Stock up on good spirits

What to consider when setting up your home bar

When considering what types of spirits to stock in your home liquor cabinet, it's important to keep one thing in mind: variety.

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Stock up on good spirits

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According to Douglas Massalon of Bill's Liquor & Fine Wines, which has locations on Lady's Island and in Summerville and Bluffton, a person's home bar should not only reflect their personal tastes but should also cater to the tastes of their guests.

"I would start with the basics: your scotches, rums, bourbons, gins, blends and vodkas, your six basic drinks," said Massalon. "I would start with those six bottles and throw some mixers in, a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine, and maybe a six-pack of Bud Light or something."

"Over time, you might want to add tequila or some after-dinner drinks, some cordials, but I would wait on those. If you want to start with a basic bar, just go with your six liquors."

In terms of stocking wines, Massalon suggested the white wine could be a Chardonnay, a Riesling or a Pinot grigio, and the red wine could be a Cabernet Merlot or Pinot Noir.

"A bottle of wine will compliment a dinner. It's nice before dinner; it's nice after dinner," laughed Massalon. "It's your choice."

Mark Fulton, manager of Spirits & Wines in Beaufort, agreed with Massalon that personal tastes should play a role when stocking a liquor cabinet. He said it's hard to suggest which wines are best since, like the people consuming them, every bottle is unique.

"Everything that I carry in here, they taste different," said Fulton. "The Australian wines are doing real well. That's been going on for the past two or three years now. Shiraz is real popular nowadays. (People) are sort of getting away from the Cabernets, which are a lot dryer."

Massalon also said you should have utensils like shot glasses, a corkscrew and drinking glasses on hand. For a more elaborate set up, you can eventually add shakers, jiggers, and a muddler, all of which are available at Bill's. Depending on what you or your guests plan to drink, Massalon suggested a variety of mixers.

"It depends on what your needs are," said Massalon. "If you drink Bloody Marys, then you'd need to have a Bloody Mary mixer on hand. If you drink Manhattans, then you need a Manhattan mix on hand. If you know you have someone coming over often and you know they drink a Tom Collins, then get a Tom Collins mix, and keep it there for them. But don't go too overboard with mixers other than your basics, like tonic, ginger ale, club soda, maybe Coke, Diet Coke or Sprite, and maybe orange or grapefruit juice."

Massalon said it's important to distinguish between simply throwing a party and stocking a home bar. If you're throwing a party, he said you might also want to consider having garnishes like lemons, limes, olives and cherries.

Bill's Liquor & Fine Wines was founded by Massalon's father, Bill. In addition to a wine cellar with two different rooms, the Lady's Island location recently installed a "virtual bartender" to assist customers with drink recipes as well as party planning. The device has been a hit with customers, who can even print out drink recipes for concoctions like Long Island Ice Tea and a

Billionaires Margarita, so called because it includes Grand Marnier Cuvee de Cent-

Cinquantenaire, which was introduced in 1977 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Marnier-Lapostolle and sells for about $200 a bottle.

Massalon cautioned that people shouldn't get too caught up in what type of physical space to use when stocking spirits at home. He described his own home bar set up as "pretty basic" with several "nice wine racks."

"The average person doesn't need a bar or a liquor cabinet per se," said Massalon. "If you have one, if you have the room, great. If not, we suggest you find a locked cabinet, if you have children. If not, just put it in one of your kitchen cabinets or in the pantry, and keep it there until you need to pull it out. If you're having a gathering, then you can set up a table or bar then."

While most of his customers come into Bill's already knowing what they want, some people do ask for advice. The store's extensive wine and beer selection can be overwhelming for some people, so it's important to have an idea of what you like.

"For example, just because it's a beer doesn't mean there aren't 100 different types of beers out there and 100 different types of taste out there," said Massalon. "Do you like it malty, do you like it hoppy? Do you like a wheat beer, a light beer or dark beer? The same with wines and scotches. Vodka, we probably have 200 different vodkas. We have flavors from citrus to espresso to figs. It all depends on what you're looking for."