You do not need forty bottles to make good drinks at home. Seven well-chosen ones cover a surprising number of classics.
The seven
- Bourbon: warm, sweet and woody, the base for the Old Fashioned.
- Gin: botanical and clean, the heart of the Negroni.
- Rum: a lightly aged one is the most flexible, and it is the base of the Daiquiri.
- Sweet vermouth: a fortified, spiced wine. Keep it in the fridge once opened.
- A red bitter aperitif such as Campari: bright, bitter and orange-scented.
- Orange liqueur: sweet citrus that rounds out sours.
- Aromatic bitters: a few dashes add depth, like salt in cooking.
Four drinks you can make tonight
Old Fashioned: about 60 ml bourbon, a teaspoon of sugar syrup, two dashes of bitters, stirred over a big ice cube with an orange peel.
Negroni: equal parts gin, red bitter aperitif and sweet vermouth, about 30 ml each, stirred over ice with an orange slice.
Boulevardier: the same idea as a Negroni, with bourbon instead of gin. Warmer and rounder.
Daiquiri: about 60 ml rum, 25 ml fresh lime juice and 15 to 20 ml sugar syrup, shaken hard and strained into a chilled glass.
Two small tips
Use fresh citrus and big, clear ice. They matter more than the price of the bottle. And please drink responsibly: make one good drink rather than three quick ones.
