The holidays are a time of family, food, and entertaining. Chances are that you will participate in or host at least one gathering this holiday season, whether it be the office Christmas party, a dinner party with the in-laws, or a secret Santa gift swap with friends. Whatever your holiday traditions are, it's always fun to try some new ideas to make your holiday gatherings run more smoothly.
For that reason, over the next month, I'm going to be posting suggestions to make your holiday entertaining easier--so you can stop worrying about entertaining and start enjoying your holidays more.
This inaugural holiday entertaining post focuses on a delicate, and potentially costly, task: building a home bar.
The Problem
1. Space, Money, Utility--The first problem arises with complicated drinks that require a slew of ingredients to achieve a particular flavor. One of the roadblocks that I regularly meet when planning parties or researching different drinks is the number of ingredients I don't have. Cocktails are fun and festive, but they often require an array of ingredients that I don't have room for, don't want to buy, and will need to find other uses for. Want to make an Elderflower Collins (a variation on the Tom Collins)? Great, but what are you going to do with the remaining 9/10 of the bottle of elderflower syrup? If you need 5 ingredients for one cocktail and each bottle is $15, that's $75 right there.
2. Tools--Many cocktails require special tools to taste their best. For example, mojitos require crushed mint leaves and lime. While you can crush mint leaves with a spoon, or chop them very finely, the best tool to have on hand is a muddler--essentially a mortar and pestle. Cocktail shakers, strainers, and different glasses are all different tools that professional bartenders have on hand, but that are sometimes beyond the scope of a home bar.
3. Complicated Drinks--As hosts, we always aim to impress, a quality that often gets us in trouble. In an effort to keep all our guests happy, we want to offer the best quality, the most variety to suit everyone's taste, and the fanciest or tastiest drinks. This not only requires buying a lot of expensive and often unnecessary things, but also tires us out when we try to do too much.
The Solution
1. Quality and Selectivity--The problem of not having a wide enough array of alcohols and liqueurs, or not having a use for odd-ball ingredients is easily solved with careful planning. Planning a holiday cocktail menu? Choose 3 drinks to fit the occasion or the season, and make sure that at least one ingredient among them is shared. For example, if you're planning on making Cran-tinis, White Russians, and Blackberry Crushes you can use vodka as the base for each.
In the weeks ahead of your party, stock up on these basic alcohols that are essential to a home bar (italicized alcohols are necessary):
Vodka
Rum
Gin
Whiskey
Champagne
Tequila
Bourbon
These are the base for most cocktails and will offer your guests a great deal of variety. You might also want to pick up a liqueur like Kahlua or Campari.
As for oddball ingredients, sometimes you will need them. That's ok, as long as you can see yourself using them in the future. Buy the smallest bottle so that you don't need to worry about storage or waste.
Another quick note: in the weeks before the Holidays, many liquor stores will sell gift sets. Though they are sometimes pricey, they are often the same price as the free-standing bottle. If you need to buy a bottle of Vodka and a Cocktail Shaker, why not buy the Grey Goose gift set that includes the two for a good price? Free glasses and cocktail-making tools are always welcome.
2. Multi-tasking tools--Some tools will be necessary for your home bar. They will not only help you make better drinks, but will last as a piece of your cocktail arsenal for years to come. Glassware can get complicated, so you don't need to worry about having anything fancier than a set of highballs or a couple martini glasses.
Other than that, these are the tools you should definitely have:
A Boston cocktail shaker
A fine strainer
A long spoon
A jigger (or 1/4 cup size Pyrex)
3. Simple and High-Quality--There's nothing as disappointing as a poorly-executed cocktail. When you're hosting a party, the last thing you want is to be overwhelmed by making drinks. You're supposed to be having fun, not being the bartender. Learn some simple drinks that you can execute well and quickly. If there's anything a little complicated, practice it before the day of the party. Another excellent choice is making punches or using multi-serving recipes for cocktails. Punches are festive and decorative and will serve the most guests the fastest.
Happy Entertaining!
Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
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