Bar Smarts

A house is not a home, it's been said, unless it boasts a superlative array of liquor that both reflects and anticipates fashions in drinking. That's what most of us strive for, and largely achieve, when we take on potable cargo prior to Christmas and New Year's. But you know what happens. Holiday hospitality puts a hell of a dent in your inventory; incursions from random entertaining and your own indulgence further deplete your spirituous supplies. If you have the courage, check the current state of your bar. Chances are you'll find a few holiday leftovers, one or two glittering gift packages and a mixed bag of bottles that nobody drinks. That, (continued on page 172)Bar Smarts(continued from page 89) chums, is not what's meant by the term liquor cabinet. It won't help you win friends and impress people or be much of an asset--whether you're contriving an intimate soiree or hosting an epic lift-off. Time to restock! But don't rush out and grab every bottle you can lay your hands on. This is not a numbers game but a matter of common sense and sophistication, based on three principles. The first is quality--not simply palatable liquors but instantly recognizable, deluxe national brands. They're smooth, consistent and reassuring--a signal to guests that they're important. Balance is the second prerequisite. It may seem to be the ultimate generosity to have everyone's favorite spirits on hand, but that's cumbersome--and can become a game of stump the host. What you want is a manageable assortment to handle classic cocktails, trendy favorites and maybe a house specialty. The third, and easily the most crucial, consideration is people--specifically, the tastes and the style preferences of yourself and friends. If you all loathe Chartreuse, for example, why give it cabinet space? Contrarily, if aquavit is big in your circle, why not have two kinds? Regional leanings also come into play when you're planning a home bar. Go heavier on bourbon and Tennessee whiskey in the South; tequila in the Southwest; blended whiskey, rum and Scotch in the East; California brandy in the West and the Midwest; and vodka just about everywhere. Seasonal considerations are also factors. When Christmas comes, you just have to add dark rum and perhaps a bottle of advocaat.

Important as they are, a home bar deserving of the name encompasses more than bottles--a lot more. There's the matter of bar tools and equipment, mixers, modifiers and embellishers, glassware, care and handling, plus other enlightenments that might be summarized as bar smarts. You'll find all the necessary information following.

Pert Appurtenances

Your kitchen can probably provide such items as measuring implements, cutting board, paring knife, citrus juicers, long-handled stirring spoons, bottle opener, can punch and more. Nevertheless, it's preferable to have a separate setup for the bar so that you don't have to raid the pantry every time you fix a drink. A heavy-duty blender and a mechanical ice crusher are almost necessities. Other worthy additions include a well-insulated ice bucket, a 16-ounce shaker with a tight-fitting stainless-steel cap, a 24-ounce mixing glass, a coil-spring bar strainer and a measuring glass marked off in half ounces. Buy the best tools--professional equipment, if available.

A rolling refrigerator on casters is both functional and luxurious. It ought to have an alcohol-proof surface and should be fitted to hold bottles and glassware as well as ice trays. And a crystal syphon, ensconced in a chrome- or silver-plated mesh jacket, is a spiffy touch. Be sure to get spare CO2 cartridges; a box of ten will last quite a while.

Glass Act

A drink looks better and tastes better when served in the correct glass. There are as many types of glasses as there are drinks, but a dozen of each of the following will see you through almost any situation: four-ounce stemmed cocktail glasses; six-to-eight-ounce solid, heavy-bottomed old fashioned glasses; eight-to-ten-ounce highball glasses; seven-ounce all-purpose wineglasses. If you do a house specialty that calls for a particular container--say a chimney glass, a saucer champagne glass or an elliptical stemmed shot glass--by all means, add it to the inventory. Choose clear, well-balanced glassware; the cutesy tinted and patterned kind loses its charm quickly.

The inclusion of wineglasses may surprise you, since they are not traditional to a spirits-bar setup. But they're versatile and useful for a variety of drinks: sours, marys, blender drinks, juice-spirit combinations, frappés and after-dinner brandy. They also hold many cocktails more comfortably than the standard widemouthed cocktail glass. Additionally, there's the growing popularity of white wine as a pre-prandial sip, which naturally calls for a wineglass.

Store glassware so the mouth is uncovered, permitting soap or detergent fumes to drift off. Don't stack in columns or invert on a shelf, mouth down.

