If you’re an avid cocktail drinker, there’s a good chance you’d prefer to mix and shake up your favorite drinks at home instead of forking over $20 every time you want to sip on an Old Fashioned, Mojito, or Boulevardier. But with all the different tools, spirits, and ingredients, where do you possibly start? Getting started can seem completely overwhelming. It’s enough to make you want to avoid it altogether.
Fear not, we are here to help. Not only do you not need an advanced degree to mix up amazing, complex, flavorful cocktails at home. You also don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to do so.
Home bar essentials
When it comes to crafting your home bar, there are a few essentials. These are the tools, bottles, and ingredients that you must have to make any cocktails. That is unless your favorite drink is a bourbon and ginger ale. In that case, you only need those two ingredients.
For drinkers hoping to craft classic cocktails like a Daiquiri, Manhattan, and even the Gin & Tonic, you need to stock your home bar with a few tools, bottles, and simple ingredients. Below, you’ll find the home bar essentials that you should always have on hand. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Tools
You don’t need to buy dozens of tools to start a home bar. All you need is a few tools. We’re talking about a jigger, mixing glass, mixing spoon, shaker, and a good strainer. Sure, there are other important tools, but these are the essentials that you need. This means you can make both drinks that require gentle mixing as well as vigorous shaking. You can either buy them separately in in a set (as most of the tools can be purchased together).
Bottles
The must-have bottles for your home bar are specific to your tastes. If you don’t want to buy one of each, stick to your favorite spirit. Otherwise, it would behoove you to buy one well-made bottle of bourbon, rye whiskey, single malts Scotch, gin, vodka, white rum, and tequila. That way, you’ll have all of the basic spirits on hand at all times for mixing and sipping.
We suggest Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, Redemption Rye, Glenmorangie 10, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, The Real McCoy 3-Year-Old White Rum, and Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila. All are reasonably-priced and each is well-suited for mixing into classic cocktails or rainy day sipping.
Ingredients
On top of the basic tools and go-to bottles, you need a few simple ingredients to complete your home bar. We’re talking about
You’ll also need a bottle of Campari or Aperol if you’re planning to make any refreshing, summery aperitifs like the Negroni or Aperol Spritz. But if you don’t buy those right away (because you’re not a fan of these cocktails are you have other drinks on your mind) we don’t blame you.
Cocktail books
Unless you’re already a professional bartender, you’re probably going to want to purchase one or two cocktail books to get started. Sure, you can simply look up cocktail recipes online, but a well-written cocktail book will not only give you step-by-step instructions but will also give you some insight into the history of the drinks. That way, you can regale your friends with the history of a drink as you mix it up. While there are countless cocktail books available, we suggest ‘The Essential Cocktail: The Art Of Mixing Perfect Drinks’ by Dale Degroff and ‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’ by Harry Craddock.
Bottom line
It’s important to not get overwhelmed when you’re putting together your home bar. It might seem like there are a lot of tools, bottles, and ingredients to purchase, but there aren’t. You also don’t need to buy everything at once. Start by buying a simple bar cart that you can roll out when friends and family visit.
Then, slowly start adding things to it. If you like classic whiskey-based cocktails, buy some tools, a few bottles of whiskey, vermouth, bitters, and sugar and you’re on your way. As you add to your go-to cocktails, purchase more tools, bottles, and ingredients. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your home bar comes together. Also, remember to have fun. This should be an exciting, joyful, boozy experience.
