Early on, in my younger days Alcohol was always an event driven thing. I would drink at a party or in a bar, I would purchase beer or alcohol for an event and bring it, or if in a bar or club, purchase the drinks I desired. Rarely would I buy anything to keep at my house, without an upcoming occasion. More than a few times I have even left the remaining unopened beers or the last 3 fingers of a bottle of vodka, behind at the party, not bothering with the remains as I was leaving. The party was over, so why concern myself with leftovers. It may also have been the quality of the spirit I purchased, but I never considered having my own little cabinet of liquor.
Now since I rarely go to bars anymore, and when attending a party, I am no longer expected to bring my own drink, I should loose my interest in purchasing alcohol completely. So why did I become interested in having the remedies for drinks at my own house? First of all I more frequently, (that is once or twice a month), enjoy a single drink in my own company than in my twenties, and reciprocally when I invite people over, they do not expect to bring their own drinks either. Also, as is the case for myself, my friends have discovered and cultivated their personal preferences, and are no longer willing to drink just anything with alcohol. So the need for having a fully stocked bar with an adequate amount of different liquors, is far more relevant now, than back in the days.
To be absolutely clear, I am not suggesting that you build your own version of the local bar in your basement or garage. Your home bar should serve you in a scenario where you are hosting a gathering, but not just serving drinks, but enjoying the a drink yourself. Unless you count the graduation of your kids from High School, you will most likely only find use for a fully stocked bar to like that 2-3 times in your life. And since you do not really want to turn your house in to the local dive for habitual drinkers, there is no need to buy so much , that you will be able to make every drink. The point is to give you a stock that allows you to make a limited number of drinks, to entertain your guests in any social situation and give you the flexibility to make your own favorite drink any time you like.
So here are my views on Stocking your cabinet, recipes and reviews of drinks.