Stocking the Home Bar, Part 2

While contemplating part two of my guide to getting fucked up, I debated the whole cost / value dichotomy. I wanted to list my ideal choices for a perfect home bar, one that would set my heart a-flutter, my loins a-fire, and my eyes a-water. Or, you know, one to which I could secure a standing invite.

In the end, I just decided to concentrate on a few spirits and offer two (or more) choices for each, one slightly more value-oriented and one I actually drink. I'll get to the rest of the liquors in part three.

In your preferred areas, you'll want to purchase all the recommendations so as to increase your range of selections. So, with all that in mind, I present...

Stocking the Home Bar II: The Hard Stuff

Vodka - The most flexible of liquors, popular in cocktails because it so readily mixes with whatever flavors you desire. What else would you expect from something that's supposed to be flavorless, odorless, and colorless? Not my favorite of spirits (I prefer liquors of color), but a very necessary component of any home bar. You should probably have two or three of these.

You can use something slightly cheaper for most cocktails, as the mixers will be obscuring any benefits of the fourth, fifth and sixth distillations that are so common these days. Skyy fits the bill. No rotgut, please. Anything that comes in a plastic jug should probably be left on the liquor store shelf. Have some self-respect, man.

I prefer the clean smoothness of Imperia, brought to us by the fine folks at Russian Standard. Try drinking it neat (straight out of the bottle: no ice, no mixers) and warm. Then try that in a side-by side with any of the other top brands like Grey Goose, Ketel One, Belvedere. You'll be surprised how smooth it is.

Also, Imperia's San Francisco rep is super nice and H-O-T, hot.

Gin - Traditionally, the liquor of the hardcore drunk. Gin's odiferous botanicals, mostly the juniper, turn off most people (like Brandy), but gin has a long and storied place in cocktail lore and deserves a place in the home bar. For your well, I'd stick with a recognizable brand: Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay (London Dry or Sapphire).

Then, for your gin aficionado guests, you can bust out the neat stuff. If you can find it, I highly recommend Sarticious. Besides being distilled by a cool local company, Sarticious features some odd botanicals, including cilantro. Hendrick's uses cucumber and rose petals in their infusions; I like Hendrick's and tonic with slices of lime and cucumber. And don't forget the other two local gins, Junipero (a more traditional gin from the great folks at Anchor Brewing) and No. 209 (a touch floral, five times distilled).

Rum - Talk about a spirit unexplored by most mainlanders. Admit it; the only rums you're really familiar with are Bacardi and Captain Morgan (and yes, you'll probably want to have these two on hand). Oh, you poor, sheltered folk. Despite its ugly history as part of the slave trade, rum is a fine spirit with a great many cocktail uses (mojitos, daiquiris and pina coladas merely scratch the surface).

There also exist what are known as sipping rums. It's a dorky name, but the rums are fabulous. Zaya is damn tasty, with a rich, smooth finish. For a more authentically island experience, you might want to track down some Rhum Barbancourt (I particularly enjoy the Réserve Spéciale on the rocks). [Note: rhum (with an H) merely comes from the French.]

We also need to mention cachaça, the national liquor of Brazil and a spirit made almost identically to rum. Distilled from sugar cane juice (as opposed to molasses), cachaça tastes, to me, like a cross between rum and tequila, exhibiting the sweetness of rum and the spicy pepperiness of tequila.

I'd buy some. The Caipirinha is one of the easiest, tastiest cocktails to make. Go with the Ypióca Standard Crystal or Leblon, a newcomer in the San Francisco market.

Next post: Tequila, Whisk(e)y, Cognac / Brandy, better known as some of my favorite things.

 

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Have a Merry / Happy ChrisWanzMukkah or Chrismukkah or pagan winter festival or Festivus! Happy Holidays!