Musings on food, cooking, and dining by a New Orleans Foodie

My last entry about building a home bar was well received, but I did get a little feedback. I'll cover both of those in this installment. In addition to the basic liquor groups, it's also important to keep on hand a few different liqueurs, some of which are essential for specific drinks; others just offer a little pizazz to your usual repertoire. Though a home bar may be built for entertaining, you'll probably accumulate different ingredients that relate to your favorite drink. If you are a bourbon drinker, it may be important to have several small batch bourbons or a scotch drinker will typically collect single malt scotches. Whatever your passion, I'll cover the needs to establish yourself as a specialist in a certain drink. After all, if you are a home bar enthusiast, you'll want to be known for your "specialty."

Liqueurs - Since I didn't go in depth in the last installment, I've had some omissions pointed out. First, keep a little amaretto on hand. This will allow you to enjoy amaretto on the rocks as an after dinner drink, or make amaretto sours for the local college sorority girls. There are plenty of brands out there; pick any one and you'll be just fine.

Speaking of girly drinks, I have a chocolate martini recipe that is out of this world, and it requires four different liqueurs. I have already mentioned Kalhua, but I suggest getting small bottles of Frangelico (hazelnut), Nocello (walnut) and Bailey's Irish Cream. You can use these interchangeably for coffee or coffee-based drinks as well as the "Chocolate Abandon" martini recipe.

Although it's not a necessary liqueur, Blue Curacao is a fun addition to the mix and a great way to make any drink, well, blue. Blue Curacao is a triple sec that is colored with blue food coloring. Use it as a substitue for triple sec to make a cool blue martini or a batch of blue margaritas.

The last base liqueurs that you may need will be Chambord, a raspberry liqueur and Grand Marnier, an orange based liqueur blended with fine cognac. Chambord can be used to make a Kir (mix with white wine) or a Kir Royale (mix with champagne) or even as a fruity addition to a margarita or to add raspberry flavoring to any highball or martini. Grand Marnier can be sipped from a snifter as an after dinner drink or used to create a top-shelf margarita.

Your Specialty

Eventually you will be known for a drink. Hopefully you will be known for making a GOOD drink, and not the opposite. My drink of choice is the margarita and I am well known as the guy who makes great margaritas. Being so passionate about tequila and the margarita has let me to amass a nice collection of quality tequilas; I'm up to about 17 different selections. I also keep a stash of fresh lemons and limes on hand to squeeze on a moments notice and I also keep a variety of glassware to keep my guests having fun. There's nothing like an impromptu margarita party! Since I am a margarita aficionado, I keep on hand several "modifiers" to add to the recipe of a good margarita. This includes Grand Marnier, Gran Gala (an Italian orange liqueur), Gran Torres (a Spanish orange liqueur), El Presidente Brandy, Cointreau and Citronage (an upscale triple sec), produced by Patron Spirits. As you can see, this collection took time, but it is well worth the investment. Oh, and for the phone call from the girl who disagreed with my earlier tequila choice, we still need to talk.

For a martini fanatic, a good selection of stuffed olives is a wise idea, along with a variety of cheeses and crackers and maybe some fun plastic spears for your garnishes. Glassware is also important and it can separate an enthusiast from a newbie. Get some nice cocktail (martini) glasses and keep them on hand for an intimate gathering and some ice cold cocktails.

So what is your specialty? If you have a specialty that I haven't mentioned, send me an e-mail at kevinlacassin [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll list it here. Obviously I am not a bourbon, rum or scotch specialist, so there is probably something I am missing, but I'll do my best to cover it.

What Else?

Don't forget to keep your fridge stocked with a few essentials. If you want to make chocolate martinis, keep some milk or half & half around as well as some chocolate syrup and whipped cream in a can.

Glassware is often one of the most overlooked areas of a home bar. Invest in some nice glassware. Cocktail glasses for martinis, rocks glasses or highball glasses for your highballs and margarita glasses for the margaritas. Click on the link for Kegworks.com on the right side of this page and go shopping! And the point that I can't emphasize enough - keep on hand a bag of commercially made ice. You won't regret it.

Next Installment: Wine and Beer

A while back during a phone conversation, a friend mentioned about my house that she remembered that I had a "lot of bottles of liquor." Sure, that's correct, but it's not "just" a bunch of bottles of liquor, rather a respectable home bar. I'm not sure how many people can give you a little guidance on building a respectable home bar, but I figure I'll add my version. This article will be in multiple parts and I'll eventually put it together into one page, but the first installment will cover you for entertaining and making some cocktails. Here's what you'll need to start:

Vodka - You can mix vodka with ANYTHING and make a nice little drink. For some reason, girls LOVE vodka right now. My favorite vodka is Smirnoff, great for mixing and priced just right. It'll get you through almost anything. However, go ahead and splurge on a bottle of Grey Goose, as it'll make people think they are drinking "the best." Grey Goose is smooth enough to make any vodka martini.

Gin - The market for gin might not be as big as for vodka, but you have to have it anyway, especially if you want to make a real martini. My suggestion is to go with Bombay Sapphire; a great gin and priced in the middle of the road. It's popular, so everyone will be fine with it, and the blue bottle makes for an asthetically pleasing addition your collection.

Rum - The rum companies are playing catch-up with the vodka companies and there seem to be new flavored rums hitting the market daily. Stick with an old favorite and you can't go wrong: Bacardi. I can't really remember when a rum drinker wasn't satisfied with Bacardi Light Rum.

