Spirited Conversations: Help holiday guests create their own bar experience

It is a wonderful thing to host a holiday party for friends and family … not so wonderful to be stuck behind a bar making cocktails all night. But we still want to make sure that our guests have tasty libations for the evening.

These tried-and-true cocktail options ensure cheer for all.

BUILD YOUR OWN OLD FASHIONED

Create a specialized bar experience for your guests, based on a single cocktail, like an Old-Fashioned, one of the top trending cocktails right now.

Here’s what you would need:

>> Spirits: Don’t limit yourself to classic bourbon or rye. Old-Fashioneds are delicious with tequila, mezcal, rum and a variety of whiskeys. Include a host of spirits, or keep it to just a few bourbon/rye whiskeys.

>> Sweeteners: To stick to the classic, offer sugar cubes from white cane, to brown to something specialized like kokuto, a brown sugar from Okinawa with a rich molasses- umami flavor. You can also offer simple syrups, honey, agave, maple or make a flavored syrup using cinnamon, five-spice and the like.

>> Bitters: The classic calls for Angostura, which is a must, but it is also fun to offer orange, grapefruit, lemon, burlesque, Creole or mole, to name a few alternatives.

>> Water: Have a carafe of water available if anyone would like dilute their drink, although ice cubes will melt and dilute the drink pretty quickly.

>> Garnishes: Peel whole oranges and perhaps some other citrus in wide swaths. Wrap the peels in a damp paper towel and take them out right before the party so they don’t dry out. Some Luxardo or Amarena cherries are another good addition.

>> Bar tools: Have bar spoons on hand to stir and bar picks to spear the garnishes, along with jiggers to help measure.

>> Signage: Explain how to build the drink:

Step 1: Choose your sweetener; 1 to 2 cube(s) or 1/4 to 1/2 ounce syrup.

Step 2: Add 3 to 6 dashes bitters.

Step 3: Combine sugar and bitters into a paste of sorts.

Step 4: Add 2 to 3 ounces of one of the spirits.

Step 5: Add ice and stir.

Step 6: Garnish and enjoy!

BASIC BAR SETUP

If your guests are more straightforward bar types who just want a good, old-fashioned vodka soda or whiskey highball, set up a basic home bar. Here is a little list of must-haves:

SPIRITS

>> Vodka: Like Grey Goose, Ketel One, Belvedere, or Ocean Organic from Maui

>> Gin: Classic London dry or American-style, like Beefeater or Aviation

>> Rum: Aged and agricole, like Bacardi 8-year, Appleton Estate Signature Blend and Ko Hana Kea Hawaiian Agricole

>> Whiskey: Scotch, bourbon and perhaps Japanese, like Glenlivet or Johnnie Walker Black Label, Maker’s Mark and Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

>> Tequila: Blanco for mixing, reposado or anejo for sipping, like Casamigos or Fortaleza

>> Cordials: Some of the most popular include St. Germain, Aperol and Campari

>> Bitters: Angostura and perhaps an orange bitter

>> Vermouth: Dry and sweet, like Dolin de Chambery or Cinzano

MIXERS

>> Juices: Fresh lemon and lime, pineapple, orange and cranberry

>> Carbonated mixers: Club soda, tonic, ginger beer, cola

GARNISHES

>> Fruit: Lime, lemon and orange slices

>> Olives: I like Castelvetrano, found on olive bars at Whole Foods Market and Foodland. Go a step further and stuff them with blue cheese or truffle chevre for a little extra wow.

>> Cherries: Real Italian cherries, like Luxardo Maraschino or amarena

TOOLS, ETC.

>> Bar picks, straws, cocktail napkins

GET FESTIVE WITH PUNCH

The beautiful thing about a festive holiday punch bowl is that it is incredibly inviting, it is obviously a serve-yourself kind of thing, and usually very well accepted by crowds.

I prefer to serve the punch over a large ice block (purchase one from Hawaiian Ice Co.) so it doesn’t dilute too quickly.

If you can afford to splurge a little, go for the real deal and buy true Champagne. Your guests will be wowed and it will make the cocktail even tastier, because everything is better with Champagne.

CHAMPAGNE SANGRIA

• 1 (750ml) bottle Champagne (like G.H. Mumm or Perrier Jouet) or dry sparkling wine (brut- style, like Mumm Napa or Gloria Ferrer)
• 12 ounces Grand Marnier liqueur
• 6 ounces pomegranate juice
• 1/3 ounce Angostura bitters
• 6 ounces fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 6 ounces lemon juice
• 3 ounces simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water)

Place large ice block in punch bowl. Combine ingredients in the bowl. Serves 12.

>> Garnish: Thin orange and lemon wheels, pomegranate seeds and tiny rosemary sprigs

FOR FAMILY parties all year long I like to create a crowd-pleasing punch for all ages, giving adults the option of adding spirits of choice for a little extra cheer.

Putting out a simple sign in an inexpensive frame makes the libation look pulled together while explaining exactly what it is.

Don’t forget to have a bucket of ice next to the punch bowl so your guests can have fresh ice in their glasses.

This recipe is for 50 full-sized servings, so your punch bowl needs to have about a 2.5-gallon capacity if you are using a large ice block.

Some spirits that would go well are gin (like Aviation or Plymouth), vodka (like Grey Goose or Absolut Elyx), tequila (like Fortaleza or Espolon Blanco), shochu (preferably Nankai) or a lighter style of whiskey (like Jameson Irish or Basil Hayden’s).

SANTA’S LILIKOI LEMONADE

• 37.5 ounces fresh lime juice (squeezed no earlier than the day before)
• 25 ounces light agave nectar or rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 25 ounces passion fruit puree (Boiron is a great brand, available at Chef Zone)
• 175 ounces sparkling coconut water, chilled (like La Croix)

Combine ingredients in punch bowl or beverage dispenser. Serves 50, about 2 gallons.

>> Garnish: Thinly sliced strawberries and thin lemon wheels

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.