The Drinker's Refridgerator

Top shelf, Tonic water, OJ, Sweet n Sour, Margarita mix, Club Soda...

Next shelf, Half & half, lime juice, lemon concentrate, club soda, Papaya Nectar, Margarita salt, Kalua coolers ...

Next shelf, Mint, cherries, mango, guave, papaya, peach, apricot nextars, pineapple and grapefruit juice...

Door, sugar syrup and honey syrup and passionfruit and sweet n sour...

Leaves one whole shelf for food and a little bit of room in the door...

The Swank Pad Broadcast - If it's Swank...

[ Edited by: Swanky 2006-03-07 16:17 ]

You should be very proud-that's one tidy fridge.

I would recommend keeping your vodka in the freezer. Gin too, if you go for martinis. No such thing as a too-cold martini.

On 2005-05-17 09:19, Satan's Sin wrote:
I would recommend keeping your vodka in the freezer. Gin too, if you go for martinis. No such thing as a too-cold martini.

I used to do that, but A) The freakin bottles were too cold to handle B) They sweated all over stuff once out for any time C) Shaking and stirring has it's place in the mixing of the drinks. It's not just about making the drink colder. That bit of water adds to the drink in a way, and shaking a Martini greatly increase the anti-oxidants in it! And it's fun. I am a stirring fan myself. I like to get that hard frost on the outside of the shaker. That's cold.

Ernest Hemingway actually put these drinking-cup ice molds in his freezer, then when it was martini time he'd take out the all-ice "glass," pour in the gin, and drink from that!

I think martinis should be stirred only. If shaken, I find, it comes out too "foamy."

Rum drinks, on the other side of the coin, almost always seem better shaken.

Never got that James Bond line, that he liked his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred." Huh? To me that's like saying "I like my people to be slaves, not free."

What was with the James Bond thing, anyway? Is it because it's harder to slip a mickey into a drink that's being shaken?

Regarding the vodka/gin in freezer/not in freezer, I think there's an argument in favor of having both on hand. Certainly, I think it's important to start with normal temperature booze and REALLY cold ice to make a martini--after all, the melting of the ice imparts one of the most important ingredients in a martini--water. And if your ice is good and cold you'll get the frost on your pitcher that's so desireable. If a martini were just booze we'd all be sucking our drinks straight out of the bottle (which brings up another pet peeve of mine, the trendy dryness of today's martini's; use some fricken vermouth, otherwise you might as well sit in the corner with your lips around the mouth of a Beefeater bottle!)

However, it's nice to have some super cold vodka on hand for sipping or for making froofey martinis that have fruit juice in them.

On 2005-05-17 09:19, Satan's Sin wrote:
I would recommend keeping your vodka in the freezer. Gin too, if you go for martinis. No such thing as a too-cold martini.

As others have pointed out, the ice is meant to melt a little to soften the drink a touch. Otherwise your martini is basically a straight shot of potent hooch, if today's hypersonically dry martinis are to go by.

On 2005-05-17 10:19, Satan's Sin wrote:
Ernest Hemingway actually put these drinking-cup ice molds in his freezer, then when it was martini time he'd take out the all-ice "glass," pour in the gin, and drink from that!

I think martinis should be stirred only. If shaken, I find, it comes out too "foamy."

Hrm, I never get foam in my shaken martinis - I follow the "canonical" practice: put some ice cold water (with a solitary ice cube) into the martini glass first while you're shaking one up, do the 3 parts gin (Sapphire)/vodka (Ketel One) to 1/2 part dry vermouth [without this you might as well just pour yourself shots], add ice, and shake until the vessel feels really cold, and then strain into your freshly emptied martini glasses. Seems "messier", but I get a bit less fog on the glasses, and whatever "foam" is gone by the time I serve it.

"Frozen" vodka is great if you want to drink it in the Russian style: slammed, basically. In fact, I can't drink straight vodka any other way.

Just my two cents.

=Kukoae=

Quince and Kukoae have it right. Dilution is the key to a good martini! Frozen booze doesn't melt the ice enough.

Stirred is my preference because I don't like too many bits of ice floating in my martini, and a martini should look crystal clear, not cloudy.

I hate the uber-dry trend! I usually order mine "not too dry" if I don't know the bartender. But they often think I mean "not too much dry vermouth" when I say "not too dry"!

Along with passion fruit syrup I also keep my vermouth in the fridge because I heard that vermouth loses its quality when stored at room temperature for a long time. I also have a bottle of Lillet in there.

Does anyone know if other low-proof mixers (port, sherry, falernum, etc.) should be stored in the fridge? Velvet Falernum for example has lime juice in it, so I imagine it will go "bad" after a while, right? I stored a bottle of Sazarac Falernum in the fridge for a while, and a crystallized to the level where I couldn't use it, so I tossed it - what a waste!

