Isn’t the concept of a home bar just fantastic? Not only are they great for socialising and hosting a get-together for family and friends, but a home bar also gives you an excuse to get creative with your alcohol. Now that you’re the one serving it, you have the ability to experiment and whip up some fantastic drinks that you may not find at your average high street bar.
Contrary to popular opinion, a home bar doesn’t have to break the bank. The team at Spirit Store have put together this quick guide on putting together your very own home bar.
1. Glasses & Equipment
First things first, drinks aren’t much use without the equipment to make them. Here is all the equipment that we recommend you stock up on for your home bar.
- Boston shakers - Ideal for shaking up your cocktail before serving them, and for mixing ice chips into your cocktails.
- Shot glasses - Used for measuring spirits behind the bar, and then drinking them in front of it. Because why not?
- Martini glasses - Our glass of choice for many a cocktail. Looks sufficiently classy and James-Bondish.
- High ball glasses - Your standard, versatile glass. A bar without these is a bar not worth starting.
- Old fashioned rocks glasses - Shorter glasses, commonly seen sporting a spirit on the rocks. Hence the name,
- Metal spirit pourer - Plug one of these into the top of your spirit bottle for a clean, even pour.
- Bar spoon - The spoon you want for stirring tall glasses. A teaspoon just doesn’t cut it when we’re talking about classy glasses.
- Dash bottle - Fill with the spirit of your choice and use to add dashes of it to your drink.
- Cocktail strainer - Used to filter ice from a mixed drink as it is poured into the serving glass.
- Graters & fruit knives - What’s a cocktail without a garnish? Zesting and slicing fruit is essential for good home bar presentation.
2. Spirits
Here’s the main event. Every self respecting home bar will have a nice selection of spirits, so here are recommendations for drinks you simply cannot go without.
Gin
A classic gin and tonic is guaranteed to go down well at any social gathering. Such a versatile drink can be brought out for any occasion, along as you’re using a quality gin. Gin comes in a range of flavours, from fruit to chocolate, elderflower to cinnamon. Sometimes, a good old fashioned dry gin is the best way to go. We recommend that you stock a range of each, making sure you cater to all tastes.
A top quality plain gin: Whitley Neill Dry Gin
If you’re looking for a gentle flavour: Warner Edwards Elderflower Gin
Vodka
Vodka isn’t quite as versatile as gin, but is an essential for any bar. Many common vodkas can be successfully mixed with a range of tonics. However, if you’re hoping to achieve something better than your standard nightclub vodka lemonade, we recommend going for something a little more unusual. But as ever, it’s a good idea to stock up on both. Experimenting with flavoured vodka is never a bad idea either.
Made from Siberian wheat: Mamont Siberian Vodka
One of the most famous Polish vodkas: Zubrowka Vodka
Whiskey
Planning on stocking your home bar with whiskey? We’re envious. A rich, deep tasting whiskey is a fantastic addition to any home bar. Scotch, bourbon and single malt are all essential for the discerning home bartender, and with such a range of whiskeys available from across the world, you’re spoilt for choice. Whiskey comes in such a range of styles that mixing some of them with poor quality mixers is seen as blasphemous by many. Whether you serve it dry on the rocks or with your mixer of choice, whiskey is yet another essential.
For those with fine tastes: Johnnie Walker Platinum Whiskey
A fantastic scotch for the rocks: Talisker Scotch Whiskey
Liqueurs
Liqueurs come in such a vast range of consistencies and flavours that it’s impossible to summarise them in one paragraph, but we’ll do our best. Liqueurs range from creamy or chocolate flavoured drinks from brands like Baileys and Mozart, all the way to classically refreshing rose and elderflower flavours from Briottet. While some are definitely suited for more acquired tastes, many liqueurs are better for general use.
A deliciously creamy chocolate liqueur: Mozart Gold Chocolate Cream
A richly flavoured raspberry liqueur: Briottet Creme de Framboise
3. Mixers
Stocking your home bar with a wide variety of mixers and tonics is just as important as your spirit selection. A mixer can make or break a drink, and mixing even the most premium spirit with a poor quality mixer can make it good for nothing other than throwing down the sink. Mixers come in a range of styles and flavours, from a standard tonic water all the way to herbal, basil and hibiscus flavoured tonics. Here are our key recommendations:
A top quality plain tonic: Fevertree Premium Tonic Water
Something a little more exotic: Fevertree Light Mediterranean Tonic
Fevertree are known as some of the best quality tonics available, and when they’re available at such cheap prices for bulk orders, how could you possibly go wrong?
4. Beers & Wines
A pleasant mix of beers and wines is always a pleasant addition to a home bar. From the refreshing flavours of fruit beer and shandy to the rich, verdant aromas of fine wine, stocking a good amount of beer and wine is essential for a good home bar. Whether you’re looking to entertain guests or enjoy a couple’s night in, if you’re missing beer or wine, you may as well not bother. Our favourite beers include:
The best citrus beer out there: Estrella Damm Lemon Beer
None of the alcohol, all of the flavour: Estrella Free Damm Beer
Here we have the age old question. Red wine, or white wine? Well, we say both. White wine is often the lighter drink, while nothing embodies passion and intensity like red wine. Here are some of our favourites:
Top quality Italian white wine: La Maglia Pinot Grigio
Tastes of elderflower jam, liquorice & cherries: Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants 2012
5. Cocktails Kits… Because Why Not?
If you’re new to cocktail making, there’s always the option of using a cocktail kit to help you get started. Whether it’s a simple gin based cocktail to something a little more complex, having cocktails on show at your home bar pushes you ever so slightly into bartender Tom Cruise territory. From vodka, gin, whiskey, rum and tequila, there are an infinite amount of possibilities when it comes to cocktail making, with options to suit every season.
A classic that needs no introduction: Bulleit Old Fashioned
Ideal for parties and general amusement alike: Margarita
So there you have it. We hope this quick guide has helped you decide on what you need to create your own home bar. If you need a few extra pointers on the essentials you need, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. We’re always happy to help!
