Instead of bar hopping, try bar "shopping" and build your own

February is "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com, and we'll serve up more than a six pack a week of bar articles all month long. Look for bartender profiles, drink recipes, revamped bar guides and more!

The house/apartment has been cleaned and scrubbed to within an inch of its life. Dust bunnies have been evicted from under the couch. The kitchen is spotless. The bathroom is gleaming. The snacks and entrees have been planned, purchased, picked up or are in the process of being prepared. The guests will arrive in a little more than hour.

Now is not the time to think about what drinks to serve.

Stocking a home bar for a party, occasion, emergency or everyday use takes a little planning, a little creativity and, according to our experts, about $125 if you're starting from scratch. We asked Larry Van Den Eng, instructor/operations manager of The Bartending College (739 S. 108 St., West Allis) and Orey Laev, marketing director of Ray's Wine and Spirits (8930 W. North Ave.) for advice on getting into the spirit, or in this case, spirits.

"The most important thing to consider is what your friends like to drink," Van Den Eng said. "What do they like? What do you drink when you go out with them? That is going to be your starting point. For example, if I were having a party, there would be no reason for me to carry any rum -- none of my friends drink it.

"You have to think about what your guests like. Once you've got that covered, you can have a little fun and have them try some new things."

Laev agreed that sizing up the guest list was a critical first step.

"You've got to take into account who your guests are," he said. "One mistake I think people make is that they'll stock a lot of one particular thing. They'll have 10 different vodkas and there might be only one vodka drinker in the family or the party. A lot of times, they'll buy high-end stuff and they don't really need to do that because they're mixing it all."

Another mistake that Van Den Eng sees is people buying massive bottles of a favorite brand when a more standard size (750 ml) is easier to pour and display. Although the practice is illegal at bars, home bar owners can use bigger (1.75 liter) bottles and a funnel to refill smaller bottles.

"You don't need the big bottles," he said. "A lot of people buy the biggest bottle because they think it's the best deal. But, if you only have one or two parties are year, you're going to have it sitting there and big bottles take up a lot of room on the shelf.

"Bigger isn't always better in this case."

Another common mistake that both Van Den Eng and Laev cited was the lack of ice, proper mixers, garnishes and basic bar tools.

"A lot of home bars will have liquor but won't have accessories like Rose's Lime Juice or Grenadine or vermouth," Van Den Eng said.

"People forget often the accoutrements," Laev said. "You've got to have a (cocktail) shaker and a strainer. You need a corkscrew. And, you see people forget things like tonic water or sweet and sour mix or Bloody Mary mix. You want to have everything ready to go so you don't have to run back to the store when guests are arriving or when the party has already started."

With help from both Van Den Eng and Laev, we compiled this starter list for a well-stocked bar:

Brandy: "In Wisconsin, you have to have it," Van Den Eng said. "You need a staple, whether that's a Paul Masson, Korbel or E & J, you'll need something that is a nice enough bottle that you can put on the back bar and display for your guests."

Said Laev: "Brandy is a good place to start. It warms you up."

Vodka: "You're going to need a staple vodka, preferably something a little better than a Stoli(chnaya) or Smirnoff," Van Den Eng said. "You need an Absolut or a Ketel One or a Skyy could be good because the blue bottle sticks out."

Gin: "If you're having vodka, you might as well have gin to cover the bases," Laev said. Van Den Eng warned about spending too much. "You don't need to go crazy, because most people mix it with tonic," he said. "Just pick up a nice bottle of Tanqueray."

Rum: "Having a bottle of rum never hurts," Laev said, noting that many people will mix it with Coke. Some people prefer spiced rum or Malibu's coconut flavor, but Van Dan Eng suggests just buying a bottle of Bacardi.

Whiskey: Given the wide range of product available -- Canadian, Irish, Scotch, bourbon, etc., this can be a tough area. Van Den Eng's advice is to stay simple. "You want to avoid what I call "acquired taste" liquors," he said. "There might be a kind of whiskey that only one person likes and you'll be stuck with it. You can play it safe with a Seagram's or a Jack Daniel's."

Tequila: Lovers of tequila fall into two categories: the shot fans and the sippers. Shot fans like the "Lick it, slam it, suck it" method (salt, shot, lime wedge) and sippers like the 100 percent pure Blue Agave. You can satisfy the first group with a bottle of Jose Cuervo. The second group will like a more upscale brand like Sauza or Patron, which are excellent in margaritas.

Triple Sec: It's orange flavor is a must for margaritas and other mixed drinks. "That should be a staple," Van Den Eng said. If you want to go upscale, buy Cointreau, white Curacao or Grand Marnier. All are interchangeable, but the generic triple sec works fine in most cases.

Cordials: Triple sec leads us into a discussion of cordials. Van Den Eng's advice is two fold: Keep them simple; shoot for color.

"Those are bottles that make your bar stand out," he said. "If you're going to get a crème de menthe, get a green one. If you're going to get a crème de cocoa, get a dark one. You can have peach schnapps, blue Curacao or a Sloe gin and it's a good idea to have Bailey's, Kahlua or an amaretto. You don't have to go crazy on the crème de whatevers, because they don't get used a lot. You don't have to get a Galliano, unless you want to introduce people to something new.

"As for refrigerated cordials, you're going to want a Dr. McGillicuddy (peppermint schnapps), Jagermeister and a cinnamon schnapps like Fire Water or Goldschlager. Those can be neat for a football game, because you can do a shot every time your team scores."

Beer: Both experts agreed that it's good to serve a domestic beer and at least one import. "You need a staple in the Miller or Budweiser family, whatever your preferences is, and then you can go with a Corona or something more upscale like a Peroni or a Grolsch," Van Den Eng said. "You can go with some microbrews or a sampler from Leinenkugel's." Laev is "a big Guinness fan," who would be happy to help navigate Ray's large selection.

Wine: There are literally thousands of choices here, so Van Den Eng cites simplicity as the key. "You have to think in terms of red, white and pink," he said. "With reds, you can go with a cabernet or a merlot; with whites, it's a chardonnay or a Chablis; the most common pink is a white zinfandel."

Though Ray's has an extensive selection and can help order special wine on request, Laev said most customers go with "middle of the road" wines for about $10 to $12. "You can get really good wines without spending a lot of money," he said. "A lot of people will double up on wine sales. They find it refreshing to have wine with chips and dips and veggies."

The other essentials: In addition to mixes like club soda, tonic water, sour and Bloody Mary mix, bars should have a supply of lemons, limes, olives, cherries fruit juices (orange, cranberry, pineapple, grapefruit) and possibly some bitters (angostura). "You never know when someone will want an old fashioned," Van Den Eng said.