The Big Chill

A resourceful host can rise above any problem except a shortage of ice, so arrange for a supply--or even an oversupply. Ice should be hard-frozen to minimize dilution. After it's been in the freezer awhile, ice picks up food odors; if it's more than a week old, dump it. If the guest list is modest, you can probably accumulate enough cubes from your own freezer. As trays freeze, empty cubes into heavy-plastic bags or doubled brown grocery bags, seal tightly and return to the freezer. For larger affairs, or simply for the convenience, pick up ice from a vending machine or a supermarket. Note the location of the nearest vending machine in the event of a late-night emergency. Machines never close. At the bar, store ice in a well-insulated ice bucket or a container with a tight lid. How much ice will you need? Three cubes per drink should take care of ice for pitcher or shaker and glass--but for ease of mind, make it four. You can never have too much ice.

Passing the Bar Exam

You needn't become a repository of bar lore, but there are bits of wisdom that will impart professional snap to your performance. Rubbing the rim of a liquor bottle with wax paper will minimize dripping. An occasional rub will do it. Drink recipes call for various measurements, but the precise amounts are not always clear. A jigger is one and a half ounces, a pony is one ounce, a tablespoon is a half ounce and a dash is six to eight drops. Add ice to glass first, to avoid splashing. Use large cubes; they melt slower than small cubes and reduce dilution. Add carbonated beverages to a drink last, to prolong effervescence. Stopper mixers immediately when not in use, for the same reason. Don't overpour mixers for guests. They can always add more if they want to. Prepare garnishes in advance, arrange on a flat plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. They'll hold perfectly in the refrigerator until needed. Spear smaller edible garnishes--olive, onion, cherry--on a pick before placing in a drink. They're easier to handle that way.

Mixers, Modifiers, Embellishers

The standard mixers include club soda from a bottle or a syphon, tonic water, ginger ale, ginger beer, citrus juices, cola, lemon-lime sodas, diet soda, possibly prepared collins or sour mixers. You'll also want tomato juice or V-8 for bloody marys, bouillon for bullshots and uncarbonated mineral water (sin gas) for the antibubble faction.

Cranberry-juice cocktail, lemonade, pineapple juice and apple juice--though familiar--are often overlooked. They blend most agreeably with spirits and deserve to be used more. Something unusual--tropical nectars such as guava or soursop, or white-Catawba-grape juice, for example--can make an intriguing difference in a drink, but don't serve them to anyone without advance notice.

An apt modifier or flavor accent will also add distinction to a drink. Every bar has Angostura bitters, grenadine, sweetened lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire or A.1. sauce and perhaps rock-candy syrup and a frothing agent. But the more restrained Peychaud's bitters are a subtle change from Angostura; orange bitters brighten gin drinks; orgeat, Falernum or passion-fruit syrup lends a mystic note to tropical coolers. If you're experimental, try myrtille, coconut and black-currant syrups. The myrtille, or bilberry, is akin to the blueberry.

Garnishes are modest embellishments, not necessities--but discreetly handled, they add grace notes to your drinks. Beyond lemons, limes and oranges, there are pitted morello cherries for manhattans, preserved clementines or calamondins in liqueur for sours, pineapple sticks in syrup for old fashioneds, tiny baby corn for bourbon on rocks, pickled button mushrooms--rinsed--in martinis. Invent your own combinations. One request, please: no vanda orchids, gardenias, little parasols or other such garish touches. That's for tour groups.

Party Arithmetic; Party Geography

There's no way to calculate the precise quantity of liquor you'll need for an event. Party professionals, such as caterers, figure on a 750-milliliter bottle for every four people, with 40 people consuming ten bottles. That's based on an assumed average consumption of four drinks per person and one and a half ounces of liquor per pop. Any experienced host will tell you that's cutting it pretty fine.

To be safe, allowing for spillage and the inevitable heavy hitters, increase the caterer's rule of thumb substantially--more like 15 bottles for every 40 people. The more generous allowance also permits a greater diversity of types. Then you can consider anything that remains a head start on your next happening. By the way, be sure to ask your liquor merchant about a case discount if you buy that much. It's customary, except in state stores.

Does it make a difference where you set up the bar? It sure does! If you can, keep the bar outside the main room and apart from the food--to encourage circulation and socialization among guests. This arrangement also provides an excuse to walk away from a bore--presumably to fetch a fresh drink or munch.

Care and Handling

Spirits are much hardier than wines, the higher alcohol content acting as protection. Nevertheless, there are practices that will extend the time your stock remains in prime condition. Unlike wines, spirits should be stored upright. If bottles are laid down, exposure to the alcohol may cause their closures to deteriorate. Keep bottles away from sources of heat such as radiators.

