Essential Liquor #28

#28) Melon Liqueur - Our last liqueur in the 30 Essentials series is melon liqueur.
Sweet, but not sickly sweet, melon liqueur is a surprisingly wonderful mixer that blends interestingly with unobvious bed-fellows like cream. Consider the crazy combination that is the Jedi Mind Trick - melon, cinnamon schnapps, Bailey's, and 151. I don't think that I have ordered a Jedi Mind Trick at a bar where the bartender didn't ask, "Ah, are you sure?" However, every bartender who then tried one always appreciated it afterwards. Melon liqueur is often one of three ingredients in any cocktail, so Joe can buy Dekuyper here or Midori for more class.

Essential Liquor #27

#27) Irish Cream - Every Wisconsin Winterfest, approximately 15 winters, has had Baileys in the fridge (or two). Core to the cement mixer tradition at Winterfest III, Baileys continued to be integral in party feature drinks from the Abortion to the Slippery Nipple to the immortal Jedi Mind Trick. Joe might wince at the $20 price tag for Baileys, but really the other Irish creams are not as consistent in mixing as Baileys. Carolans is close, but doesn't quite deliver the honey thickness. O'Darby's is nice, but adds a hint of chocolate that clashes with some recipes. Just buy Bailey's and be done.

Essential Liquor #26

#26) Bourbon - We have already assembled our North American whiskeys and our scotch, all that's left is a good bourbon. We grow mint in abundance here in Arena, so a hot summer's day requires bourbon for our mint juleps. The classic julep is a hardcore drink, essentially bourbon and ice water, but after beginning a deck-lounging julep tradition this summer, it is one of the few drinks I actually crave. Unlike tequila, there are tons of quality cost-effective bourbons out there - Maker's Mark, Bulleit, and Eagle Rare to name a few.