Raising the bar

The fun part of building a cocktail bar is buying all the ingredients—the liquor, the lemons and the limes. And that’s just the Ls...

Wine / Sparkling Wine / Champagne
Red wine for Sangria—duh. And as cocktails with a bubbly base rise in ascendance, sparkling wines and Champagnes are now compulsory additions, to mix with fruit juices and tonic water. Wonder how the French feel about this…

PICK: Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot and Chateau d’Yquem, Bouvet Coteaux Du Layon A.O.C Wine (French), Baron Philippe Mouton Cadet Red Wine (French)

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Liqueurs
Nothing can beat the orange-based cordial, Cointreau, though the less expensive Triple Sec is a serviceable backup. Also, consider creamy concoctions like Irish Baileys or Kahlua.

PICK: Cointreau, Triple Sec, Kahlua, Baileys Irish Cream

Gin
No Gin equals no Martini…

PICK: Beefeater, Gilbey’s, Gordon’s London Dry, Bulldog

Tequila
Take it as a shot with salt and lime, or as a component of margaritas or the Long Island Ice Tea.

PICK: Jose Cuervo Especial Gold, Sauza Tequila, El Tesoro de Don Felipe

Cognac
There is a prevalent school of thought that using a Scotch/ Cognac/ Single Malt to make a cocktail is wasting the liquor. Those who disagree could try variations like using Cognac for the whisky sour.

PICK: Hennessey, Salignac

Vodka
Vodka is the best liquor base for any cocktail because it’s clean and pure with no overbearing flavour, aroma, odour or colour. No such thing as too much vodka.

PICK: Belvedere and its flavour variants Belvedere Cytrus and Belvedere Pomarancza, Grey Goose, Stolichnaya (especially the Stolichnaya Gold)

Whisky
Traditionally, a liquor rarely used for cocktails, the most popular cocktail to be prepared using whisky are the whisky sour and highball.

PICK: Highland Park, Chivas Regal, Blue Label, Black Label, Jim Beam (bourbon acts as an optional ingredient in place of whisky)

Sambuca
A colourless, Italian anise-based (the herb) cordial that lights up even the most demure cocktail.

PICK: Galliano, Romana, Sambuca di Amore, Antica

Martini/ Dark Martini
Used especially when newer flavours are being used to personalise Martinis.

PICK: Vermouth, Martini Rosso

Dark Rum
Stronger than white rum in aroma and flavour, the dark stuff adds punch to a Singapore Sling.

PICK: Old Monk, El Dorado Superior Dark Rum, Bacardi Reserva

Mixers
You’ll need loads of them, starting with fruit juices—either fresh or bottled (the Teisseire bottle, as seen in pic)— orange, cranberry, tomato, pomegranate. Then comes the club soda, diet/ regular cola, ginger ale, lemon lime, tonic water; Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper.

Garnish
Lemon wedges, Fruit slices—sweet lime/ orange/ kiwi, canned cherries/berries—blueberry/ strawberry/ litchis, vegetables—celery stick, cucumber, sugarcane, and olives.