Stocking the bar

Southern Comfort is always a must. Great stuff. Some Bacardi Gold or 151 wouldn't hurt either. Maybe some tequila for the ladies. I know its expensive, but Patron is the way to go. Made with 100% agave so it doesn't taste like sh!t. Jack Daniels is a list topper, but vodka is always a good way to go. And make sure to have at least 2-3 different kinds of beer. I'm always down for a party if you're anywhere near Indy. :)

Whatever you do, keep the 12-yr-old single malt hidden for personal consumption. Let the guests drink the Johnny Walker.

It all depends how old you are and what your budget is for initial stocking?

Are you everywhere, and so easy to make look a fool?Sure, let the guests drink Johnny Walker Blue Label at $200 a bottle. That bar will be empty after a week cause you'll be broke.

SVC wrote:

Whatever you do, keep the 12-yr-old single malt hidden for personal consumption. Let the guests drink the Johnny Walker.

Is it a wet bar? Does it have its own frig? Beer taps?

Be sure to include bottles of red and white wine for the ladies, with real wine glasses. (Not just the red cups)

Vino wrote:

Be sure to include bottles of red and white wine for the ladies, with real wine glasses. (Not just the red cups)

Haha, I always drink wine out of red cups, probably 2 or 3 tonight. That or straight out of the bottle.

Anyways, you need vodka, rum (the Captain suits me fine), some Jack Daniels, tequila, Jaegermeister, SoCo, Bailey's for the ladies and my boy Merle, gin (good inexpensive brands abound), triple sec for Long Islands, maybe some Kahlua. Then mixers to go with. That should satisfy 99% of most crowds.

Have a house warming party. Provide the food, beer, and entertainment. Ask everyone who comes to bring a bottle of their favorite liquor to stock the bar. That will solve your problems...

C-Leb is that you????

Soothsayer wrote:

I'm always down for a party if you're anywhere near Indy. :)

whatever you do, get a bottle of Mohawk Vodka.

This way when someone you don't like comes over and you want them to puke, you say VODKA shot time! and give them a shot of Mohawk...tell them they HAVE to try it or something. Plus it only costs like $7 for a liter. Definitely worth it!

I imagine the poster was referring to jw red or black which is in the 20-35 price range

Patron Silver, Goldschlager, Gentleman's Jack, Crown Royal, Maker's Mark. Dom in the Frig and Jager Meister in the freezer. You will be the King of your new palace!

walter wrote:

Are you everywhere, and so easy to make look a fool?

Sure, let the guests drink Johnny Walker Blue Label at $200 a bottle. That bar will be empty after a week cause you'll be broke.

From the context of the post, I'd assume he's not talking about blue label (yeah, I know, it's a jump in logic). He's probably talking about Jonnie Walker red label, not Jonny (don't actually know who "Jonny" is) Walker Blue.

How stocked up do you want to be? You can make a pretty good variety of drinks with just the basics. Vodka, gin, rum, and some schnaps and liqueurs with some juices (cran, orange, pineapple), soda, and tonic will give you a solid selection of beverages. Add a good selection of beer, any whiskey that you want, and a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine to that and you'll have a solid bar.

If you want to get fancy, you can start stocking up on the flavored vodkas and rums.

Gentleman Jack...mmm, bourbon.

smarty pants wrote:

Gentleman Jack...mmm, bourbon.

Not technically bourbon, but I agree. It hits a nice sweet spot with taste and price. It's great with an ice cube or neat, but it's not so nice that you feel guilty mixing it.

I think that Glenlivet 12 is a comparable scotch equivalent, though it actually costs a bit more because, well, scotch always costs more.

If you want hard stuff for women under 25, the flavored rums and vodkas are big.

If you're serving to real adults, Zaya is an unbeatable rum.

Beefeater is a pretty standard house gin: not too expensive but classy enough.

Unless you really want a big time bar, one rule of thumb is, "two bottles of clear, two bottles of brown." If guests can be satisfied with that, they're too picky.

When you're actually having a party, rather than going nuts stocking the bar, consider having a single, featured drink. Margaritas and mint juleps are good in the summer. In the winter, try a vat of mulled wine (my favorite) or Irish coffee (go easy on the whisky and add extra sugar, since some might find it too harsh otherwise).

Sorry for the lack of organization. It was just my thoughts as they came to me.

I love how everyone says to get Patron...

A) all tequila tastes like pee

B) all kinds of tequila taste the same

C) It's expensive

D) you look like a tool with it

Thanks to rappers and others for making Patron the most expensive kind of pee in the world.

Buys some vodka, rum, whiskey, scotch, and gin. You'll be fine, and you'll thank me later for not buying pee. Technically you don't even have to buy the real expensive stuff. You can buy some goose, captain, JD, pinch, and some tanqueray....and still have money left. What I always do is have those kinds sitting around for shots, and then have some crappy $10 bottles of stuff laying around for mixed drinks. Mixed drinks are for ladies, and so they won't be able to tell you whether it's good stuff or not in it anyways. Maybe a bottle of something that'll make someone die, like 151 or everclear. I like 151 just to even out the night or speed things up if I'm way behind. Get all the different flavored schnapps. You don't really need too many different kinds of liquor, cause your friends will generally drink w/e is on hand, and if they don't then they're not a very good friend anyways. Triple Sec too, it's amazing how many mixed drinks require it.

Oh and don't forget the bottle of Mohawk Vodka to make enemies puke.

whatever you decide on, get the stuff in the plastic handles. it's the best kind there is.

Patron tastes like pee? Come now...have you tried the deliciousness?

In any case, if you'll be entertaining you have to remember to keep it fairly simple. Many cool drinks require like 5 different things (Hurricane, mohito, etc).

Some things to have around:

JD

Coke

Cranberry Juice

Vodka

Nice tequila & limes (just buy one lime a week...they cost like $0.10 and you'll always have a fresh one.)

Scotch (My favorite is Glenmorangie (10 year reserve is sufficient but my favorite is the 12 year portwood)

Southern Comfort

Sprite

Kahlua (If you've ever seen The Big Lebowski)

Gin (beefeater, seagrams(best value), or my personal favorite, Hendricks)

Small bottles of tonic water.

angostura bitters

brandy (if you live in WI)

That should be sufficient for just about any small gathering. I've thrown a couple relatively large gatherings that had a more or less full bar, and we used mostly this stuff.

Man i love booze!

Oh yeah, if you love beer, you can be extra fancy and have a 75 cl of Chimay hidden away. If you like belgians, get some sweet glasses to go with it.

Cheers!