Years ago, if you were going to make a cocktail at home, it would be a simple Gin & Tonic or Margarita. However, the cocktail renaissance of the early 2000s not only made bartending a viable and exciting career choice for many artistic, innovative mixologists, but it also gave rise to a new era of home cocktailing.
Gone are the days of boring Jack and Colas or overly muddled, cloyingly sweet Old Fashioneds. The new world of home bartending is creative and filled with unique spirits and even more interesting cocktails. Sure, you can make a classic Manhattan, but why not add a dash or two of black walnut bitters to elevate it? Your home is your cocktail playground.
I am not immune to the lure of home mixology. With my job, I’m lucky enough to be able to sample many different spirits and have countless ingredients like bitters, tinctures, and syrups available to me. I don’t take that for granted. Like many of you, I’m not a trained bartender. I have, however, learned a lot about what makes a great home bar setup. And let me tell you, it doesn’t require the price of a month’s mortgage or rent to do so.
How to make cocktails at home
While it won’t cost you a month’s salary, setting up a home bar to craft cocktails at home isn’t free. You do need some bottles of liquor, fresh ingredients, bitters, and at least a few tools. To help you on your journey, we’ll let you in on a handful of must-haves for your home bar to succeed. Keep scrolling to wow your friends and family with your home mixology skills and jaw-dropping, flavorful cocktails.
The proper tools
You don’t need a slew of overly expensive, niche tools to make cocktails at home. You do, however, need a few. Some cocktails are shaken, and others are stirred. Here’s what you need:
- A proper mixing glass
- A bar spoon for mixing
- A rugged, well-made shaker and strainer
- A jigger and other measuring tools
- A muddler
- A hand juicer
- A good zester
If you have these tools, your home bar is set up well.
Fresh ingredients
You might walk down the aisle at your local alcohol retailer or grocery store and see the section featuring premade cocktail mixes, simple syrups, and fruit juices. If you’re pressed for time, purchase one of these generic, premade ingredients.
But if you want the freshest, most flavorful cocktails at home, you’ll make your own simple syrup (an easy combination of 50/50 sugar and water simmered on the stove), squeeze your own lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, and other fruit juices, and pick your own basil, mint, and other herbs. You’ll be amazed at the difference between store-bought and home-grown.
High-quality spirits
When we say “high-quality” spirits, we don’t mean top-shelf, overly expensive whiskey, rum, vodka, and tequila. We’re merely talking about well-made, middle-of-the-road spirits.
You probably wouldn’t want to use it in a cocktail if you wouldn’t drink it neat in a pinch. No amount of ingredients will cover up a harsh, overly hot, bottom-shelf liquor.
Other ingredients
To make a wide variety of cocktails, you’ll want to stock up on:
- Tonic water
- Sparkling water
- Various bitters (Angostura and Peychaud’s are a must)
- Olives
- Cocktail cherries
- Liqueurs
- Vermouths
- Cordials
- Any other ingredients you like to use in home mixology
Proper glassware
Nobody will fault you for serving every cocktail in a pint glass or red Solo cup. But if you want to up your home mixology game, you’ll invest in some shot glasses, Glencairn glasses, rocks glasses, highball glasses, and coupe glasses.
Learn some techniques
To make high-quality, flavorful cocktails at home, you’ll need to learn how to use a shaker and strainer. Other techniques include stirring, muddling, and layering.
While the best way to learn is simple trial and error, you can go to a cocktail bar and watch how the bartenders work or look at YouTube home mixology tutorials.
Bottom line
While setting up a home bar might seem daunting, you should realize that you don’t need to buy everything at once. Take a deep breath. You can add to your home bar as your skills and creativity increase. Buy a few bottles, tools, and basic ingredients, and start making complex, delicious cocktails at home. Most importantly, have fun. Our day jobs are stressful and tiring at times, so crafting cocktails at home should be a fun, creative, exciting, and relaxing experience, especially when it ends with a flavorful mixed drink.
