Have You Ever Decluttered Your Bar?

Have you ever done a liquor cabinet purge?

Are you laughing right now? 😂

Jay and I originally come from the cocktail world. Fun fact: our first business was a cocktail catering company that we launched in 2004! Doing all of those wedding and cocktail parties meant that had an enormous stockpile of spirits at one point. Like, too much. Never mind the “spring break favorites” like Midori, Peach Schnapps and Blue Curaçao (it’s hard to believe but Midori Sours were totally acceptable drinks for grown adults to order back then!). It was also a time when we tried infusing just about every spirit with some sort of fruit and believe me, some worked better than others. And how about all of the aged rums from when my brother worked for Bacardi?  They were fun back in the day but neither of us drink rum anymore.

There comes a time when the inch of dust on some of those strange liquors pushed to the back of the cart, shelf or cabinet needs to be dealt with. I know many of us think that we need to keep that ancient bottle of Rumple Minze (iykyk, sadly) just in case someone wants it but I can almost guarantee that NO ONE EVER WILL. Plus space is valuable and who wants to actually dust those bottles, right? Here is my criteria for what stays and what goes:

• The favorites! I don’t drink cocktails much at home anymore (because, you know, middle age) but when I do it’s a Negroni. Jay loves margaritas, so blanco tequila is a must.  We both love vermouths and so we always seem to have a bunch of them because they are low in alcohol and they rock (tip - keep them in the fridge once they are open to preserve their flavor because unlike most liquors, they do go bad).

• A bottle of bourbon for my one seasonal spiked eggnog because I love it and yet one is enough!

• A few for the memories like the aged tequilas from our trip to Tequila.

• Party basics like vodka.  I’m on the fence about this one. We don’t like it and when we make cocktails for a party everyone seems open to what non-vodka drink we are serving. But I do happen to have a bottle around, so it stays (plus I use it in a spray bottle to get smells out of clothes! It doesn’t leave a boozy scent once it dries.

• Baileys. Period. Bailey’s and coffee is Jay’s Christmas tradition but beware: cream based liquors do go bad. If you' have a bottle that has been open for more than a year you should probably toss it.

And while we are at it - what else is cluttering up your bar? Consider taking a discerning look at the amount of bottle openers, muddlers, shakers and shot glasses. These collections can sneak up on you! If you are having a hard time finding what you need to make yourself a nice cocktail, work on donating or gifting the things that are redundant or not useful to you.

What are the must haves in your home bar?  Are there any that you would consider tossing or giving away?

P.S. If you are trying to get rid of some random bottles here are a few of my favorite recipes:

21st Century Cocktail

• 1 ½ ounces gin

• ½ ounce Lillet blanc

• ½ ounce creme de cacao

• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake and serve up

The Last Word

• ¾ ounce gin

• ¾ ounce green Chartreuse

• ¾ ounce maraschino liqueur

• ¾ ounce fresh lime

Shake and serve up

Negroni

• 1 ounce Campari

• 1 ounce sweet vermouth

• 1 ounce gin

Shake and serve up or on the rocks