Choosing the right wine is just as complicate as choosing the right clothes. But somehow the aspect is being paid less attention to. However I can name a few persons at this site who are the owners of pretty impressive drinks collection in their home bars.

Ok, now I’m going to give you some recommendations on how you should select the drinks for your home bar (choosing strong and soft drinks for every occasion).

Point number one: wine. I prefer red wine at home and anywhere else. If you want something special any wine store will offer you a great choice of such stuff: France, Chili, Spain, Germany and so on. You will be dazzled! You do it like this – buy good vintage wines class Cru or Grand Cru (Spanish Reserva and Gran Reserva) – which are two best classes of wines. At least you will make a good choice.J

Best vintage wines of this class are Marques de Casseres of 1994 class Gran Reserva (it will make about 40 dollars). French wines are usually twice as more expensive than Chili wines and a bit more than Spanish wines.

The usual wine selection in my home bar:

1)     Cabernet – about three bottles.

2)     Some inexpensive red and white sorts – a bottle of each.

3)     Marques De casseres – one bottle for a special occasion.

4)     A bottle of mulled wine.

5)     For an aesthetic mood: Lheraud Vieux pineau (15 year old) – white wine with 50% of cognac spirits in it.

Point number two: liqueurs.

I’m not extraordinary here. Girls prefer something white, creamy like Baileys, Carolans and Brogans and many, many others. I prefer Carolans. The price is about 30 dollars per litre. A typical girl will deal with it within 5 visits to your place. I don’t keep other sorts.

Point number three: cognacs and brandies.

Cognac is a long-kept wine which was turned into spirits in Cognac province and was made of vine gathered in cognac province. Then it has the right to be called Cognac. Traditionally cognac is being produced by several prestigious Wine Houses: Otard, Meukow, Martell, Hennesy, Cortell, Courvoisier and a couple less famous. The rest stuff even if it was done in France but not in Cognac province is called brandy.

Classes: Napoleon, VS, VSOP, XO and more. The higher is the class, the stronger is cognac. You can really drink it starting from VSOP class, all the rest is good for putting it in coffee.

Prices for a good ?? start from 200 dollars for a bottle. That’s why I often buy brandy. It also tastes great!

Georgian and some Armenian brandies are good but their price is as high as for a French brandy.

My usual collection is: Cortel XO Superior (30 USD), Chana XO (35 USD), Meukow VSOP superior (70 USD).

Point number four: champagne.

Oh, yeah! Just as delicate a matter as cognac. Champagne or sparkling wine made by method of natural champagning in Champaign province in France. All the rest are sparkling wines. In Spain it is Cava (Fahrenheit). 

It’s served cooled. I buy it for my home bar on my way home for new girlsJ.

Point number five: Whiskey.

My love. Scottish, of course. Or Irish.

Long-kept whiskey is much softer than cognac of the same period. Try 18 year old Glenfiddic – this is something! Prices start from 25 dollars for a bottle up to 270-300 dollars for the most popular types.

Serve it in a special glass without diluting it with anything. No cola.

Add your own style and preferences here!

4you4ever:

Let me contribute my mite. About liqueurs: the most popular and tasty are Baileys and Advokaat (egg liqueur). Here is my special advice: try sambuka cocktail. Then when you feel in heaven after tasting it buy a couple of bottles for yourself. Train yourself in making this cocktail with your friends. After finishing two bottles I learned to make it as well as a regular barman does. Then you will have a super-weapon at home. The girl who watches you making it and then tastes it will lose her head - 200%.

About tequila: Phil didn’t mention this marvelous drink. And you should have it in your home bar. It’s your choice whether you prefer golden or silver tequila. Silver tequila differs from golden one in the fact that there’s no fusel oil in it. And golden tequila is being kept in wood for some time. I prefer golden tequila.

Buy a bottle of Absent for your home bar and learn to make it right. Then your apartment will become the most extreme and exciting place to go.

As for whiskey, I advise you all, guys, to try Khardu. This is very soft whiskey. Girls simply love it. There exist blended and one-malt whiskeys. One-malt are considered very good. If you choose one-malt whiskey I advise you to take Highland and Lowland whiskeys. There is that Island whiskey but one can feel peat taste in it. I’d recommend blue and gold Johnny Walker among blended whiskeys (although they are pretty expensive). Blue is about 18 year old and gold is about 25. They make gold whiskey on some island with gold mines and that’s why it’s called so.

Red Gremlin:

I don’t drink very often. But I keep a pretty good home bar. If I feel like drinking I do it with pleasure. Girls like it.

I don’t drink champagne and wine but I think it should be in your home bar anyway. I don’t drink vodka but I have one bottle in the fridge (somebody gave it to me). I do drink beer but there’s no sense in keeping it at home. It’s better to buy fresh beer every time.

Ok.

White and red Martini– for the girls. Campari which is almost the same stuff but with bitter taste – for myself.

Baileys, cherry liqueur, two-color coffee liqueur, egg liqueur and so on – sweet and 20 degrees strong – you will need a couple of bottles. You don’t need all of them. Keep them for the girls.

Quantro (orange), herbal and some other liqueurs are 40 degrees strong. I keep them for myself and girls. It’s sweet and strong.

Gin, tequila, rakia, rum are 40 degrees strong: for myself and girls if they wish.

Whiskey – a couple of sorts: the simpler one is for the girls with cola; the one which is better – without cola for myself.J

Cognac, yes, I need a couple of bottles but I haven’t got them yet. For myself, the hell with girls!

Black Panda:

The bar is usually being selected primarily for your-darling-self and only then for your guests and girls. In my practice the girls were contented with usual Martini with juice. Whiskey and cognac stuff didn’t interest them at all. Another point is that such a plenty of bottles looks good but it doesn’t play any role in pick-up business – the girl is already at your place.

Thus to treat your girlfriends you need to have:

- beer (many girls like it, its better be a good beer).

- champagne

- wine (both red and white)

- vodka

- Martini

And if you select an assortment for yourself here the limit is set only with your fantasy and the amount of money. As for me when I buy new bottles it means I have run out of old stuff so this is like an endless process. And it’s quite complicated to have everything at one moment if you are not ready to deposit at least 200-300 dollars a month into it.

As it has been mentioned above the best place to buy drinks is Duty Free stores and when you don’t have such an opportunity check all supermarkets.

Selecting your assortment is a creative process just like paintings collection.

PS: And if a man thinks: why would I pay through the nose for a 12 year old whiskey when I can buy 3 year old one and it will taste the same! – it means he hasn’t yet reached the enlightened level and spiritual perfectionJ.

Fintios:

Well, then, you have to choose dry wine for a romantic dinner. To my mind, French wine is the best but it’s a matter of taste.

In short:

Bordeaux bottle – a usual bottle

Bourgogne – reminds of a champagne bottle in its shape

Good wine is closed with a long cork.

Its label is simple and withered with a picture of some chateau. Look at vintage marked in the label. If this is a good wine store they usually have a table with all vintages showing if it had been a good or not so good year. Ask a shop-assistant about the wine.

Good wine has old traditions. It’s being sold in small lots and it should be expensive.

Red wine is for meat; white is for fish and sea food.

Martini is served only with tonic. Good girls usually don’t drink cognac and vodka at first date.

And I’d like to say, cultivate love for good wines in yourself. If you are good at it, it implies style, good taste and some aristocracy. But just don’t look like a pompous snob.

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