Shaken or stirred, whatever your preference, We give you a Spirit-ual guide on how to fix different concoctions for your next bash. Cheers

If you are entertaining at home and serving alcohol, here are four words for you: Whisky, Vodka, Gin and Rum. With these four spirits in your bar, you are in business. Just a little bit of creativity with ice, soda and tonic water, lemons and Coke and you can pretend to be a pro.

Ideally, you should stock three bottles of Whisky for every bottle of Gin, Rum and Vodka. Indians love Whisky, especially if it's Scotch on offer.

Unless the crowd is very macho, two bottles of Whisky should be sufficient for a party of 20 men and women.
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If you decide to serve Wine and you are moneyed, don't buy those awful French table wines that bootleggers flog, and make sure to stock some Beer in your bar too.



FYI flipped through Happy Hours: The Penguin Book of Cocktails to help you whip up some potent drinks with Gin, Vodka, Rum and Whisky.

Bar equipment you should stock up

Cocktail shaker
If you like to serve more than just Whisky-Soda or Gin-and-Tonic, you will need a cocktail shaker.

Measurer
Pick up a double-sided metal peg one side measures a single peg (30ml) while the other measures a double
peg (60 ml).

Corkscrew
They come in a range of shapes and sizes. The best of all is the wing type which has two arms that rise when the screw is inserted into the cork. You then press down on the wings and the cork pops out.

Blender
You will need it to make frozen drinks such as Margaritas. It is also a good substitute for a cocktail shaker.

Strainer
It is very handy to strain cocktails that do not call for ice cubes in the glass. You can buy a Hawthorn strainer, a flat-topped device that has a continuous metal coil on the underside.

4 spirits, 4 cocktails

Whisky
Scotch and Bourbon
Use blended Whisky in making these cocktails. Single malts should not be wasted on cocktails and, in any case, some of the smokier ones would be too overpowering. American, Irish or Canadian whiskies are good substitutes for Scotch.

Bourbon Gin Fizz
1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 45 ml Bourbon, 30 ml Gin
Club soda, Lemon slice, Maraschino cherry
Mix sugar, lemon juice, Bourbon and Gin in a glass. Add ice cubes and mix. Add club soda. Garnish with lemon slice and cherry.

Gin
Some people do not care for the taste of Gin. In that case Vodka can be substituted for Gin in this recipe.