Lamorindans Save Time And Money Setting Up That Festivus Bar -- Locally

That’s right Charlie Brown -- it’s Festivus time again!  It’s the time of year when people raise the beloved, unadorned, aluminum pole and gather those closest to them for an Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength.  Of course, a well stocked bar is helpful in fueling all the secular festivities, but many Festivarians worry about the amount of time and money needed to set up a well stocked bar from scratch.  So, I want to make sure we keep the “us” in Festivus by making it easy and inexpensive for anyone to set up a versatile party bar and host a great gathering.

Key to taking the stress and expense out of setting up a reasonably, well-stocked party bar is figuring out what booze you need to buy to make the drinks you want to offer and getting a handle on a budget for the project.  Depending on what drinks you want to offer, you probably only need six or seven bottles of booze and some assorted fruit juices.  There may be some specific types of spirits you want to pick up if old Uncle Bob only drinks single malt scotch and you like him enough to actually buy it.  But, most partygoers are well taken care of with the basic staples of vodka, run, gin, tequila, triple sec, and maybe a decent whiskey and vermouth.  My Festivus gift to you is the 30-Second Bartender Bar Builder, which is designed as a guide with a list of specific ingredients needed for a particular set of cocktails.  It’s set up in three tiers, “Basic,” “Would Be Nice,” and the signature “30-Second Bartender Bar,” to give options depending on how broad a range of drinks you’d like to offer your guests.

Once you’ve checked out the Bar Builder and have an idea of what you want to buy, don’t forget about an often overlooked resource:  Your local liquor store.  Just about every small town in the country is struggling to keep shoppers local and buying your booze down on the corner is a great way to keep sales tax local and save time and money.  Sometimes people overlook smaller local liquor stores because they think smaller stores can’t compete on price or selection with larger big box booze barns.  I check regularly and in this area the local liquor stores are very competitive.  (I’d also like to say thank you to Kip, Dave, and the rest of the gang at Moraga Liquors for doing their local liquor store thing and for letting me shoot the video for this week’s blog.)

This is a bonus recipe in honor of Festivus, which can be made from the ingredients listed as part of “Would Be Nice” bar set up.  A Festivus Fizz for the rest of us!

                                                  Festivus Fizz

                                                  Ingredients

                    * 2 oz. Tequila  * 1 oz. Triple Sec  * 6 oz. Lemon/Lime Soda

Start with an 8-10 oz. glass, like a Collins or Highball, and fill about half-full with ice.  Add the Tequila and Triple Sec and top off with the Lemon/Lime soda.  Garnish with a lime slice and ready yourself for the annual Feats of Strength.

Find more time and money saving ideas at 30-Second Bartender.com!  And, don’t forget to give a “like” on Facebook.

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