Here is some interesting information from Dale DeGroff’s excellent book, The Craft of the Cocktail:

STORING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Spirits that are 70 proof and above and liqueurs and cordials that are not dairy based can be stored at room temperature for an unlimited amount of time. Fortified wines like port, Madeira and sherry should be refrigerated after opening. The sweetest wines will last up to four weeks when refrigerated. Vermouth and other aromatic fortified wines will last up to four weeks if kept refrigerated between uses and not left out for long periods. In all cases with wines of any type, refrigeration is crucial.

As mentioned above, if the contents of the bottle is 35% alcohol (70 proof) and above, then refrigeration is not required. I have personally not been able to get my hands on any Falernum as of yet, but I do know that Taylor’s Velvet Falernum is only 11% alcohol. Does anyone have any experience with storing this product?

Personaly, I love my martinis shaken. There is a vodka my old resturaunt used to serve called Hanger One. It's made in California and I think it's the best vodka in the world, hands down. Anyway, if you shake the hell out of some Hanger One and a little vermouth until the shaker is covered in frost, then strain it into a chilled glass with three bleu chees olives, you will have one kick-ass cocktail!

I agree that stirred martinis are the only way to go. I don't agree that Port should be refrigerated. Never have done that and I 've kept opened though recorked bottles around for a year or two with no harmful effects. Actually the stuff just gets better...
Funny Swanky posted this in the first place, 'cause I've been trying to convince the Wahine we need a bar frige.
KG

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2005-06-01 12:58 ]

On 2005-06-01 08:17, finkdaddy wrote:
Personaly, I love my martinis shaken. There is a vodka my old resturaunt used to serve called Hanger One. It's made in California and I think it's the best vodka in the world, hands down. Anyway, if you shake the hell out of some Hanger One and a little vermouth until the shaker is covered in frost, then strain it into a chilled glass with three bleu chees olives, you will have one kick-ass cocktail!

Hanger One is made right in my town of Alameda by St. George Spirits. They also make a single malt whiskey (it's not a bourbon because it's not from Kentucky), some varieties of eau de vie, a grappa, raspberry and pear liqueurs, and vodka.

Just last Sunday I rode my Vespa over to their newly opened tasting room. They are located in the former Alameda Naval Air Station in an old aircraft hanger. Tastings are $10 but you get to try all of their product and keep the glass.

http://www.stgeorgespirits.com/

On 2005-06-01 07:46, JerseyRED wrote:
As mentioned above, if the contents of the bottle is 35% alcohol (70 proof) and above, then refrigeration is not required.

I would say that is a good rule-of-thumb. It certainly won't hurt vermouth, port, sherry, and other fortified wines if they're stored chilled. I don't think most people (myself included) go through the stuff fast enough to finish it before it starts to deteriorate. I recently tried some good Spanish fino sherry that I had in a cupboard and it tasted weird, so I had to dump it.

On 2005-06-01 08:17, finkdaddy wrote:
There is a vodka my old resturaunt used to serve called Hanger One.

Hangar One rocks DaddyO!

Well stocked and organized fridge there.

On 2005-05-17 09:19, Satan's Sin wrote:
No such thing as a too-cold martini.

Sorry to quote you one more time here SS, but I had to add a lil something-

One of my Martini books has a story of vodka so cold (stored outside in sub-zero temperature) yet unfrozen, it froze a guy's throat/gullet?, causing an instant heart attack...

[ Edited by: Capt'n Skully on 2005-06-02 00:08 ]

This is part of what makes mixing behind the bar hard. I have the liquors there, I can even get ice and mugs, but then you need a fridge with all these juices and you need to be able to rinse out glasses between drinks... It gets to be a lot of space. My bar plans call for a built in micro-fridge, ice cooler with divider for crushed and cubed, mixer, lined garbage can, and rinse sink. It gets to be a lot! I do not have the space. I make drinks in the kitchen across from the fridge and serve then in the lounge. Basement Kahuna had enough space for a set up at the bar. TNTiki has a great lanai set up.

One of my Martini books has a story of vodka so cold (stored outside in sub-zero temperature) yet unfrozen, it froze a guy's throat/gullet?, causing an instant heart attack...

Next to dying in the arms of a beautiful prostitute, this would be my favorite way to go.

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin on 2005-06-02 06:31 ]

Swanky, you need to hire a bar-back to keep you freshly stocked! Or start prepping a weekly menu so you can stock appropriately... In the meantime, we're more than willing to help you clear some of the booze/mixers to get you the space you need.

Scully, you are right. I am thinking too big. If I use a set menu, no reason this can't be done much more easily. It still is not simple though.

Feel free to drop by any time for a sampling from the bar...

I am going to be stopping by the next time I'm in TN... So get the situation fixed... :)

There's no such thing as thinking too big. There's just no such thing as enough space, money or time, either. I feel your pain...

Seriously, tho, when's The Headhunter intended to be open? I intend to make it there as well as send a few friends that will hopefully send theirs...