After opening, spirits should be securely capped when not in use. Unless they're poured frequently, transfer fine cognacs, Armagnacs and fruit brandies to smaller containers when the original is half depleted. It will help preserve some of the delicate sensory qualities. With exceptions, liqueurs are not as sturdy as other spirits. Color can fade and flavor decline in some liqueurs when they're exposed to sunlight, heat or air for prolonged periods. Smaller sizes--375 or 500 milliliters--are often wiser purchases, even if they're a bit costlier ounce for ounce. Low-proof liqueurs, such as crème de cassis or the new cream liqueurs, should be stored in the refrigerator after they've been opened. Even unopened, their shelf life is limited compared with those of spirits and stronger liqueurs.

A complete inventory of all your liquor can be a timesaver and useful when planning parties or new purchases. And a Lazy Susan inside your liquor cabinet, holding the most popular items, will make them easy to reach.

Comes the Dawn

Sensible citizens know their capacity and handle the grog deftly. But once in a while, someone miscalculates. How do you spell relief? Here are remedies for the morning-after blahs that have staunch adherents: half a shot of tamarind syrup in a glass of club soda; 1/2 oz. Angostura bitters over ice, lemon twist, 4 ozs. water; equal parts of Fernet Branca and cognac downed in one gulp; prairie-oyster cocktail: yolk of 1 egg, teaspoon tomato catsup, teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, teaspoon lemon juice, sprinkle of pepper also downed in one gulp (do not break the yolk); Savoy corpse reviver: one third brandy, one third Fernet Branca, one third white crème de menthe--shake and strain into cocktail glass; black velvet: equal parts champagne and stout, very cold.

Then there's the bartender who received a two-A.M. phone call from a doctor patron with a big head and a mouth full of feathers. What to do? In his most clinical tones, the barman advised, "Take two ounces of Scotch and call me in the morning."

The Connoisseur's Liquor Cabinet

Here are the ingredients for a working bar capable of handling all reasonable requests--and some that are unreasonable. Flexibility is a consideration, so that substitutions can be made when necessary. Tip: It's good practice to lay in a backup bottle when one in stock is half depleted.

Aperitif: Dry sherry or Campari; both make excellent appetite stimulators.

Bourbon: One bottle of 86, 90 or 101 proof for splashing over rocks or in highballs; one bottle of 80 proof, primarily for bourbon sours, manhattans and other mixed drinks.

Brandy: V.S.O.P. cognac; all-purpose, midway between three-star and Napoleon in quality.

California brandy: Light, fruity--good in mixed drinks and on the rocks.

Gin: Domestic for gin and tonics and other mixed drinks; imported for sipping neat and cold from the freezer.

Liqueurs: Vast range of flavors, but amaretto, chocolate, coffee, cream, peppermint schnapps and triple sec (orange) will cover you against most contingencies.

Rum: Virtually all the white rums from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands are acceptable.

Scotch: A good premium blend.

Tequila: White or claro, for margarita and sunrise cocktails.

Vermouth: You'll want a white (dry) for martinis and a red (sweet) for manhattans, negronis and such. Buy the half-bottle size unless you pour vermouth as an aperitif.

Vodka: Two types--a domestic for mixing and an import for downing neat from the freezer.

Whiskey blends: An American or a premium Canadian.

Opulent Additions

Lavish supplements to gratify the most luxurious or curious palates.

Applejack: Straight, 100-proof American apple brandy, a prime ingredient in the Jack Rose cocktail.

Aquavit: From any of the Scandinavian countries. Most are tanged with caraway, but there's also a dill-scented aquavit--Jubilaeums--worth seeking out.

Brandy: Armagnac--an aged vintage one if available.

Eaux de vie: Poire, framboise, kirsch and mirabelle--pear, raspberry, cherry and plum, respectively--are the most esteemed. If you go in for oddities, try houx--distilled from holly berries, of all things.

Irish whiskey: Today's Irish whiskey is light and smooth. It's agreeable over the rocks or in mixed drinks.

Liqueurs: A clutch of distinctive examples that illustrate the broad range of liqueur flavors; all are proprietaries, made to secret formulas: Grand Marnier or Cointreau, Drambuie, Southern Comfort, B&B, Strega and Frangelico are a good beginning.

Pernod or Ricard: Intense anise flavor. What Parisian boulevardiers enjoy at outdoor cafés along the Champs Élysées.

Rum: A dark rum from Jamaica or Martinique for punches, nogs and tropical drinks.

Scotch: Single malt (unblended), to enjoy in a snifter, like cognac, or with a tot of water.

Unicum: Classed as a bitters but also used as an after-dinner digestive. Other digestives, such as Fernet Branca and Boonekamp, are out-and-out bitters.