Download Recipe
Now that you have your base spirits all taken care of, it’s important to update your bar with some added extras. A simple gin and tonic is nice, but wouldn’t a splash of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur make it even better? You don’t need to use this all the time, but it is something nice to have just in case you want to give your cocktail a little something extra. Here are my suggestions for great liqueurs to introduce to your back bar:
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Godiva Mocha Liqueur
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey
Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur
Barenjager Honey Liqueur
Hiram Walker Caramel Apple Liqueur
Bonus For Your Bar: Bitters
Really want to impress your guests with your updated home bar? Throw in a few bottles of bitters. People can be really intimidated by the thought of using bitters, probably because they assume that it will make their drink, well, bitter. Contrary to popular belief, when using the right amount, which is a very, very small amount, bitters will enhance your cocktail to a degree that you didn’t even know was possible. Here are a few bitters brands to look into--with my favorite flavors highlighted. Check out their websites and see what else they have to offer!
The Bitter End - Chesapeake Bay Bitters, Jamaican Jerk Bitters, Memphis Barbeque Bitters
Bitter Truth - Celery Bitters, Aromatic Bitters, New Orleans Creole Bitters
AZ Bitters Lab - Mas Mole #2 Bitters, Figgy Pudding #2,
Bittermens - New England Spiced Cranberry Bitters, New Orleans Coffee Bitters, Boston Bittahs, Xocolatl Mole Bitters
Next week, I’ll finish out this series with part two of how to update your home bar, focusing on the bar tools you need to have. Cheers!
Comments
Great article - is there a way to print the whole article without all the ads, etc.?
Aug 14, 2012 at 1:34 PM
McCune
the short pages on thespir.it really kill the motivation to read the entire article. a 'whole page' link would be great
Aug 14, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Ask, and you shall receive :) PDF version of the article is now available to print out! Thanks for the love, and be sure to send your suggestions updating your home bar our way!
Aug 14, 2012 at 2:30 PM
Buitenhuys
Sara, thanks for including our AZBL bitters along with some of our other bitter making friends.
Aug 14, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Probably most readers of this blog know this already, but for novices, there are two basic divides in the tequila and rum category: for mixing and for drinking straight. A rum to drink straight (or with a single ice cube and/or splash of water or soda) is Trigo, a blend of Puerto Rican artesanal rums. Great, in an impressive-looking bottle, at a moderate price (!$25 here where it's made, likely more on the mainland).
Aug 14, 2012 at 3:05 PM
clair
Thanks for the PDF download-- much appreciated!
Aug 14, 2012 at 3:16 PM
I am a firm believer that every home bar should have the capacity to make a great old fashioned. So get sugar cubes, maraschino cherries, oranges, and angostura/peyschaud's bitters with a muddle and a peeler. Reference Ryan gosling in "crazy, stupid, love"
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Of six liqueurs, three have the word "honey" in them. Missing are important categories like triple sec or any berry flavor. And the tequilas don't seem very well known or representative either. The exotic bitters in the list would have no other supporting alcohols to pair with them- and the one universal bitter, Angostura, is not even mentioned.
I must have a few hundred unique bottles and still can't make half the drinks featured in modern New York bar recipe books. It never ends.
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:52 PM
triple sec a must
Aug 14, 2012 at 8:31 PM
dalchemist
This article pretty much misses the point.
You first of all have to determine the direction (style - cocktail vs. easy mixtures like highballs), your budget, even your time.
For vodka - you really need only one. It is neutral! Flavored vodkas, you can do yourself. No need to b stress your budget - for me Russian Standard works best: it is a very modern and neutral vodka, yet comes from motherland Russia...
No triple sec curaçao, but Cointreau should be in the portfolio - definitely before any St. Germain [for most recipes a good elderflower syrup words as good as]. Mocha, Whiskey Honey, Caramel-Apple Liqueur? I don't want to hurt your feeling, but it is totally crap! C'mon you can add honey into your whiskey yourself [and don't bother to put artificial and natural identical aromas for apple and caramel into bad vodka...
But what is about decent vermouths - at least French dry [Noilly Prat] and sweet Italian [Martini rosso works ok]?
I also disagree with the whiskey and rum portfolio - drop vodka and tequila [if you are not devoted to latter] but have at least one good Straight Bourbon [e.g. Elijah Craig 12 years old] AND one Scotch [Glenfiddich 15 years or Glenmorangie the Original would be single malts which are great] - an Irish pure pot still whiskey would also not hurt [Red Breast 12 years old]; for the rum, you definitely need a light rum [Matusalem Platinum or even better Flor de Cana 4 years extra dry], a dark rum [Cruzan black strap or Gosling black seal] and an aged rum [Bacardi 8 years, or something much more expensive and better like Ron Zacapa].
All these products have an unique character and actually could be seen as individual spirits with individual applications...
Aug 15, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Good article but I disagree about the vodka. Vodka is distilled to 190 proof and then just diluted down the a more drinkable state. So only 5% of the beverage is providing any flavor. High end premium vodka is over-rated.
Now if we could get information on the water added we'd be better informed. Source, chemical makeup etc would help us to understand the "tastes' we're experiencing.
That being said, a good charcoal filter will work wonders on discount vodka to clear the impurities mostly from the water.
just my 2 cents
Apr 26, 2013 at 12:30 PM
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