said, any scottish single malt will do.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

me too.

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Jack Daniels, Yahwe? Isnt such things just for commoners?

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the english language it appears is not for norwegians.

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There's nothing wrong with Zhukov's English, except that he forgot to put an ' in "isn't". But then again, you never use uppercase letters when you're supposed to.

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you appear to have proven my point.

This point is, for clarity, the singular failing of foreigns who can 'translate words' to understand meaning.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

Then stop picking on people's language when they can make themselves perfectly understood in it. You make our brains hurt.. a lot.

Re: What should my home drinks cabinet contain?
 

I have no intention of confounding you, if you recall it was my use of language which was misunderstood and it was you who stepped in; for reasons best known to yourself, to make yourself look foolish.