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Ray's number-one rule for home bartending: "Keep a white bar -- vodka, gin, tequila and rum. Those are your four basics." He adds that guys adventurous enough to take it a step further should keep scotch on hand, something like Dewar's, or a bottle of Irish whiskey. If men want to go with something trendy, the Foleys suggest Hypnotiq, a new cognac-based liqueur, which will impress the girls with its slick bottle and sweet taste. It can be served alone on the rocks.

"The most important mixers are club soda, Coke, ginger ale and tonic water," says Ray. "Men should also keep a bottle of O.J. and cranberry juice in the fridge or some cans in the freezer." If you didn't have the forethought to ask her what she likes ahead of time -- or if this is an impromptu nightcap -- these mixers will prepare you for almost anything.

"Buy a small bottle of maraschino cherries; they'll last forever and girls love that special touch," Jackie says. "You can also use the juice like it's grenadine -- anything you wanna make pink or sweeter, add the cherry juice."

Plenty of chicks drink beer, Jackie says, and many of them are quaffing down a new brew called Michelob Ultra Light. "It's a low-carb beer," Jackie explains. So if they subscribe to the Zone or Atkins diets, they'll appreciate the gesture and may even have more than one. But keep this beer rule in mind: "Never serve canned beer to a woman -- always bottled," Jackie cautions. If you bring a girl home and she wants her beer in a can, you may want to think about canning her.

"When you go to a guy's house, the milk is almost always bad," says Ray. "So for making cream drinks or coffee, keep a pint of vanilla ice cream in your freezer so you'll always have fresh milk." Use the ice cream when making mudslides or white Russians. Those are delicious after-dinner drinks, and the vanilla ice cream shows a woman you have some creativity.

"Are you ready for this drink?" Ray asks. "This is the knockout; this is the sneak one: champagne, vodka, with a strawberry -- it's called the French 75. You'll never taste the vodka over the champagne." Use four ounces of champagne, one ounce of vodka, put the vodka at the bottom and top with champagne. Don't call us in the morning.
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