"Bar Basics"

A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking with a friend and he told me that he was considering taking up drinking, and wondered if I could come up with a few suggestions on what he might need to set up his own bar at home, and help get him started in the right direction.
At the time, I was a little preoccupied with the events of the day, but I told him I’d see what I could do. A week or so had passed, and I got a call from him, "Hey, how are you coming on my list?" I said "I was working on it, (but I meant I hadn’t started it yet), I’ll try and get it to you as soon as I can". Wow, I thought to myself, how am I supposed to come up with a list? - Not just any list - A Bartender’s List. A daunting task to be sure, certainly not for the faint hearted - Then it hit me - Duh, why didn’t I think of this sooner? I’ll just go to MY bar and jot down a few of the things that I have on hand. This is what I sent to him:

The following is a list of items that every "Self-Respecting Bar" should have in it’s arsenal.

Bar Basics should include:
A Cuisinart heavy duty blender/mixer (for mixing & crushing ice)
A jigger measure
A shot glass
A heavy duty shaker
A bar spoon, long spoon and stirring rod for mixing and stirring
A corkscrew and wine bottle opener
A strainer for straining ice, fruit, etc.
A paring knife or two (2)
A Bunch of Really Nice Bar Towels

Basic Barware should include: A set of eight (8) each of the following:
Old-Fashioned or Rock Glasses; Wine Glasses & Martini Glasses
Shot Glasses; Champagne Flutes
Cocktail or Up Glasses; Pilsners for Beer
Highball Glasses; Beer Mugs (must be frosted of course)
Sour Glasses; and A Whole Bunch of Dixie Cups

Basic Mixers & other Good Flavors are also necessary:
Lemon Twists & Cherries; Lemons & Limes (cut into twelves)
Cocktail onions, & Green olives; 1 Bottle of Lime Juice
1 Bottle of Angostura Bitters; 1 Quart of Grapefruit Juice
1 Bottle of Margarita Mix; 1 Bottle of Sweet & Sour Mix
1 Bottle of Grenadine; 2 Bottles of Bloody Mary Mix
1 Bottle of Triple Sec; 2 Quarts of Orange Juice (pulp free)
1 Bottle of Coconut Milk 1 Quart of Pineapple Juice
1 Bottle of Sweet Vermouth; 12 Bottles of Tonic Water
1 Bottle of Dry Vermouth; 12 Bottles of Club Soda
3 Bottles each of Coke, 7-UP; 6 Bottles of Ginger Ale

And Don’t Forget the Bar Must-Haves:
2 Bottles of Stolichnaya Vodka; 2 Bottles of Grey Goose Vodka
1 Bottles of Absolut Vodka; 3 Bottles of Chivas Regal Scotch Whiskey
2 Bottles of Lord Calvert; 2 Bottles of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
2 Bottles of Southern Comfort; 2 Bottles of Bacardi Rum
2 Bottles of Bacardi 151 Rum; 2 Bottles of Jack Daniels (Black Label)
2 Bottles of Jose Quervo Tequila; 1 Bottle of Tangueray Gin
2 Bottles of Canadian Club; 2 Bottles of Maker’s Mark Whiskey
1 Bottle of Grand Marnier; 1 Bottle of Crown Royal
1 Bottle of Galliano; 1 Bottle of Jim Beam
1 Bottle of Kahlua; 2 Bottles of Long Island Ice Tea
1 Bottle of Amaretto; 1 Bottle of Jagermeister
3 Bottles of White Wine; 1 Bottle of Brandy
2 Bottles of Red Wine; 3 Cases of Corona Premium Beer
6 Cases of Bud Light Beer; 1 Case of Keystone Light (or equivalent)

And Last But Not Least...... DON’T FORGET THE ICE!

Oh by the way, one last note: With normal use, the liquor and mixers listed here should last 3 - 4 weeks, depending on your level of stress. The bar tools and glassware should last a little longer. And good luck with this drinking thing. I hope it works out for you. Cheers!

And remember, It's always 5 o'clock somewhere!

"The Command Center"

When you think of a command center, what comes to mind? A big secret room, - or for
the lucky few - the top floor of an office building - with rooms full of TV screens and monitors, computers, surveillance equipment, and other high-tech gadgetry - maybe even a typewriter and some yellow legal pads. Or do you see a room with a long console or control panel with lots of buttons and blinking lights?, or a room where secret orders and activities are carried out with stealth-like precision? Maybe a room with the always important Red Phone, a direct line connected to you know who, a room that requires Level 5 Security to gain access, with lots of important and powerful people running around making decisions that will influence and affect all of mankind? Or does, "Houston, Come In Houston, We Have A Problem", ring any bells?, or what about the Oval Office itself, perhaps the most famous command center of all, wow - how would that be? Oh, one can only dream of a command center like these!

