Stocking Your Home Bar Archives - slightlytipsy.com

The Pro Bar

Alexandra Vaughn — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 16:10:50 +0000

At this point, you should have a pretty good range of staple spirits. Now it’s time to start adding some abstract flavors and higher end spirits that can be enjoyed straight or on a large ice cube. This list builds on the spirits already listed in the beginner and intermediate bar.

Adding More Flavors To Your Bar

MESCAL: Del Maguay Vida This artisanal, organic, price friendly mezcal is a favorite in the bar world. Aromas of fresh fruit, honey and vanilla are followed by smokey, silky palate with ginger, cinnamon and sandalwood.

PISCO: Macchu Pisco An all natural, female produced 100% quebranta grape distilled spirit hailing from the Ica Valley of Peru. Notes of grapefruit, berries, grass and pepper. Try it in a Pisco Sour!

BOURBON: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon pioneer Rev. Elijah Craig is credited as the first distiller to use charred oak barrels. This highly-sought after bourbon can vary from batch to batch however it’ll always be aged 12 years and have sublte tobacco, chocolate and leather flavors.

AGED RUM: Ron Zacapa 23 Year Made from rums 6 to 23 years old this Guatamalan blend is aged in old american wine, port and whiskey barrels giving it a smooth, complex and unique flavor. Try it on its own or in a Maple Rum Old Fashioned.

COFFEE LIQUEUR: St. George Nola As a tribute to New Orleans style coffee, St. George’s head distiller Dave Smith teamed up with professional roaster Brad Joyce (who has roasted every batch of beans for Nola since the 1950’s) to create this robust coffee liqueur. The use of the fruity, chocolaty Yirgacheffe coffee bean balances out the chicory root’s bitter undertones. Drink this for breakfast! (or anytime!)

HERBAL LIQUEUR: Green Chartreause Comprised of 130 herbs, plants and botanicals, and named after the Grand Chartreause Monistry this French liquor has been produced since 1737 by the Carthusian Monks. It is sharp, herbal, pungent, and complex but the strong flavors are rounded out with a soft sweetness.

FLORAL LIQUEUR: Rothman & Winter Créme de Violette Simple and elegant, this liquor is naturally flavored and colored by infusing Queen Charlotte and March violettes of the Alps in a brandy base. It is widly used in the Aviation cocktail but goes great with bubbles too!

CHERRY LIQUEUR: Luxardo Marachino Crystal clear in color, approachable and sophisticated this classic is considered the standard for Marachino Liqueur. Originally it was produced in 1821 in the city of Zara off the Dalmatian Coast (now Croatia). The distillary was destroyed during WWII and most of the family killed. Giorgio Luxardo, survived and fled to Italy with a cherry sapling. He reconnected with a collegue who had the Luxardo recipe book in Venito. Today, the sixth generation is active in the company and they produce a full line of Italian liqueurs.

AMARO: Amaro Nonino Made from grappa and infused with herbs, barks and roots, Nonino displays the quintassential biter qualities of an amaro. It can be enjoyed as an aperitif or digestif or sipmly on the rocks.

APERTIF: Aperol Named for the French slang word for aperitif which is apero and produced by the Campari Group, this an Italian aperitif is flavored with gentain, rhubarb and cinchona. It’s bright orange color really stands out in cocktails.

BUBBLES: Sparkling Wine such as Cava or Prosecco

FRESH FRUIT & JUICE: Grapefruit, Pineapple

OTHER INGREDIENTS & GARNISHES: Ginger, Fresh Herbs, Eggs, Cream and Coconut Cream

SYRUPS: Maple, Oregeat

BITTERS: Chocolate Bitters, Orange Bitters, Tiki Bitters

Cocktail Ideas

We hope you are as excited as we are at this point! You have so many options when it comes to crafting cocktails. If you need some ideas to get you started here's a list of ideas that you can now make with your fully stocked bar!

Spirit	Cocktail	Ingredients
Bubbles	Aperol Spritz	Aperol, sparkling wine
Bubbles	French 75	gin, lemon, sugar, sparkling wine
Creme de Violette	Violette Royal	Creme de Violette, sparkling wine
Creme de Violette	Aviation	gin, Creme de Violette, Luxardo, lemon
Green Chartreuse	Last Word	gin, Green Chartreuse, lime, Luxardo
Green Chartreuse	Bijou	gin, sweet vermouth, Green Chartreuse, orange bitters
Tequila	Paloma	tequila, grapefruit, soda
Amaro Nonino	Paper Airplane	bourbon, Aperol, lemon, Amaro Nonino
Coffee Liqueur	White Russian	vodka, coffee liqueur, cream
Pisco	Pisco Punch	pisco, pineapple, lemon, simple syrup
Rum	Piña Colada	light rum, pineapple, coconut cream
Rum	Mai Tai	light rum, dark rum, orange curaçao, oregeat, lime,mint

The post The Pro Bar appeared first on slightlytipsy.com.

Stocking Your Home Bar

Alexandra Vaughn — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:59:47 +0000

It can be overwhelming if you’re just stating out but don’t worry. No matter what your budget is you can start with the basics and add on as you discover new cocktails and spirits. Follow this guide from novice to expert and you’ll be enjoying exceptional home crafted cocktails in no time!

The Pro Bar

Stocking Your Home Bar

The Beginner Bar

The Intermediate Bar

The post Stocking Your Home Bar appeared first on slightlytipsy.com.

