If you have a Liquor cabinet or a wine "cellar" what do you consider the "must" haves in it?

[mrs.cool]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Basic would be Johnny Walker Black, Absolute vodka, Maker's Mark Bourbon, any tequila, Bombay gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth. Beer and wine, and probably a bottle of Bloody Mary mix and a bottle of Marguerita Mix.

REALLY?? You'd spring for the Johnny Walker, the Absolute, and the Maker's Mark, and then ANY tequila??? Seriously??? I'd drink rail vodka or whiskey any day, but NOT cheap tequila!! As my daughter once said as she staggered out of her room at noon one weekend "Jose Cuervo is NOT a friend of mine."

[Ohiogirl81]

I must have: red and white wine, variety of beer, top-shelf bourbon, rum, and gin.

[nmnita]

Liquor: decent Scotch (not top of the line)
Vodka
Gin
Rum
middle of the road Bourbon (like Jim Beam)
at least 2 or 3 liquiors for after dinner
Mixers for Martinis and Bloody Mary's
Usually decent beer (during the summer)

Wine rack: always a variety of reds (3 or 4 kinds) and the same with whites, but the reds are what we and our friends drink more frequently.

We found a great Melbac while in Canada last month. They carry it here, at our local wine shop so I have 3 bottles on hand and will probably buy several more for the holidays.

Nita

[andthentherewere3]

We don't drink hard liquor very often, but we always have cases of beer, and several bottles of red and white wine available when entertaining.

[jasper12]

Originally Posted by mrs.cool

REALLY?? You'd spring for the Johnny Walker, the Absolute, and the Maker's Mark, and then ANY tequila??? Seriously??? I'd drink rail vodka or whiskey any day, but NOT cheap tequila!! As my daughter once said as she staggered out of her room at noon one weekend "Jose Cuervo is NOT a friend of mine."

Very true! If you are not going to buy good tequila, don't bother to buy any at all. I suppose that applies to all liquor. But, especially sipping whiskey, and tequila.

[jmellc]

We rarely drink any more & don't host as many family gatherings as we used to, so we have mostly let our cabinet run dry.

If we restock, we will have gin, tonic water, soda, bourbon, Crown Royal, amaretto & sherry. For table wines, a chardonnay, burgundy & white zinfandel. I used to keep a bottle of Frascati and Orvietto in the fridge but haven't seen either of them in a long time. They may still be out there somewhere.

Amaretto is my favorite drink overall. Pleasant tasting, strong enough without being over powering, good cold or room temp, straight up or mixed. I used to put a bottle in the freezer a few hours before family card games. We all loved that.

These, with a 12 pack of Miller or Corona beer, cover most any desires our family or friends may have.

[AnonChick]

A bottle of Yago Sangria and a small bottle of cheap brandy to properly spike it.
A gallon jug of Bacardi, for pina coladas.
1-2 bottles of Ciocolatti (I can't spell it) chocolate liqueur.
A few small cans of store-brand crushed pineapple in unsweetened pineapple juice and a couple cans Coco Lopez coconut cream for the pina coladas.

That'll hold me over for a year. I'm not much of a drinker.

[SXMGirl]

We are not big drinkers and don't seem to entertain as much anymore, but we usually have the following on hand: Jack Daniels and Captain Morgan Spiced Rum (I use these a lot to marinate), Rum Jumbie, MaDouDou, Guavaberry Rum Liqueur, Courvoisier, Baileys, and a selection of whites, reds, and blushes. If something special is going on, then Vivre Clicquot.