Booze for the bar

[MBarone]

So I'm looking to build a small bar in my garage and I want to get a variety of alcohol so when people come over they could pick thier favorite. I plan to buy a bottle a month and not open one till i feel i have enough.

So what is your favorite type and brand of alcohol?

 

[itsme_timd]

RUM! Have a nice aged rum around like Zacapa 23, Zaya, Matusalem Gran Reserva, Barbancourt 15. Also a white rum for mixing. Personally, I like Brugal for mixed drinks but good ol' Bacardi is a staple for most bars. Some spiced rum wouldn't hurt either, Captain Morgan's and Sailor Jerry are good choices.

Of course you'll want a whiskey and a Scotch plus some vodka, gin and tequila - I'll let others give recommendations there.

 

[dpricenator]

Scotch...Macallan 12 is a good affordable single malt. the 18 year jumps from $40 a bottle to $120 or so. For guests I would stick to the 12

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

Crown Royal!

 

[jwintosh]

favorite? D. all of the above!!

 

[WMGF]

Rum:

White - Cruzan
Gold - 10 Cane
Dark - Flor de Cana 7 year
Sipping - I like Zaya but Flor de Cana covers just about everything you need.
Spiced - Sailor Jerry's
Cachaca - Ypioca Gold

Vodka:
Main: 42 Below
Close second: Tito's

Whiskeys:
Bourbon - Maker's Mark
Irish - Tullamore Dew
Rye - Wild Turkey (way better than their regular whiskey)
Scotch - Just as a "regular scotch" I keep Johnny Walker Black, my single malt varies

Tequila:

Mixing - Cazadores and Herradura Resposado are good by themselves or for mixing.
White - I don't really use white/blanco tequila 'cause it doesn't have enough flavor but 1800 is good for the price.
Sipping - Don Julio and Cabo Wabo are both affordable good Anejos.

Gin:
Oh man where to start...
My go to martini/neat gin is Martin Miller's Westbourne Proof. I could drink that stuff all day and night, it's probably my favorite gin but it's a little pricey.
Bombay Sapphire is a good regular mixer but it's a little too floral for me.
Citadelle is fantastic and relatively cheap, same with Beefeater.
For a gin with more fruit I like Hendrick's but it's not dry enough for me.

Other bottles you should have in your bar:

Overproof Rum - For flaming drinks, really useful. I use Cruzan Clipper (120 proof) 'cause it doesn't foul the flavor of the drink like Bacardi 151 does.
Chartreuse Green - Fantastic high proof herbal liqueur that is one of the most interesting and best tasting drinkings you can have in your bar. It's a great conversation piece.
Coffee liqueur - most of these taste the same to me, get one that's on sale.
Irish Cream liqueur - same as coffee, both of these are in a lot of drinks.
Sloe Gin - In slow comfortable screws (not an offer) and a bunch of other cocktails that are sweet.
Orange Curacao/Triple Sec - Get a decent one - cheap ones can foul a drink and if you're spending good money on your liquor you should spend good money here too. Also keep a cheap one on hand for heavily mixed drinks where it's harder to discern flavors. ie - save the good stuff for the margarita versus use cheap stuff for the long islands.
Grenadine - if you don't already have it, grab it - it's cheap (non-alcoholic) and goes in a lot of cocktails.
Bitters - See if you can get a variety of bitters, they end up going in quite a few drinks.
Sour mix - cheap stuff, easy to make on your own too. Used in so many cocktails it's crazy, good thing it's cheap.

Tools:

You'll also want to pick up the following you don't already have them.

Boston Shaker w/ strainer - Don't go too crazy on this but don't get a cheap one either. A good one will last you quite a awhile.
Muddler - for muddling cherries in Old Fashions and mint/lime in Mojitos

That should get you started.

 

[MBarone]

wow, thats a list

 

[sgresso]

I used to have a full stocked bar in the basement until we had the boys I know we spent about $300 to stock up the first time.

 

[WMGF]

To help you out I bolded the "must haves" so you have a better idea of what you need. Most of those "mixer" liquors are cheap, ie 1.5L of Cruzan Platino is $18 here and will go a long ways.

 

[sgresso]

nice list man!

 

[AlohaStyle]

Nice, I like your style!

Just let me know when the bar is ready and when the grand opening is, I'll definitely bring a bottle to help get you started!

It's hard to give a list after what was already written as I would agree with a lot of what WMGF said... very good posts!

Rum:
- Have a good sipping rum... they just started selling Ron Zacapa locally. It's pretty sweet for me, but we have limited options here.

Vodka
- I like Belvedere, but there's many decent options out there.

Tequila
- I like Cazadores as well

Gin
- I like Hendricks but it's one of the most expensive locally.
- Bombay Saphire is my next favorite and is cheaper
- Please don't have Tanqueray only, I can't stand it. Too much like pine tar.

Scotch
- definitely need a decent single malt. I think Glenfiddich 12 & 15 year is a good scotch for the money.

Whiskey
- Makers Mark

And for those nights... Jagermeister :eyequiver

** Does the base sell liquor and do they have more of a selection and cheaper than state liquor stores?

 

[Swampfox21]

cant go wrong with rum. but if you want something different go with Firefly sweet tea vodka distilled right here in SC, with tea from the only tea plantation in the US ( right next door to them). firefly is an awesome summer drink, but it will hit you harder than expected. its like jeremiah weed sweet tea vodka, but better, i might be bias though:scratchhe

 

[GoingPostal]

Great suggestions so far, Yeah you can spend a lot of money to stock a bar and could wind up with a lot of stuff collecting dust. The way i did it if your gonna have regular people over you can ask each person to bring a bottle of there favorite, and then you fill in the spaces.

 

[danthebugman]

I love me some whiskey. Jack Daniel's is my favorite, but both Maker's Mark and Jameson's are close seconds. Just depends on my mood. I'll drink it both straight or mixed with some Coke. The Jameson's is reserved for Car Bombs :drool:.

Dan

 

[Ed Monton]

Here are some of my fav's

Rum - Flor De Cana 12 year old
Rye - Crown Royal
Vodka - Tito's
Scotch - Johnny Walker Black
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (portwood cask)
Tequila - Gran Centenario Anejo

 

[cvm4]

Good info here guys

 

[Boppa-Wasch]

A lot of good info here...

 

[Treinenwj]

Great lists here, but you should add Sauza's Tres Generaciones (sp?) Anejo. Or, you could just get a case of PBR and some Canadian Mist!

 

[mav_sd]

Don't forget the citrus. Gotta have the limes and oranges and all the other garnishes that go with your favorite mixers.

Also, i keep a blender and coffeepot in my bar area. Coffee is an awesome mixer and the blender is a no brainer.

These, of course, are both less needed suggestions if you're mostly making drinks for sipping and to pair with your cigars.

 

[Northshore04]

Tequila -> Don Julio Anejo. Or if you want to step it up a bit, Don Julio 1942.