Awhile back, in a comment relating to his review of Pete Townsend’s autobiography, LB mentioned some research that showed that smart people drink more alcohol than, erm, not-so-smart people.
Since we all know that the television biz is comprised of smart people, surely it follows that the biz is also comprised of big alcohol drinkers. Which means that the best way to worm your own talented/genius self into the hearts of TV bigwigs is to throw big, wild, wonderful parties flowing with booze.
Recognizing, however, that booze can be very expensive (although not as expensive as cocaine, kids, proving that TV is at heart a middle class business) we at TVWriter™ have gone on a mad interweb search for the most cost-efficient way to stock your home bar and, voila! here it is, thanks to the hard-writing alkies at Lifehacker.Com:
The Five Home Bar Essentials That Can Make Nearly Any Drink (and How to Get Them for Cheap) – by Alan Henry
Find Out Whether You Can Shop Online or Need to Find a Store
Most online services that sell alcohol, including Amazon’s new wine marketplace, only ship to certain locations in the United States. There are detailed and sometimes confusing laws that vary by state, so make sure you look up your location before trying to shop online. If you can’t order directly, find and stop into a good, well-stocked local liquor store or wine shop in your community and make friends with the staff. They’ll usually accept special orders, and if you make friends with a wine buyer and tell them what you’re interested in, they may order it for you (or point you to something better!) Determine What You Need to Serve the Things You Enjoy
The next thing you need to figure out is what you enjoy drinking. If you like beer and wine, that’s great—we’ll discuss some services that can help you explore them a little later. Buying liquor can be a little trickier. If you have some favorite drinks you order when you go to a bar, look up their recipes and buy the spirits required to make them at home. If not, or if you’re interested in experimenting, there are some basics that every home bar should have:
- Vodka
- Rum
- Whiskey (or Whisky, depending on the style you like)
- Gin
- Tequila
If you have a bottle of each of these, you can make just about anything (we’re not including mixers, bitters, and juices, of course.) There are some nuances though: For example, many drinks call for dark or spiced rum versus light and clear rum. Additionally, whiskey is a world of its own worth exploring. Irish, American, or Bourbon Whiskey offer completely different experiences from Japanese, Canadian, or Scotch Whisky, and even those are so different that only reason we grouped them like this is for spelling. We could write a whole article about this, but Chow has an excellent whiskey primer worth reading.
Depending on what you like to drink, you could do well with a bottle of each of the above, as well as separate bottles of dark and light rum, and separate bottles of different whiskeys you enjoy. I have four different whiskeys in my bar, and I don’t drink that frequently, they’re all just that different.
Don’t be afraid to experiment either—get some drinks in mind that you’d like to try at home and buy the ingredients for them. See what you like and don’t. I’m a follower of the “if you wouldn’t drink it straight, don’t mix with it” philosophy, but that can get expensive. In general, stick with the middle of the rack unless there’s something you have to have. You’ll save money, and get your palate started on a good “normal” you can upgrade or downgrade from.
All write! when it comes to drinking I must toss in my 2 SHOTS… of gin (any kind, for never have they stilled a bad gin)…that has been kept in the freezer from the day the bottle was purchased till the day it was dry, and quickly replaced with a fresh bottle. 2 SHOTS, no more no less, poured gently over 2 ice cubes, topped with VERY DRY VERMOUTH, and not a few drops, but easily a 1/2 shot, before replacing the martini back into the freezer for at least another hour, and then, and only then, seated in a comfortable chair, glass lifted to the slightly opened mouth, tilted gently between the lips, sipping, not gulping, onto the tongue before sliding down the soft, dark tunnel of the throat, and somehow, against all odds, gently invading the brain. And let the imagination, and dreams, begin. gs