What's the cheapest way to stock a bar at home?!
Answers: I'd like to have a little bar at home to make mixed drinks. Problem is, there are so many things out there and you can only make one or two diff things with the same ingredients. Any of you have any ideas for basic staples? Obviously besides the alcohol (rum, vodka, jeger and tequila). Thanks!
Vodka,Gin,Rum,Tequila,Scotch,Whiskey,Bou... Marinier,Jager,Brandy
Mixers: Tonic,Soda Water,Fruit Juices,Differrent Coke Products and Rose's Lime Juice,Grenadine,Sweet & Sour
Kosher Salt
Blender
Shaker and Strainer
Wine Glasses, Martini Glasses, Highball Glasses, Rocks Glasses,Pint Glasses and of course shot glasses
That's a great start.
just serve beer or wine most people won't turn them down
You need some simple syrup,amaretto mix,and they also have the new flavored vodkas and gins that you just add soda to. I always keep some strawberry and cherry kool-aid around for those who want daiquiris.
gotta keep some good gin and different flavor juices,plus club soda. You can go to the local liquor store and purchase a book to tell you all the things you would need for your bar including the proper glasses and equipment,and ingredients you'll need to fix your favorite drinks.
Other than the basics (rum, vodka, tequila), some other basics should include mixers - cola, orange juice, sweet n sour mix, cranberry juice, club soda.
Everything else is really all about personal taste and preferences. The cheapest way to go about acquiring some of the other liqueurs and such is to buy them on demand (when you need or crave them) at a dedicated liquor store or a Costco.
You can make your own Irish Cream which is great either by itself or mixed with Kahlua and other things to make cocktails. Here's a recipe:
3 eggs
15 ounces canned milk or Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
13 ounces Scotch whiskey,
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender for 1 minute.
2. Let stand overnight.
3. Bottle the next day.
It's best not to drink it until a week after you've made it so that the flavours develop. It makes one quart.
This one is for a coffee liqueuer:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup instant coffee granules
3 cups vodka
1/4 cup whole coffee beans
COMBINE FIRST 3 INGREDIENTS IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN; COOK OVER MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT UNTIL SUGARS DISSOLVES.
BRING TO A BOIL; REDUCE HEAT, AND SIMMER FOR 5 MINS.
REMOVE FROM HEAT, AND STIR IN COFFEE GRANULES.
LET COOL.
COMBINE COFFEE MIXTURE, VODKA AND COFFEE BEANS; POUR INTO A 1-GALLON JAR.
COVER TIGHTY, AND STORE IN A DARK PLACE AT ROOM TEMP FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS.
SHAKE JAR GENTLY ONCE DAILY.
POUR MIXTURE THROUGH A WIRE-MESH STRAINER LINED WITH 2 LAYERS OF CHEESECOTH INTO JARS, DISCARDING COFFEE BEANS.
COVER TIGHTLY.
STORE AT ROOM TEMP.
USE IN BEVERAGES, EGGNOGS, OR CAKE FILLINGS AND BATTERS
Makes six cups
stock your bar with cheap booze,.....but pour the cheap booze into expensive bottles,.....your friends will think they are drinking the good stuff, but you will know it is the cheap stuff,.....
Hit discount or outlet stores. I recently went to one called big lots in my city and picked up a very nice blender. (got it for $20 plus tax) Its a 10 speed blend with a large 56oz container (thats seven 8oz drinks) and is designed to force ice chunks to the bottom. When you turn it on, a whirlpool forms in the back sending ice to the bottom, very cool. When I was looking at other blenders, even the ones at wal-mart, they were 48oz containers and didn't have the whirlpool feature. (not to mention they were $15 for crappy ones, and $30+ for nicer ones.)
They also had glasses pretty cheap to. The best advice I can give is to start small. Start off with a blender, drink from plastic cups if you have to. Next get some nice glasses, don't forget you need different ones for different drinks. I've always had shot glasses and "tumblers", but I just got margarita glasses a few months ago. The only thing I still need to get is a shaker/strainer.
About stocking alcohols, again, don't shoot for the moon. While it would be nice if you had a bottle of everything, you would probably go broke. Things I like to have on hand are things I like to drink. Vodka, Jack, Tequila are the three I'd need. I don't like rum, so I wouldn't bother stocking it. My wife likes Jeger, so we stock that to. Don't worry about not stocking Jack, if you don't like it, don't worry about it.