Whether you entertain weekly or host a gathering once a year, having a home bar for your guests always adds a nice touch. The look and contents of the bar should reflect your personal style and taste and, if you keep your liquor in a cool place away from direct sunlight, it will keep for a long time.
Here are four steps for setting up your own home bar:
Step 1. Decide Location
A great looking and functional home bar can be set up anywhere convenient. You can choose to keep it there permanently or just for the duration of your party.
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Here are some options if you don’t have a stand alone bar in your home:
- bar cart
- a decorative tray
- a sideboard or cabinet
- a kitchen counter
- a folding table
Step 2. Choose Alcoholic Beverages & Mixers ˆ
Since this is a home bar, you should stock it with what you love to drink. Having said that, this list will allow you to serve or mix almost any drink requested by your guests:
Beer
- selection of you and your guests’ favorites
Wine
- Red
- White
- Sparkling (or Champagne or Prosecco or Cava)
Spirits
- Bourbon
- Brandy
- Cognac
- Gin
- Rum
- Scotch
- Tequila
- Vodka
- Whiskey
Liquers (Cordials) & Mixers
- Bitters
- Cointreau or Triple Sec
- Club Soda, Cola, Ginger Ale, Tonic Water
- Fruit Juice
- Simple Syrup
- Vermouth (Dry & Sweet)
ˆI used the term “Alcoholic Beverages” to encompass all beer, wine, spirits, and liquers or cordials. This is a great article explaining some alcohol terminology.
Step 3. Select Drinkware & Bar Tools
It is always nice to serve cocktails in the correct glass but it isn’t necessary to have every type on hand. Six to eight glasses of each of these four general shapes will allow you to serve or mix any drink in style:
- short glass (aka old-fashioned or rocks)
- tall glass (aka collins or highball or tumbler)
- coupe (aka martini or cocktail or champagne)
- wine (stem or stemless)
I’ve included a more complete list of glassware below with links if you would like to add to your collection.
Drinkware
- beer (ale, pilsner, pub, stein)
- brandy snifter
- champagne flute
- collins or highball
- copper mug
- coupe
- Irish coffee mug
- margarita
- martini
- old-fashioned and double old-fashioned
- shot
- stemless
- red wine
- white wine
Bar Tools
Having the right tools make all the difference. These are the essentials that will allow you to craft almost any cocktail:
- cocktail shaker
- pitcher (for mixing/storing)
- jigger
- measuring cups & spoons
- bottle opener/corkscrew
- bar spoon
- knife/peeler/zester
- cutting board
- hand juicer
- muddler
- small strainer
- ice bucket/ice tray
- a good book on how to mix cocktails (you can read about another one of my favorite cocktail books here)
Step 4. Select Final Touches
Here are some fun additions that will really complete your home bar:
- cocktail napkins
- drink stirrers
- straws
- cocktail picks
- garnish tray (lemons, limes, olives, cocktail onions, mint, salt, sugar, etc.)
