Stocking the Perfect Home Bar.
You did it! You finally built your home bar. But now comes the time to decide what to keep on hand so that you will be known as the perfect amateur bartender. If money is no object, simply go the nearest liquor store and buy one of everything. This option is not only expensive, but you would probably end up with more bottles than space to store them. A more sensible solution would be to pick and choose a selection of liquors, non-alcoholic beverages, tools and equipments and little extras to really impress your guests.
Liquors
* Gin * Vodka * Rum (light and dark) * Whiskey * Bourbon * Rye * Scotch * Irish Cream * Tequila * Brandy/Cognac * Wine * White * Red * Champagne or sparkling wine * Vermouth * Beer
Liqueurs
* Amaretto (almond) * Blue Curacao (orange) * Chambord (raspberry) * Cointreau / Grand Marnier / Triple Sec (orange) * Crème de banane * Crème de cacao * Crème de menthe * Frangelico (hazelnut) * Galliano (herbs) * Kalua (coffee) * Sambuca (anise) * Schnapps (various flavors) * Southen Comfort (peach) * Tia Maria (coffee)
Mixers
* Angosturas Bitters * Lemonade * Cola * Cream * Eggs * Ginger Ale * Grenadine * Milk * Orange Bitters * Sour Mix * Sprite/7-Up * Soda water and tonic water
Fruit Juices
* Apple * Cranberry * Grapefruit * Lemon * Lime * Orange * Pineapple * Tomato
Garnishes/Other
* Cinnamon * Ice * Maraschino Cherries * Nutmeg * Olives (black/green) * Salt/pepper/sugar * Sugar Syrup * Tabasco Sauce * Worcestershire Sauce
A few handy tools are necessary even for the new bartender. A well-stocked bar is more than just the bottles you have on hand. The right tools, displayed on your countertop will go a long way in impressing your guests and will also help making drinks that look like they were made by at professional bartender.
* Shakers
One of the first bar tools that you will need is a decent shaker. They are useful for building drinks, mixing them properly and transferring them into glasses not to mention they make a good show for your guests. Shakers come in two types: 1) Conventional ones with a cap and a built-in strainer and; 2) Boston shaker which is a large mixing glass with a scale in centiliters and ounces. You will need a strainer to go with the Boston shaker.
* Electric Blender
Anyone who likes margaritas, daiquiris and pina coladas needs an electric blender. Aim for a smaller model that will take as much space on your bar.
* Measuring devices
Jiggers and measuring spoons will help you make consistent drinks every time. It also prevents you from being to heavy handed on the booze. Remember that goal is to create a great tasting drink and not to get everyone drunk.
* Muddler
A muddler is a thick stick made out of wood or stainless steel that is used to mash ingredients such as fruits, sugar or mint into a glass when you just want to infuse the flavors into the drink without blending it to a pulp..
* Corkscrew and bottle opener * Cutting board * Citrus juicer * Ice bucket and ice tongs
Now that you know what to keep in your bar, all you need to learn is how to make great drinks your friends will love. There are numerous books available on the market from beginner bar setups all the way to experts and drink you never knew existed.. Buy one or two and have fun experimenting. Cheers!
About the Author – Stefan Hyross
Specializing in wine and bar accessories shop online for the perfect gift for the wine bar enthusiast. WineBarGifts.com in a wine accessories store that feature unique items and is your one stop shop for great gifts ideas.
Is Netflix Rationing Online Movie Viewing?
Some of us remember that just a few years ago many Netflix customers were totally pissed off when they learned that Netflix’s policy of “unlimited DVDs” per month was a scam. In theory, if you were signed up for two movies at a time, as soon as you returned one movies, they were supposed to ship the next one on your list right away.
They didn’t.
In fact, consumers learned that Netflix shipped DVDs faster to customers who rented fewer movies than to their “best” customers who signed up for the most.
Hell hath no fury like a movie junkie scorned.
That’s what Netflix discovered when their most devoted “heavy users” found that the movie rental service had an undisclosed policy of shipping films faster to those customers who rent the least.
In a class-action lawsuit filed against the nation’s largest online DVD rental company in September 2004, the company was accused of false advertising for its claims of “unlimited rentals” and “one-day deliveries.”
When it agreed to a settlement due to be finalized this month, Netflix denied any wrongdoing, but conceded it has a policy that allocates movies more quickly during shortages to those who rent less frequently.
That was a report from Cantonrep.com from back in 2004.
Four years later Netflix appears to be scamming consumers again, this time with their “Watch Instantly” product, which is supposed to allow customers unlimited video streaming. The service was launched earlier this year, in part as a preemptive strike against iTunes, which offers online video rentals.
According to the New York Times, these are supposed to be two different markets — the online rental market of current releases (iTunes), and the free online streaming of less current movies (Netflix). With all due respect to the Gray Lady, there is some market overlap among consumers in that often the decision to watch a movie online is based on convenience — “I want entertaintainment for a few hours, and I want it now!” — and it doesn’t matter if the meal is four star or something close, as long as it is filling. (Anyone who has barged in the Golden Arches at 11 pm for a Big Mac understands the analogy.)
The benefit sought for both products is immediate gratification, not a gourmet dinner. But that is precisely where Netflix is no longer living up to its end of the deal.
A neighbor of mine has complained about incredibly long wait times for Netflix video streaming to begin. Basically, Netflix is telling my neighbor, who has one of the fastest PCs on the planet as well as the fastest cable service available, that his connections are “too slow to show the movie.” Sometimes the messages are so ridiculous — “your movie will start in 10 hours” — that is it clear this is not a local problem but another Netflix attempt to control customer behavior.
My neighbor and I contacted the local cable provider just in case. Everything was fine on their end. We reset the modem. We bypassed the router. We did some trace routes and found nothing on this end to delay the movies.
One of two things was obviously happening –
1) As it did four years ago by delaying delivery of physical DVDs to its high usage customers, Netflix is again rationing its services to customers who use the “Watch Instantly” service too frequently.
2) Netflix is unprepared to deliver the services it promises, either with overloaded servers or other internal resources that can’t keep up with demand.
In either case, consumers are paying for services they aren’t getting. One approach we tried and found successful at times was the old “don’t take no for an answer” strategy. As soon as Netflix told us we had to wait three hours or four hours or whatever, we tried reconnecting to the movie. Sometimes it took us up to 10 attempts before we were connected and the movie started streaming. But at least something was working.
If you plan to sign up with Netflix primarily for the instant streaming, beware. You might not get all that Netflix promises you. Even if your main interest is getting movies through the mail and you plan to infrequently use the online streaming, it may be even less frequent than you think.
