Red Cups Not Welcome

RED CUPS NOT WELCOME Going out for drinks is one thing; hosting a cocktail party is quite another.

In the world of entertaining, a well-stocked (and correctly stocked) bar is a sign of an excellent host. Similarly important is the accoutrement that pulls it all together, because by at home bar, no one means liquor bottles set out on a coffee table with plastic cups. Don’t just pull out the Waterford for fancier affairs – you’ve got to use those crystal flutes sometime.

STORY BY CAROLINE WILLAUER PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAIGE ROBERTS

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P E ACOC K

LIFESTYLE

THE LIQUOR

THE EXTRAS

Always have plenty of both white and dark: vodka, gin, whisky, and brandy. These four main liquors can be bought in large quantities and put in decanters – preferably with an accompanying silver label from your great-grandfather’s collection. Such labels tend to come in groups of four, and if you come from a sailing family one of them will say RUM.

The basic mixers needed to round out the liquor are club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, Coke, Sprite, cranberry juice and orange juice. Bitters, liqueurs and aperitifs can be chosen based on what cocktails you plan on making; at a minimum you need vermouth (dry and sweet).

Garnishes to keep on hand include: lemons, limes, oranges, olives, and maraschino cherries.

VODKA should never be flavored, and it is best to stay away from bottom shelf labels in general: no one likes cheap vodka.

*In the warmer months keep Grand Marnier, Aperol and a limoncello on hand; in the winter, Bailey’s and Kahlua.

GIN is more flexible, especially because the Waspy crowd who drinks it, drinks it in high volume: they aren’t above serving Gordon’s. Go for a London Dry gin, which is best for mixing. Make sure to have at least a bottle of Hendrick’s or Bombay Sapphire to accompany the decanter of cheaper gin.

WHISKY is more personal, as everyone cultivates the taste for preferred bourbon whisky or scotch whisky over time and through experience. Choose a single malt or blended, based on the cocktails you plan to make. J&B is great with Perrier and lemon zest. It never hurts to have a bottle of Macallan 18-year on hand.

RUM, if you must have it, should be dark: Mount Gay is a multi-generation favorite. Grandfather will appreciate it just as much as your sunburned cousin Henry, who is ‘taking time off school’ (it’s been two years) to ‘refocus’ (and do the Newport-Bermuda Race again). Henry will drink it with Gosling’s Ginger Beer, while Grandfather prefers it from a flask.

THE EXECUTION As a general rule, it is wise to keep the classic drink ingredients on hand, but also offer two specialty cocktails of your own design or ones that you found on Google. Even bars famous for their mixology admit that classic drinks are ordered more often than not.

One of the Monday night bartenders at Le Meurice, Hugo, says he makes more Tom Collins and Manhattans than any of the featured martinis of the week.

Just make sure you know which drinks to shake or stir. *By choosing two fun drinks, you simplify the glassware situation. Serve one drink in a highball or lowball glass, and the second in a martini glass or champagne flute.

THE GLASSWARE

“ WA R A N D D R I N K A R E T H E TWO THINGS MAN IS NEVER T O O P O O R T O B U Y. ” Wi l l i a m Fa u l k n e r

S P R IN G 20 1 4

You are not expected to have full sets of highball and lowball glasses, martini glasses and champagne flutes before you get married. *You are expected to know what drinks go with each type of glass.

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THE RE C IP E S

LOWBALL

HIGHBALL

NEGRONI

GIN & TONIC

2oz gin 2oz sweet vermouth 2oz Campari Garnish with an orange peel

4oz gin 6oz tonic water A lime wedge

LA DOLCE VITA

MARTINI GLASS

OLD FASHIONED TOM COLLINS

FRENCH 75

2oz gin 0.5oz Rose’s Lime Juice Garnish with a lime

1oz gin 4oz champagne 0.5oz simple syrup 0.5oz lemon juice

BLOOD & SAND

BELLINI

2oz champagne 4oz peach juice

NOONTIME NECTAR

JUST LIKE DAD

ADULT LEMONADE

5oz whiskey A dash of Angostura bitters A dash of water A sugar cube Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry

3oz gin 2oz lemon juice 1oz simple syrup 4oz Perrier Garnish with lemon peel and maraschino cherry

1oz scotch 1oz cherry brandy 1oz sweet vermouth 10z orange juice Garnish with orange slice

VODKA GIBSON

BLOODY MARY

MANHATTAN

IT’S NOT A MARTINI

4oz vodka 1oz dry vermouth Garnish with a pickled pearl onion

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GIN GIMLET

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LIMES

MOTHER’S RUIN

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

3oz vodka 6oz tomato juice A pinch of horseradish A dash of Worchester sauce Garnish with a celery stalk

CHAMPAGNE FLUTE

3oz Canadian whisky 1oz sweet vermouth A dash of Angostura bitters Garnish with a maraschino cherry

P E ACOC K

LIKE THE RIFLE

BRUNCH-SNACKDESSERT

DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON HEMINGWAY CHAMPAGNE

1.5oz absinthe 4.5oz champagne

“I HAVE TAKEN MORE OUT OF ALCOHOL THAN ALCOHOL HAS TAKEN OUT OF ME.” Winston Churchill