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I’ve recently discovered the joy of drinking cocktails at home. There are only a few hard liquors that I can drink straight, but a good cocktail is smooth and easy to drink.

Cocktails give you great variety. With a decently-stocked home bar, you can make dozens of drinks. Depending on your mood, you can go fruity, sour, spicy, botanical, etc.

Considering the cost of liquor, cocktails are also less expensive than wine and many beers (in terms of alcohol equivalence).

Most liquors can be purchased for $30-$40 for a 1.14L bottle. That’s $1.20-$1.60 per 1.5 ounce shot. Wine is at least $10-$15, or $2-$3 per drink. And import beers tend to start at $1.50 per can/bottle (a cheaper beer, in my opinion, is not worth drinking).

You’ll have to spend a couple hundred dollars to initially stock your bar, but that will last a long time. What you need depends on your taste, but these spirits and liqueurs will give you a good base: vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, rum, triple sec and vermouth. You’ll also want to keep lemon and lime juice in the fridge. Many drinks also call for Angostura bitters, so stock that too (from the grocery store, with the drink mixes near the pop).

In terms of hardware, you don’t need much more than a cocktail shaker (assuming you already have an ice tray in the freezer).

Once you have your bar stocked (or beforehand if you need some inspiration), check out Drink Boy. It’s a great resource for cocktail recipes and articles.

Here are some of the cocktails I’ve recently enjoyed: Manhattan, Jasmine, Sidecar.

Cheers!

I have had my Paderno stainless steel pots and pans for 2 years, and absolutely love them. Far too often, I see people buying non-stick coated pots and pans, and it breaks my heart. They’re making a mistake.

Non-stick pots and pans are definitely handy. But they’re delicate. No metal utensils and no hard scrubbing, because you’ll scratch the coating. Scratches grow deeper, and eventually the coating starts chipping away. And while I have no issues cooking on Teflon, it’s not something I want flaking into my food. A scratched pan is garbage. (Non-stick pans also don’t brown foods as nicely as stainless steel pans.)

(In all fairness, I do keep a non-stick frying pan in addition to my stainless steel pans. Eggs and pancakes are about the only thing I use it for.)

For anyone doing even moderate cooking, investing in quality stainless steel pots is a wise move. They’re virtually indestructible, so they’ll last decades, if not longer. Consider a heavily-used non-stick pan will get scratched within a few years, you can see how the stainless steel pots will pay for themselves over time.

I am personally a huge fan of the Paderno pots and pans. They don’t have fancy lids or handles; they’re pure utility. (Well, they do have some product lines with fancy details, but I don’t like those.) They have a thick aluminum bottom pad for even heat transfer, and welded handles that eliminate rivets on the inside of the pot. They have a 25 year warranty, and as a bonus, they’re made in PEI.

They cost more than your typical department store pots and pans, but they are constantly running special discounts on their website (or sign up for their newsletter to learn about specials). With a little patience, you’ll find a set of pots and pans on sale for 50-70% off. Combine that with the longevity of stainless steel pots, and you have a deal that you can’t beat.

This may not come as news to many opera fans, but I still can’t pass on discussing the Met’s Live in HD series. Starting with the 2006-2007 season, the Met has been broadcasting live opera performances in movie theatres across Canada and the US. Reception has been very favourable, and the series has grown from 6 transmission in 2006-2007 to 11 in the current 2008-2009 season.

The series usually has something for everyone, from the classic repertoire Verdi, Rossini and Puccini, to the contemporary Adams.

Tickets are more expensive than general movie tickets at about $25, but that’s still incredible value. You’d be hard-pressed to find professional opera tickets for that price anywhere, much less Met tickets.

If you’re interested, it’s best to buy tickets early. Movie theatres in many locations sell out months in advance. Even the encore performances sell out.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit Cineplex.com or Empire Theatres (Atlantic Canada).