Mixed Drink Info.....? (1 Viewer)

[Tim Holyoke]

I'm finally moving into my own place in a couple weeks, so I no longer have to hide any alcoholic beverages . The thing is, I would take a mixed drink to something straight (or beer) any day, but I've never made them nor do I know ingrediants. What are some good things I should buy to start my "bar"? I want to have an adequate number of things to use. Also, are there any good websites that list mixed drinks and tell you how to make them? Thanks a lot

 

[James Edward]

I'd start with the most commonly requested liquors and here are some brands that are good but won't break the bank:

Seagrams 7 or Canadian Club Whiskey

Bombay or Beefeater Gin

Absolut or Finlandia Vodka

Johnnie Walker Red Scotch

Bacardi or Meyer's Rum

Jose Cuervo or Sauza Tequila

Jack Daniels or Maker's Mark Bourbon

Triple Sec

Rose's Lime Juice

Various mixers for the above bottles- Ginger Ale, Coke, Seven Up, Club Soda, Tonic Water, Margarita Mix, etc. ICE in the freezer!

Those'll get you started and should fill at least 75% of any requests you get. You'll probably want to have favorites of your friends on hand too (or not...).

I've probably missed a few, but these are a good start.

As far as sites go, just Google search on various drinks and you'll probably come up with a few reliable sites that cover most of what you want.

I don't know how old you are, or what you're dating status is, but a few bottles of wine, both sparkling and white, in the fridge, is a good idea.

 

[Tim Morton]

The thing to do is go to a bar and order a drink...and if you like then grab a bottle, plus the mixes...7&7 is a good basic drink...tastes good...and only 2 ingredients...whiskey and 7-up. Add a bottle of sweet vermuth and you can make a "manhatten"...whiskey( or bourban) and vermouth. Try a martini...very trendy and I can't think of a better drink on friday after a tough week...vodka and dry vermouth...and from there you can try many variations...and lest i forget...my favorite summer time drink...Tanguaray and Tonic...easy to make and again very tasty.

 

[Philip_G]

Why not just buy a bartending book? I can't remember how to make anything (besides long island teas ) so I have to look it up.

 

[Shane Bos]

try Webtender .

Also for mix you should have a bottle of Clamato juice for Caesar's and also a few juices such as Orange, and pineapple.

 

[Joe D]

The best mixed drink is as follows:

Water
Barley Malt
Hops

Of course since you said you didn't like beer this isn't really for you.

Dr. Pepper and Crown Royal(Or any Whiskey) is a good mixed drink.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

dont forget the creme de menthe and creme de cocoa for making all those 'girly' (but very tasty) mixed drinks. there are other ones too that i dont remember. a good friend of mine went to bartending school, and while it didnt help him get a job, it helped him to make some kick ass drinks. he made grasshoppers for us, using skyy vodka, creme de menthe and milk, and even though it was something like 60% alcohol, it tasted just like minty milk, you really couldnt tell the difference, and i am usually the biggest critic of 'you cant taste the booze in this'. dont forget the sour mix either.

CJ

 

[Jay Heyl]

Try a martini...very trendy and I can't think of a better drink on friday after a tough week...vodka and dry vermouth

A martini is properly made with gin, not vodka. If you're going to use vodka instead of gin, it should be called a vodka martini. As for there not being a better way to end a tough week (or even an easy week), I would tend to agree.

 

[Tim Morton]

I "knew" the gin thing would come up in regards to making a proper martini...he is of course correct...but i challenge people to order a martini in a bar and i would wager most if not all will be made with vodka.

 

[Tim Holyoke]

K, thanks guys, that will help me get started. I'm just 20, BTW, and don't have a fake, so it's hard for me to order a drink and find out what I like. Most mixed drinks I've had at parties I don't know who made them and don't even know what it was, i just drink it .

Are there any things I should get as far as supplies go? Utensils and that kind of thing? Thanks again.

 

[Dan Hine]

For the best "girly" drink, forget the creme de menthe and creme de cocoa. Get some Chambord, some cranberry juice and some half&half. Fill the cup with ice, pour about 2oz of Chambord, a splash of cranberry juice and fill with the Half/Half. You'll thank me. If you want it to have a bit more alcohol content add about 1oz of rum.

Another good one is called a Royal Fuck (for good reason). 1oz Crown, 1oz Chambord and fill with 7UP (or Sprite). Goes down easy and tastes great. (Could also be done as shooters.)

