We're not talking about the bar you prepare for your best friend's birthday bash. This is for when a couple of friends might drop-in on you for a few drinks. That means you don't have to have everything, just a few things for those surprise happy hour guests. Of course, not everything listed is strictly for the cabinet - you might have to keep some things in the refrigerator.
The Liquors
- A bottle of a good red wine - for some reason, Merlot is a good basic that seems to work for most people.
- A good white wine - I think the ringer here is Chardonnay, even though personally, I prefer something else.
- I also like to keep a sparkling wine or Champagne, as well as dessert wine
- Vodka - works for almost everyone, so if you have nothing else, at least have vodka (and I keep mine in the freezer). After that, in my personal order, light rum, gin, then clear tequila
- Something in the "brown" family - like Scotch, Bourbon, etc.
Mixers
- Tomato juice - in cans, you can open only the amount you need
- Horseradish - in a jar, keeps in the refrigerator.
- Hot sauce - in the refrigerator. Everyone has hot sauce, right?
- Worcestershire sauce - can you tell we like Bloody Marys?
- Orange juice - in cans
- Cranberry juice - vodka and cranberry works every time
- Other juices, if you have the room, like pineapple, but now we're getting fancy
- Club soda - in small bottles, or you can do tonic, also in small bottles
Garnishes - obviously, things like lemons and limes (and celery for that
Bloody Mary) are not "pantry" so I'm leaving them out. If you're having a party, of course, you would have
them
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-31-2006 @ 11:00AM
Elliot Fox said...
In my opinion, there's no excuse for keeping vodka on hand, unless it's Grey Goose, or in rare occasions, Kettel One, and it should ONLY be drunk straight. Any mixed drink involving Vodka can be made infinitely better with the proper make of Gin.
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