On 2005-06-02 15:10, Capt'n Skully wrote:
I am going to be stopping by the next time I'm in TN... So get the situation fixed... :)

There's no such thing as thinking too big. There's just no such thing as enough space, money or time, either. I feel your pain...

Seriously, tho, when's The Headhunter intended to be open? I intend to make it there as well as send a few friends that will hopefully send theirs...

Um, never enough space, time or money... There is no answer to that yet...

Thanks for the great pics and explanations of stocking the fridge. I need to stock my lounge fridge up (right now I only have a slew of batteries, beer, champagne, and some fruity wines in it). Your organization is inspiring.

I was wondering if anyone has painted their fridge? The plain white fridge is worse than the off-white walls in my lame lounge. I was thinking of painting it like bamboo...has anyone done that?

=================================================================
Just some insight into the Bond thang....

A traditional martini (as opposed to a vodka martini) is made with gin, dry vermouth and either an olive or a lemon peel. Nothing else. (Well, they used to make them with extra-dry white wine rather than the dry-wine variant vermouth we shan't address that age-old argument here) And a proper martini is stirred, not shaken.

A vodka martini substitutes vodka for the gin (or adds it to the gin, as Bond does) and sometimes allows other ingredients. Why? Well, because martini purists such as your correspondent are snobs, whereas vodka martini drinkers are more open to experimentation and allow more variations to carry the name of their drink. But both martini drinkers and vodka martini drinkers agree that one is not the other. Bond is the only person who takes both spirits--he is unique!

There are three main differences between a martini (or a vodka martini) which has been stirred and one which has been shaken. First, a shaken martini is usually colder than one stirred, since the ice has had a chance to swish around the drink more. Second, shaking a martini dissolves air into the mix; this is the "bruising" of the gin you may have heard seasoned martini drinkers complain about--it makes a martini taste too "sharp." Third, a shaken martini will more completely dissolve the vermouth, giving a less oily mouth feel to the drink.

In a vodka martini, cold is key: a vodka martini that is not ice-cold tastes like lighter fluid. So you shake them. The experience of a traditional martini is more dependent on it being smooth and on not ruining the delicate flavors of the gin. Ergo, one stirs it.

On 2008-01-01 18:06, VampiressRN wrote:
A traditional martini (as opposed to a vodka martini) is made with gin, dry vermouth and either an olive or a lemon peel. Nothing else. (Well, they used to make them with extra-dry white wine rather than the dry-wine variant vermouth we shan't address that age-old argument here) And a proper martini is stirred, not shaken.

Love the Martini. If I intend to garnish with olives I will make as you describe above (Plymouth Gin always). However, if I'm going lemon peel I'll add a few dashes of Orange Bitters -- harkening back to the old Martinez recipe.

I especially like Pear or Pineapple Martinis. All this talk and those pictures is making me think of things I need to stock my fridge with. I have some items in my bar area already, so just need to pop em in.

Why do you keep your margarita salt in the fridge Swank?

Has anyone ever used those Green Bags as I was wondering if you could keep mint in them?

Door, sugar syrup and honey syrup and passionfruit and sweet n sour...

Something I learn't the other day . If you use pourers on your syrups and keep them in the fridge it makes free pouring very difficult, because the viscosity of the syrup is higher so it pours slower and the method of counting you use to pour would be off.
If you use a measure you can ignore that statement :)

On 2008-01-01 18:06, VampiressRN wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has painted their fridge? The plain white fridge is worse than the off-white walls in my lame lounge. I was thinking of painting it like bamboo...has anyone done that?

We covered our in some reproduction barkcloth. Paint on the modpodge, apply the fabric, coat with three or four more layers of modpodge and it is good to go.

You can use paint, but you need to rough the surface with some fine sandpaper or steelwool. Clean the surface very well. Paint in several light coats to keep it looking good.

It is a good idea to add a couple of coats of a clear to the top of the project, you wouldn't think it but bar fridges take lots of wear and tear.

A couple of things to keep in mind......

Do not cover, block, or paint, or anything to the coils or grids or any part of the refrigeration elements, inside or out.

Do not cover or block any vents or air channels.

When placing your bar fridge, leave a couple of inches of airspace behind the bar and if you can leave a couple of inches on airspace on both sides.

Justa little word of caution about painting your fridge. In colder climes such as where I live I have my lounge in the basement. Use care when painting and using chemicals as the fumes may travel to the water heater of furnace. BOOM!! I had a family member who's house went up in flames from just a leaky spray paint can. Other than that,have fun!

Hey, what drink do you make with the mayo???

Must be for the BLTai. :lol:

Hey...good idea for the barkcloth C&A...material sounds like the way to go. I do have some nice barkcloth that I got from Hawaii several years ago, so may use that.

I would love to see me fridge secrets...keep those pictures coming. :)