Buy for the drinks, not the shelf
The mistake is buying a dozen bottles at once and using three. Work backward from the two or three cocktails you like, buy what they need, and add a bottle only when a new drink calls for it. This is an adult pursuit, which in the United States means 21 and over. Mid-priced bottles, roughly 20 to 35 dollars, are the right tier for mixing, since anything subtler is lost under citrus and sugar.
A sensible first set
- A bourbon or rye covers old fashioneds, Manhattans and whiskey sours.
- A gin covers martinis and gin and tonics.
- A light rum or a blanco tequila covers daiquiris or margaritas.
- An orange liqueur is needed for margaritas and many other sours.
- Sweet vermouth and dry vermouth come in small bottles, which are the ones to buy.
- A bottle of aromatic bitters lasts for years, because you use it in dashes.
Vermouth is wine, and it goes stale. Keep it in the refrigerator once opened and replace it after a month or two. Spirits are stable for years if they are stored upright, capped, and away from sunlight and heat.
Tools, ice and mixers
A jigger is the essential tool, because cocktails are recipes and a free pour is a guess. Add a shaker, a strainer, a long spoon and a hand citrus press, and the whole kit costs about 40 dollars. Use fresh lemon and lime juice squeezed the same day, since the bottled kind tastes flat. Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and hot water stirred until clear, and it keeps for a month refrigerated. Make more ice than you think you need. Large cubes melt slowly and are worth a silicone tray. Rocks glasses and stemmed cocktail glasses serve nearly every drink.
Being a good host
A standard drink is one and a half ounces of 80-proof spirit, and many cocktails hold closer to two of those, so a guest on a third cocktail may have had nearly six drinks. Pour measured drinks, put out real food, and keep water on the table. Stock something good for people who are not drinking, such as sparkling water with citrus or a non-alcoholic beer, and never ask anyone why they are not drinking. Nobody drives home impaired from your house. Arrange a ride or offer the couch.
Note Laws on serving guests vary by state, and some states hold hosts liable for harm caused by a guest they overserved. Your state's alcohol control agency publishes the rules.
