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When sorting out this issue of My Table dedicated to entertaining and hosting, we knew we wanted to give our readers a look at the spirits collections of some of Houstons best-known bar professionals. It takes a person with confidence to allow the world into your home, not to mention rummage through your stuff.

Thanks to these four folks who shared their at-home entertaining stage with us!

photos byKevin McGowan

Behind the BarINDUSTRY PROS GET CANDID AND DE-CANTED AT HOME

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mike raymond

co-owner of Reserve 101 Whiskey Bar

Obviously, my bar is very whiskey-centric theres a bottle of Makers White, a Bulleit 10 sample from before the label was approved, a bottle of Jim Beam finished in Pedro Ximnez Sherry barrels, a bottle of the first batch of Garrison Brothers from right here in Texas.

We have a lot of signed bottles, like this Angels Envy (pictured at left) signed by Lincoln Henderson, who also invented Gentleman Jack, Jack Single Barrel and Woodford Reserve. Sadly, he passed away back in 2013 a dear friend who is missed. I have a bunch of bottles that [Wild Turkey master distillers] Jimmy and Eddie Russell have signed that mean a lot.

The most prized bottle on my bar is a laboratory bottling of the Dalmore 1969, finished in calva-dos barrels. It has never been released. It was a nice wedding gift from [Dalmore master distiller] Richard Paterson last year when my wife and I got married.

I also have a collection of mezcals. Its my guilty pleasure. If Im going to cheat on whiskey, its going to be with mezcal.

BAR INGREDIENTS:

4 parts whiskeysigned bottles

laboratory bottlingfirst batch bottles

2 parts mezcal

If Im going to cheat on whiskey, its going to be

with mezcal.LABORATORY BOTTLING OF THE DALMORE 1969

A FEW OF RAYMONDS WHISKEYS

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david corda

executive chef of the Corda Restaurants

The furniture piece I use as my bar was at my parents house when I was a kid growing up. My dad says he bought it in 1983. There is a secret compartment that swirls around at the bottom that I used to fit in and hide in. Sitting on the top of the bar is a bottle of Cousio-Macul Cabernet Sauvi-gnon, which was given to our family as a gift from the winery on the day we closed Amricas on Post Oak in 2011. They make our Corda Corazn Cabernet Sauvignon that is sold in our restaurants.

Next to it is a bottle of Achaval Ferrer Quimera, signed by Santiago Achaval, my favorite winemaker in Argentina. Also on the top are two bottles of Veuve Clicquot that I bought when I was in culinary school in Paris about 10 years ago.

Besides a few bottles of wine and port, most of the bar is different rums. Ron Cartavio is my favorite rum right now. Its out of Peru and made in the solera method, which is basically blending different vintages together. Also on the shelves is Clement, a fantastic rhum agricole from Martinique that we carry at the restaurants.

I also have a bottle of Flor de Caa. This is the pride and joy of Nicaragua, where our family is from. Its aged in bourbon barrels and actually makes a great Manhattan with the addition of vermouth and bitters.

BAR INGREDIENTS:

3 parts rum

2 parts wine

1 part port

Ron Cartavio is my favorite rum

right now.

CORDAS RUM COLLECTION

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alvin schultz

district manager for an electronics manufacturer and CEO (chef executive

officer) at Eat Drink Experience private catering

The home bar is a bit crazy, as it overlaps with the kitchen lab. Ive got a 3L centrifuge, a rotary evapora-tor, professional carbonation system, liquid nitrogen and a growing collection of mezcal.

I like stirred drinks at home because I dont always keep fresh juices. Its nice to be able to grab a few shelf-stable ingredients and a big hand-chipped ice cube from ice chef Hope Clarke and whip up a negroni variant or my current favorite cocktail, the Vieux Carr, which is made of rye whiskey, Cognac, vermouth, Bndictine, Peychauds and Angostura Bitters.

The drinks I made for this photo shoot are a strawberry rhubarb gin and tonic, made with fresh local strawberries and rhubarb from Atkinson Farms; six-month-old eggnog (I plan on making a new batch every year and continue to age it); Peach Justino made with the Justino technique from James Beard Award-winning author/bartender Dave Arnold, which consists of blending fruit and booze together with a few milliliters of an enzyme called pectin SPL, then clarifying it in the centrifuge; and lastly the Killens Beef Rib Pechuga Mezcal, which is made with Mina Real Espladin Mezcal, macerated with lemons, lime, grapefruit, serrano, Korean chili, guajillo, hazelnut, black garlic, black shallot and a Killens beef rib. The ingredients were pureed after two weeks and re-distilled through the rotary evaporator. Its served in a copita with oranges and worm salt.

KILLENS BEEF RIB PECHUGA

SIX-MONTH-OLD EGGNOG

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Supatra Yooto and Kay Soodjai, owners since 1982 Weekdays 11-9:30 Weekends Noon-9:30

713-524-9614 1209 Montrose at W. Clay

hun Kay Thai Cafe

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How to Eat in the HeatTry our cold dishes like Summer Orchard

BAR INGREDIENTS:

3 parts kitchen lab3L centrifuge

rotary evaporatorcarbonation system

liquid nitrogen

2 parts mezcal

1 part misc.

my current favorite cocktail:the Vieux

Carr

SCHULTZS BAR

Wild About Sundays

713.861.8666 rainbow-lodge.com

Outstanding Gulf Seafood and Wild Game

Sunday Brunch Specials $2 mimosas

and champagne

Sunday Night Specials half price wines

by the glass After 5

2011 Ella Boulevard at East TC Jester In the Heights

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sheridan fay

spirits professional and new mom

For me, the bar is more a collection of what I have, which is why I wanted to highlight my garden. Ill look outside and see that I have lemongrass, I have sage, two different types of rosemary. Ill think, How am I going to play with that today? Its a passion project.

I also have a passion for collecting vintage decanters, decanter labels and vintage glassware. Inside, I renovated our elevator shaft to make a temperature-controlled wine and spirits cellar. There are plenty of Rieslings in there, but there is also a lot of everything.

The piece of furniture in my dining room holds all of the high-end scotch as well as my collection of Absolut Vodka. I collect Absolut with the labels that are from all over the world. I love their product and their marketing campaign. In the glass-paned cabinets that line my kitchen wall just below the ceiling, I keep empty bottles that have significant meaning to me.

The bottle that probably means the most to me in my entire collection is a signed, empty bottle of Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon. A friend of mine was killed on his way to meet friends and myself for lunch in New Orleans. Frank Family was his favorite winery, so we turned around to Baton Rouge and drank and signed bottles in remembrance of him.

BAR INGREDIENTS:

2 parts scotch

2 parts Absolut Vodka

1 part wine

1 part misc.

A VIEW OF FAYS GARDEN

VINTAGE DECANTERS

FAYS ABSOLUT COLLECTION