And experiment on your own. Buy some puckers (watermelon, sour apple, grape, etc..) and mix away. The favorite of my customers is Watermelon pucker, rum, cranberry and OJ. Also, since you say you no longer have to "hide" the beverages I assume you are under age. In that case, I think some of the liquors mentioned might be a little spendy. I would save a few bucks and get Gordon's vodka (I think it mixes better anyway) or Popov, Jim Beam for your bourbon, etc... Get small bottles at first and see if you like some of the "lesser" alcohols. The cost difference isn't big at first glance, maybe $10. But when you buy 10 bottles of alcohol it adds up.

Also, please be responsible!

 

[Dan Hine]

Are there any things I should get as far as supplies go? Utensils and that kind of thing?

Pourers and mixing cups. Or you can go to Target or someplace like it and get this funky plastic mixing cup. Comes complete with straining top. You'll know it when you see it.

 

[Jon_Welker]

Tim,

I got good laugh out of your last post. Of course, I was the same way back then. You name, and I've probably drank in some form or another. What I'm really hooked on right now is Whaler's Vanille Rum and Wild Cherry Pepsi. A 750 mL bottle of this rum is about $10-$13, very cheap, but very tasty. There other rums taste like crap (spiced, original, coconut), but for some reason their vanille is the outstanding. And it has to be Wild Cherry Pepsi, not Cherry Coke. Also, if you want a nice, yummy shot to feed the ladies, try a chocolat shot. Bailey's, Kahlua, and Ameretto, shaken on ice in a mixer, pour and enjoy. The ladies will love it. The ladies seem to like the previous drink I mentioned as well. And, if you're every really looking to get the job done, I was always a SoCo fan chilled, straight out of the bottle.

 

[Grant B]

I went to a Bar supply store and got some great stuff. Bucket glasses by the gross, very cheap and almost unbreakable. They are mostly wholesale but they sold to me without asking me.

 

[Philip_G]

wow, no other long island tea fans. I'm shocked. I'm not a drinker but enjoy the occasional tea
I make mine with a shot of
gin, rum, vodka, triplesec, tequila
2 shots of
sour mix
one can of coke.

 

[Marc_Sulinski]

Jack Daniels or Maker's Mark Bourbon

I would go with the Maker's Mark, as Jack Daniel's is not actually bourbon, but Tennessee whiskey.

Then you only need some sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters (available in most grocery stores) to make a Manhattan. You can also make a Manhattan with Rye whiskey (I would never make one with blended whiskey), though rye is pretty tough to come by. Most liquor stres will carry Jim Beam rye (it has a yellow label).

If you or your firends like "girly" drinks, as another member called them, you should probably get some amaretto, kahlua, and irish cream. With these ingedients, you can make a mudslide, toasted almond, and a few others.

 

[Marc_Sulinski]

I will also recommend getting sour mix. If you want, you can make your own. It will taste a lot better, though it will not last as long.

Start by making simple syrup (aka sugar syrup):

2 parts sugar (you can also use splenda if you don't want the sugar)
1 part water

Heat the water on LOW heat in a saucepan and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Do not boil the water or too much will disolve and your syrup will be too thick.

Now you can use this to make your sour mix:

1 part sugar syrup
6 parts freshly-squeezed lemon juice
9 parts water

simply place ingredients in a bottle and shake. It should last for about a week if sotred in the refrigerator.

You can store the extra sugar syrup in the refrigerator for making more sour mix or for use in other drinks, like the Loch Lomond and the Mint Julep.

 

[Marc_Sulinski]

wow, no other long island tea fans. I'm shocked. I'm not a drinker but enjoy the occasional tea
I make mine with a shot of
gin, rum, vodka, triplesec, tequila
2 shots of
sour mix
one can of coke.

Wow, you use a lot of coke. I generally only use a splash on the top to give it the color of iced tea but not affect the flavor.

 

[Philip_G]

it makes for a BIG tea too, fills a large cup. Basically that's a double, the recipe calls for half shots and a half can of coke so I just double it. I like it that way, but again I'm not much of a drinker, can't stand most of it really :frowning:

 

[Jay Heyl]

I "knew" the gin thing would come up in regards to making a proper martini...he is of course correct...but i challenge people to order a martini in a bar and i would wager most if not all will be made with vodka.

A martini is all about the gin (or vodka), so you should always order a martini by brand. If you aren't ordering a Bombay (or Boodles or Beefeater or Tanqueray or whatever premium vodka you prefer) martini, you're taking a chance on whatever cheap crap the bar pours as their call brand. I'm not a vodka drinker so I can't say how much difference there is between brands, but I know there are some really cheap, rather nasty gins out there which you definitely do not want in your martini. So, for any real martini drinker, the gin/vodka thing isn't really an issue, because the bartender will know by what you order whether you want gin or vodka.