My Command Center is much smaller in scale and scope, but equally as important to me. It is my own little corner of the world. It’s a place where I can think about things. It’s a place where I can conduct family business affairs and issues of the day. It’s a place where I feel I am in command, ....and Jill even said I could be in command .... Actually, my command center is a little spot in the kitchen. It’s a place that I have been able to carve out for myself over the years. It is a place far away from the hustle and bustle of food and prep things. It’s a place where I can stand... (out of the way, of course), and survey all that is mine. However, I can’t see very much from there, but it sounds impressive. My command center, hereinafter referred to as the "C.C." is at the very end of the kitchen counter. I have about a 2’ section of counter space. I share my space with a clock and some nice looking leather bound photo albums. There is just enough room for my black leatherette satchel, ....that’s where I keep MY yellow legal pad. I also have a plug where I can recharge my cell phone. For security, a menacing looking rooster stands guard, 24-7. With my "C.C." located at the end of the kitchen counter, I have plenty of room to pace the floor when contemplating the important decisions that I must make. I also have my very own barstool at the end of the counter - a place to rest my weary bones, a place to sit when I become fatigued from the rigors of too much thinking and way too much decision making.

But the best thing about my "C.C" is.... I have my own drawer. Yes, my very own drawer. Nobody else gets to use it, .... as far as I know. As a master of organizational skills, I have neatly placed small boxes and tins inside the drawer. These small containers each hold their own assigned treasures. Pens, pencils, paper clips, even rubber bands have a spot. I have a very special place for the "pink pearl". Also, a tape measure, you know, for measuring things is even in there. I have a stapler, a calculator, a letter opener too. I keep extra batteries, extra keys, I even have keys that don’t seem to fit any locks, but I don’t dare get rid of them. I have a flashlight, screw drivers and pliers, masking tape, rulers and scissors. I have extra yellow legal pads and white out for my typewriter, ( wow, I hope it hasn’t dried out). I have a spot for nuts and bolts and screws and nails and other stuff I take out of my pockets at the end of the day. I ‘m not sure if I’ll ever need them, but what if I did? Certainly, they are too good to throw away. I have just about anything for any situation or emergency that may present itself during the course of a very busy day, ... if I can find it.

Well, enough about my drawer. I need to get back to the "C.C." and take control of something, and start making some more decisions. As far as the secret and stealth-like stuff in my "C.C." is concerned - to the untrained eye, my drawer would appear as nothing more than an ordinary junk drawer; and if I’m not there, my "C.C." looks just like part of the kitchen! How’s that for sneaky?

"The Shopping List"

Every Wednesday Jill anxiously awaits the delivery of the U.S. Mail. We get tons of flyers and junk mail all the time, but on Wednesday, the much desired and sought after "shopper’s bible" or grocery store circulars arrive.

Jill quickly looks through the stack of flyers, - Smith’s, Dan’s, Ream's, Albertson’s, Harmon’s - yep, they’re all here, she says with delight, or a sigh of relief. I’m not sure which. She places the flyers on the kitchen counter and throws away the rest of the junk mail, er, I mean puts them in the recycle bin. I don’t do much shopping, but looking through all the grocery store ads seems like a lot of work. Are two flyers enough? - is five too many? I don’t know, but Jill usually settles on her three favorite stores. She creates her weekly menus as she scours the ads, comparing prices, one store to another, always looking for the best deals. She makes notes on the flyers and always checks the flyers expiration dates. ( There is nothing more embarrassing than telling the checker the price rang up wrong, only to be told that the low price you were expecting expired yesterday).

Once Jill is satisfied with her findings, she proceeds to create "The Shopping List". She grabs her glasses and goes to the drawer and gets a small piece of paper, usually a blue or pink sticky note. I think this little paper thing is a time honored tradition, handed down from generation to generation. (I’m actually a yellow legal pad kind of guy myself, but she seems to like the sticky notes).

She begins to write down the selected items, not in a simple list form, one item below another, but in a special way. She lists meats in the top left corner of the note, dairy in the bottom right, veggies and produce - dead center, canned goods, breads, household items and other things all have their own special place on the list. By the time she is done, she has pretty much run out of space on the sticky note, and ends up re-writing the list on a real piece of paper.

Jill makes her shopping list on Wednesdays. Shopping days are Thursdays or Fridays, always preparing in advance for the ever popular weekend events, Saturday Sammies and Sunday Brunch. You know, good menus and good shopping only leads to good meals. How can I complain?

If I had to do the shopping, I’d probably shop at the 7-11, a convenience store, I’m told. After all, isn’t shopping supposed to about convenience? Jill says that shopping at the "sev" is not a good idea.
I don’t think I’ll ever understand her system, but it has worked for her for a really long time. Jill will always be the shopper in charge of shopping at the compound.