The Ten-Bottle Start-up Home Cocktail Bar

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

I have a reasonable selection of liquor, but for the fact I have no gin (an aversion that goes back to college, when I got deathly ill from drinking way too much of what was likely a horrible rot-gut gin). I've discovered a relatively new gin I like -- Seersucker -- and it's on my list to get. I have bourbon, single-malt Scotch, light and dark rum, vodka, tequila, sweet and dry vermouth, Triple Sec, Bailey's, Frangelico (mostly to cook with). I'm currently out of brandy -- must pick up another bottle of that -- and I need some guidance in building a stock of necessary liqueurs and such.

 

I have not historically been a mixer of cocktails, beyond a vodka martini and/or a Manhattan or old-fashioned. My drinks have tended toward the simpler -- Scotch on the rocks, vodka tonic, the occasional Bloody Mary. But I think it's time I branch out.

 

Waiting for responses before I make a liquor store run.

 

Not much of a gin girl here but what about Seersucker particularly appeals?  Maybe mention something in the gin thread?

 

I realize you are not Mississippian but if you can source a bottle of Batavia-Arrack you could use that and Cognac along with the rum to make a Mississippi punch!  My favorite drink besides a mai tai.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/152292-mixing-with-cognac/?do=findComment&comment=2036859

 

As far as Cognac for mixing I recommend Pierre Ferrand 1840.  For the rum in Mississippi punch I like Smith & Cross, myself, though I suspect any funky, somewhat aged rum would do.  The recipe specifies Jamaican.

 

 

[kayb]

2 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Not much of a gin girl here but what about Seersucker particularly appeals?  Maybe mention something in the gin thread?

 

I realize you are not Mississippian but if you can source a bottle of Batavia-Arrack you could use that and Cognac along with the rum to make a Mississippi punch!  My favorite drink besides a mai tai.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/152292-mixing-with-cognac/?do=findComment&comment=2036859

 

As far as Cognac for mixing I recommend Pierre Ferrand 1840.  For the rum in Mississippi punch I like Smith & Cross, myself, though I suspect any funky, somewhat aged rum would do.  The recipe specifies Jamaican.

 

 

 

It's not as juniper-heavy, and has a decided citrus-y aftertaste. Very light.

 

Back in the dark ages, I used to escape down to Pass Christian, when it was a funky little fishing village. There was a harborfront bar that served a hellacious Mississippi Punch. Thanks for the link. I'll have to try my hand at making one. 

 

Will look into the Pierre Ferrand as well.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

@kaybYou already have a good foundation. I would recommend maybe "upgrading" the triple sec to Cointreau, and the brandy to Cognac (the Pierre Ferrand 1840 that @JoNorvelleWalkerrecommended is great for mixing), and then you'll be able to make Sidecars for example. Switch the cognac to your dark rum and you have another nice cocktail, the XYZ.

 

If you like Manhattans, maybe you could get a bottle of rye whiskey for another upgrade.

 

I would also grab a bottle of maraschino liqueur so you can make a Hemingway Daiquiri with your white rum, or a Martinez with the gin you are planning on getting. You can also use it in an Old Fashioned instead of the sugar cube or simple syrup, it's rather delicious.

 

I imagine you already have Angostura bitters since you already make Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. Do you have orange bitters? They are another bar essential.

 

I would also really recommend an app like Bartender's Choice that has a lot of simple classic cocktails that can be made without "exotic" ingredients. You can look for a drink that seems appealing and slowly build your bar from there.

[FrogPrincesse]

@kaybOh, and you should really get a bottle of Campari. This will open a bunch of new options (Negroni, Boulevardier, Americano, etc) and is an excellent way to start exploring the world of amari/bitter liqueurs.

[kayb]

13 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

@kaybOh, and you should really get a bottle of Campari. This will open a bunch of new options (Negroni, Boulevardier, Americano, etc) and is an excellent way to start exploring the world of amari/bitter liqueurs.