Bourbon/ Whisk(e)y - This one's gonna be a little tougher. Bourbon is distinct in that it was produced in Bourbon County (not Bourbon Street) and is a variation of Whiskey. Your best bet is to get a bottle of Maker's Mark; you won't go wrong. You may also want to add a couple of Whiskeys as well, I would suggest Jack Daniels for Tennessee Whiskey and Crown Royal for Canadian Whisky. Why? These are the most popular and will probably satisfy most needs.

Scotch - Start with a bottle of Chivas Regal and be done with it. That is, unless your friends are a bunch of scotch drinkers. Then pick up a bottle of Glenlivit Single Malt scotch. If they don't like that, tell them to bring their own booze.

Tequila - Forget the Jose Cuervo, go with a little class in this category. For one single tequila in your home bar, I suggest El Tesoro Platinum. It's a great 100% agave tequila and handmade in Mexico. You can pick up a bottle for under $35. A bottle of Cuervo Gold tells your guests that you don't know good spirits. Surprise them with the El Tesoro. If you are not a big tequila drinker, there's a good chance it will only be used for margaritas on the rocks or the occasional shots. If you plan on making a blender of margaritas, get some Sauza Gold, but I'll cover that in another installment.

Liqueurs - Now that I've covered the base spirits, you are up to nine bottles. Now you have to make them into drinks! For additional liqueurs, start with a bottle of dry vermouth. For only a few bucks, you can pick up a bottle of dry vermouth to complete the ingredients for a well made martini. Since you are getting dry vermouth, get a bottle of sweet vermouth to use when making a Manhattan. And speaking of martinis (or what people are calling martinis), go ahead and pick up a bottle of Apple Pucker; women LOVE apple martinis, made with a little Grey Goose and a lot of love. Get some Triple Sec to use in your margaritas and cosmopolitans (another chick drink) or step it up a notch and get Cointreau or Patron Citronage (upscale versions of triple sec). Grab a little bottle of Angostura Bitters and now you can make an Old Fashioned or mix with soda to settle an upset stomach. Last, go ahead and stock a bottle of Kalhua coffee liquer. You can use it to make White Russians or mix it with some coffee for an after dinner nightcap at your place.

Mixers, etc. - Don't forget the mixers and fruit. Get some small cans of OJ, pineapple juice and cranberry juice. Always keep a couple lemons and limes in the fridge maybe a jar of large pitted olives and some cherries (they last forever). Buy a few small bottles of tonic water and a few bottles of soda water. Last, have a couple cans of 7up and Coke. And the most important item? Ice. Get a back of commercial made ice and keep it in the freezer. The ice you make at home doesn't work well in cocktails, trust me. Always have a bag of ice handy.

Equipment - Ok, maybe you're broke from buying all this stuff, but last thing's last. Get yourself a stainless steel cocktail shaker. The ones with the attached strainer are fine. And make sure you have some nice glassware, including a set of about six cocktail (martini) glasses, you can put ANYTHING in a cocktail glass and people will rave. Trust me. If you need recipes, a good bartenders book will come in handy.

I hope this will get you started in building a home bar; you should be on your way to mixing up some good cocktails. With the ingredients in this list, you'll at least be able to make a Martini, Old Fashioned, Apple Martini, Cosmopolitan, White Russian, Manhattan, or a Margarita, in addition to all of the other combinations of liquor/mixer, like vodka & soda, gin & tonic or rum & coke.

Next installment: Additional Liqueurs & Your Specialty

It's bad enough that the first thought that most people have of New Orleans includes Bourbon Street, Hurricane cocktails and naked women, but now I'm finding that some food writers have even been bamboozled! A couple of days ago, a food writer from the Washington Post wrote an article titled "Bean's N the Hood," about several New Orleans restaurants that are off the beaten path. I was surprisingly impressed with the selections, that didn't include the usuals (Uglesich's and Jacques-Imo's) but highlighted a couple of restaurants that don't get the usual press (Joey K's and Fiorella's).

The only funny thing about the article was how the writer "learned" to eat crawfish the proper way: by "biting off their heads!" Note to K.C. Summers of the Washington Post: who the hell taught you how to eat crawfish? I think someone was playing a sick joke on you, as I've never bitten the head off of a crawfish. And come to think of it, I don't ever plan to. So next time you attempt to write an accurate article and put it on the internet, check with your sources to make sure you aren't writing garbage. The last thing we need is some moron to come to New Orleans and bite the head off of a crawfish, choke on it, and file a lawsuit. Next thing you know I'll have to sign a disclaimer form and have it notarized before eating crawfish in a restaurant. Ok, so maybe it's a little extreme, but the way restaurants are getting sued these days, I may not be too far off.

While I'm on the subject of perception, I did want to clear up a couple of things. I've only been bartending at The Columns for a couple of weeks, but I am shocked at the number of tourists that come in and decide they want a hurricane. What makes you think the hurricane is some New Orleans sanctioned drink? If you want a hurricane, go to Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter, where they will fill a paper cup with ice (or a souvenir glass) and with the turn of a spigot, fill your glass with a hurricane concoction, straight from the vat that was mixed earlier in the day. The hurricane is not a drink you want to order in every bar in New Orleans. News flash, my hurricane is not a whole lot better than the ones you can find elsewhere. It's a friggin' rum punch. My point? Get a hurricane at Pat O's, you'll be a lot more satisfied. Oh, and last thing, don't wear beads around town; you look funny and people can tell that you are a tourist. The whole beads thing is a riot and I'm not sure who gave you the "bead memo" (or who didn't.) I wonder if I would look dumb walking around Hawaii with a lei. Don't they hand those things out at the airport?

So here's a recap:

Don't bite the heads off your crawfish.
Don't order a hurricane at every bar in New Orleans
Don't wear beads if it isn't Mardi Gras.

We these tips, I think your visit to New Orleans will be a little more pleasant.