Stock the Bar for Your Holiday Fete

Stock a festive bar for the holiday season with these tips from TheDailyMeal.com, courtesy of Charlotte Voisey, James Beard Foundation-recognized mixologist and cocktail enthusiast.

The Basics…  The first thing to think about when stocking  bar for the holidays is to have plenty of the basics — rum, gin, vodka, red wine, and white wine — all on hand, and that any nearly empty bottles have a full one on hand to replace it when the time comes. You’ll want lots of wine glasses, highballs, and lowballs washed and on hand, but they don’t have to be your finest crystal.

Festive Garnishes… Cut up a variety of bright, thin-skinned fruits like kumquats, key limes, Meyer lemons, tangerines, and blood oranges for guests to garnish their cocktails, whether it be a simple gin and tonic or a Blood Orange, Ginger Beer, and Tequila Cocktail.

Open House Drinks… If you’re hosting a holiday open house or any other large gathering, think about serving a seasonal drink in a large format. Not only does serving a punch, mulled wine, or batch of eggnog make getting a drink easy for any guest, it also enables you to make something more elaborate ahead of time (instead of mixing and re-mixing, the same cocktail all the night).

If you opt to serve one of these drinks, don’t forget to add a punchbowl and ladle, and tea cups for any hot beverages, to your list. Also, freeze a large block of ice (using filtered water in a Tupperware container), to put in your punch so that it doesn’t get watered down too fast.

For additional ideas, click HERE.

Source: The Daily Meal

Photo Courtesy of iStock Images