The Beginner Bar

Alexandra Vaughn — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:28:05 +0000

This short list of essentials will have you on your way to making some great easy drinks! It is not difficult to stock the beginner bar even on a budget. If your basic bar consists of a bottle of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, bourbon, scotch, dry vermouth and a liqueur, you should be able to please just about anyone in your crowd. You’ll also want to have some club soda, and maybe some cola or tonic as well as a bowl of fresh citrus that can be juiced or simply used as a garnish. Below are some affordable brands that can be used in a variety of ways.

Stocking Your Bar: The Basics

VODKA: New Amsterdam Versatile & smooth especially for the price point

GIN: Tanqueray A traditional London dry gin

RUM: Cana Brava White Rum 3 year aged rum from Panama

TEQUILA: Altos Plata A high rated silver tequila with notes of grass, citrus and spice

BOURBON: Very Old Barton A Kentucky straight bourbon from the Sazerac Company

SCOTCH: Dewars White Label Smooth, easy drinking scotch with soft smoke and hints of honey and toffee

LIQUEUR: Stirrings Triple Sec Naturally flavored with bright orange and the right amount of sugar

VERMOUTH: Dolin Dry A French fortified wine flavored flavored from 15 herbs and botanicals.

FRESH FRUIT: For Garnish or Juice: Lemon, Lime, Orange

BITTERS: Angostura

MIXERS: Club Soda, Tonic, Cola

SYRUP: Simple Syrup (1:1 Sugar to Water)

GARNISH: Luxardo Cherries, Olives

Cocktail Ideas

Now that you've got your bar stocked it's time to grab a few bottles, your tools and start mixing! Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas to get you on your way!

Spirit	Cocktail	Ingredients
VODKA	Vodka Collins	vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda
	Screw Driver	vodka, orange juice
	Vodka Martini	vodka, dry vermouth, olive
GIN	Gin & Tonic	gin, tonic, lime
GIN	Gin Martini	gin, dry vermouth, olive
RUM	Cuba Libre	rum, coke, lime
RUM	Daiquiri	rum, lime, simple syrup
TEQUILA	Margarita	tequila, triple sec, lime, simple syrup
TEQUILA	Tequila Soda	tequila, soda, lime
BOURBON	Old Fashioned	bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, orange, cherry
BOURBON	Bourbon Coke	bourbon, coke
SCOTCH	Scotch Soda	Scotch, soda

The post The Beginner Bar appeared first on slightlytipsy.com.

The Intermediate Bar

Alexandra Vaughn — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:27:07 +0000

After you’ve got your basics, its time to start beefing up your home bar with some additional fun ingredients as you explore more complex cocktails and flavors. Here we’ve added a second gin, rye, dark rum, reposado, cognac, blended scotch, sweet vermouth, and an aperitif as well as expanding our fruit, bitters and mixers.

Add More Spirits To Your Bar

GIN: Hendrick’s A smooth, balanced, rose and cucumber infused Scottish gin- makes a fantastic martini or gin and tonic.

RYE: Rittenhouse A 100 proof award winning whiskey that comes out of Heaven Hill distillery and displays notes of spice, citrus and caramel with just the right amount of bite. Perfect for Sazeracs or spicy Old Fashions.

DARK RUM: Gosling’s Complex, unusual, balanced and rich. This black rum made from molassas is the key ingredient in Bermuda’s national drink, the dark and stormy. Aged in American oak, the nose offers hints of vanilla, and caramel followed by a delicate herb and spice note.

TEQUILA: Fortaleza Reposado If you’re interested in what tequila tasted like 150 years ago, this one is pretty close. Using old world machinery and traditional methods, this aged tequila makes a great cocktail but is fantastic to just sip on.

COGNAC: H. Mounier La Fayette V.S. A smooth and inviting cognac for a very reasonable price. Slight tobacco, toffee and sandal wood lead to a slight, pleasant spice on the finish.

SCOTCH: Monkey Shoulder This highly rated blended scotch is a mixture of three different Speyside single malts. This made the list because it’s both sip worthy and great for cocktails.

VERMOUTH: Cocchi Torino Hailing from the Piedmont region in Northern Italy, this moscato based vermouth boasts aromas of orange, red fruits, dried fig and cocoa. Sip over ice or try it in a manhattan.

APERTIF: Campari Originated in 1860 and characterized by its bright red color, this Italian aperitif ads a bitter dimention to many popular cocktails.

FRESH FRUIT: For Garnish or Juice Grapefruit

MIXERS: Ginger Beer (Fever Tree, Gosling’s & Barret’s are widely available)

SYRUPS: Agave, Honey

BITTERS: Peychaud's

Cocktail Ideas

Now that you have a wider selection of spirits and you've added new flavors with bitters, mixers and liqueurs you've opened up a whole new playground for your home mixology! Need some help getting started? Try some of these ideas!

Spirit	Cocktail	Ingredients
Vodka	Greyhound	vodka, grapefruit juice
	Moscow Mule	vodka, ginger beer, lime
	Salty Dog	greyhound with salt rim
Gin	Bee's Knees	gin, honey, lemon
Gin	Negroni	gin, sweet vermouth, Campari
Rum	Dark & Stormy	dark rum, ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup
Cognac	Sidecar	Cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup
Rye	Manhattan	rye, sweet vermouth, bitters, cherry
Whiskey	Boulivardier	whiskey, sweet vermouth, Campari

Pro Tip:

When shopping for liquor (whiskey and rum in particular), look for “barrel” or “cask strength.” This simply means it’s been bottled straight from the cask without the addition of water.

Why is this important you ask? Some claim that anything over the minimum of 40% ABV just tastes better but let's face it, if you’re paying for the alcohol, you might as well get the biggest bang for your buck. And, you can always add your own water and dilute to your desired taste. Read more about cask strength and filtration processes here.

The post The Intermediate Bar appeared first on slightlytipsy.com.