 

Adding rye to the list; had been thinking of that and forgot to list it. Will add maraschino liqueur and Cointreau, as well as Campari, I have both Peychaud's and Angostura bitters. Already planning to upgrade the brandy to cognac, as mentioned by you and @JoNorvelleWalker. 

 

Gonna be a pricy trip to the liquor store!

[quiet1]

On 1/5/2017 at 8:12 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Not much of a gin girl here but what about Seersucker particularly appeals?  Maybe mention something in the gin thread?

 

I realize you are not Mississippian but if you can source a bottle of Batavia-Arrack you could use that and Cognac along with the rum to make a Mississippi punch!  My favorite drink besides a mai tai.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/152292-mixing-with-cognac/?do=findComment&comment=2036859

 

As far as Cognac for mixing I recommend Pierre Ferrand 1840.  For the rum in Mississippi punch I like Smith & Cross, myself, though I suspect any funky, somewhat aged rum would do.  The recipe specifies Jamaican.

 

 

 

The Pierre Ferrand 1840 is $50 here, which is rather more than I want to spend at the moment - is there a decent cognac that will be less expensive but still tasty? In playing with bar tending apps that tell you what you can make with the contents of your liquor cabinet, I keep being told that adding a brandy or cognac will expand the options most, so I want to get a bottle of something.

[Craig E]

If you can find Maison Rouge VSOP it's quite good and excellent value.

[quiet1]

11 minutes ago, Craig E said:

If you can find Maison Rouge VSOP it's quite good and excellent value.

 

Nope. If this link works, this is what I can get (probably) around here: http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&categoryId=1333989&variety=Cognac&categoryType=Spirits&top_category=25208&sortBy=5&searchSource=E&pageView=&beginIndex=0#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&orderBy:&pageView:&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:&

 

I'm going to have to take a shopping list with me next time we head out of state.

[FrogPrincesse]

@quiet1Other than Maison Rouge VSOP, I've also seen Hine H VSOP being recommended. It's $38.99 at the link you provided. Landy VS is decent and quite a bit cheaper- they have it in a half bottle for $8.99.

Edited January 9, 2017 by FrogPrincesse
typo (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

55 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

 

The Pierre Ferrand 1840 is $50 here, which is rather more than I want to spend at the moment - is there a decent cognac that will be less expensive but still tasty? In playing with bar tending apps that tell you what you can make with the contents of your liquor cabinet, I keep being told that adding a brandy or cognac will expand the options most, so I want to get a bottle of something.

 

I am shocked that your Pierre Ferrand 1840 is only 80 proof?  The only Pierre Ferrand 1840 I've seen is 90 proof.  Check the label on a bottle, the website may be in error.

 

Anyhow $50 is scraping the bottom of the Cognac game.  Just buy a bottle of PF 1840 and be thankful you can get it.

 

[quiet1]

4 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I am shocked that your Pierre Ferrand 1840 is only 80 proof?  The only Pierre Ferrand 1840 I've seen is 90 proof.  Check the label on a bottle, the website may be in error.

 

Anyhow $50 is scraping the bottom of the Cognac game.  Just buy a bottle of PF 1840 and be thankful you can get it.

 

 

'They just redid the website and seem to have done Something to a fair amount of the information they had about products, so it's quite possible there's a mistake. The search feature works much better now, though, so it is an improvement if you know what you want and just want to know how to get it.

 

Anyway, if that is the thing to buy, I will do it, I just wanted to ask first. I am new to spirits and cocktails so I have no idea what to expect different things to reasonably cost. Most of the purchases I've made of spirits in the past have been of the little mini bottle variety, for cooking, or cheap vodka for mixing with powdered food coloring to paint on fondant and icing. That doesn't give you good insight into normal prices and where it is worth it to go expensive versus where there is a lot of hype or PR driving up the cost of things.

 

I do try to research stuff myself, but at this point I rather trust eGullet folks so I suspect that means I end up asking annoying basic questions here a lot. I'm slowly working my way through older threads, too.