You’re ready to entertain at home, finally after restrictions upon restrictions for the past two years. But before you send out invites for your soiree, let’s make sure you’ve got the most important thing ready: your bar! We know Bermudians love to drink and having a great bar set up means your event will be fabulous.
We spoke to Jalen Harvey, Bacardi Brand Manager about at home bar essentials. His must-haves: quality spirits.
“The most important thing to have in your bar is quality spirits for cocktails. The spirit you choose can make or break the final quality of your cocktail.
“Living in Bermuda I notice the three most important spirits to have are rum, vodka and scotch. While spirits such as tequila and gin may be trending at the moment, these three spirits always seem to stay relevant.”
First up, Mr Harvey recommended a high-quality Bacardi rum in order to make great cocktails.
“There’s no better rum to choose from than Bacardi Cuatro. Bacardi Cuatro is a blend of four-, five- and six-year-old rums. Bringing quality and character to your cocktails.”
He recommends using the rum to create ‘The Airmail’, which includes Bacardi Cuatro, lime juice and honey syrup topped with prosecco and served in a champagne flute.
Next up, Vodka.
“The new Grey Goose Essences are perfect for summer. They are infused vodkas each with a combination of fruit and botanicals. The three infusions are, Strawberry & Lemongrass, White Peach & Rosemary and last but not least Watermelon & Basil.”
Mr Harvey explained the vodkas are low calories and have a lower alcohol content than regular vodka, which makes them a lighter, healthier drinking option for the summer.
How to enjoy it? He suggests serving them simply with soda water, tonic water, or a mixture of both in a white wine glass over ice.
The final essential spirit for your bar – Scotch.
Mr Harvey recommended Dewar’s 12, which is made of 40 different scotches that have been aged for 12 years, then blended together and finally, aged for another six months. He called it the perfect scotch for hosting friends and making cocktails this summer.
Asked about his favourite part of entertaining at home, Mr Harvey said: “It’s really being able to be the master of my environment. Entertaining at home means inviting the guests of your choice.
“Sharing an experience over a great beverage, matched with your own desired entertainment. The intimacy of hosting at home is hard to match when in public.”
And if you’re looking for cocktail ideas, he recommends downloading the Mix Lab Cocktails app.
“Mix Lab has endless cocktail ideas categorized in a number of different ways, from spirit category, to type of occasion and also provides a description of how to make each cocktail. Impress your friends with your newfound cocktail skills and be the best host this summer.”