Essential Tips For A Well-Stocked Home Bar
A home bartender or one who loves hosting house parties, you would know how crucial it is to have a well-stocked home bar. However, if you are a novice in the world of mixing cocktails, or someone who would love to check out some tips to improve your home bartending game, then this article is for you! When stocking a home bar, it’s essential to have all types of liquors, mixers and bar tools that will help you craft a wide variety of delicious cocktails.
Raise the Bar: Essential Tips for a Well-Stocked Home Bar
1. Have The Right Bar Tools
Before we delve into the beverage selection it’s very vital to have all the necessary bar tools in place. From measuring the ingredients right to achieving the perfect blend, you will need an assortment of bar tools such as a cocktail shaker, jigger, strainer, muddler, mixing glass, bar spoon, etc.
2. Choose Your Spirits
Well, this is a no-brainer. If you love to craft a variety of cocktails then you will need to have a selection of spirits to cater to all your interests. Here’s a brief round-up for you:
(i) Whisky
This fine spirit comes in a variety of styles that cater to different tastes. There’s rye, bourbon, and scotch. Here are a few notable brands for you to choose from - Johnnie Walker, Black & White, The Singleton, and Talisker.
(ii) Gin
A well-stocked home bar is incomplete without a bottle of gin! This spirit is ideal for creating delightful gin cocktails and is a must-have for your home bar! Tanqueray and Gordon’s are two of the remarkable brands that you must have in your bar cart.
(iii) Vodka
Love vodka martinis and Cosmopolitans? A home bar needs this versatile distilled spirit to whip up delicious vodka cocktails that can thrill and excite the senses. From neutral to flavoured, Vodka is a spirit that can cater to a wide range of taste preferences. You might want to stock up on brands such as Smirnoff and Ketel One.
(iv) Rum
Oh, those mouth-watering Piña Coladas or Mai Tais! Rum is an essential spirit that you will need to whip up indulgent cocktails! Rum comes in a variety of forms - white, dark, gold, spiced, aged - choose your pick! When it comes to rum, only one brand comes to our mind and that’s Captain Morgan!
3. Stock up on cocktail mixers
A well-stocked home bar has an assortment of cocktail mixers. It is essentially a non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverage used to enhance flavour, balance taste, and dilution while mixing drinks. Here are some of the common mixers that you can have in your home bar:
(i) Bitters - These are aromatic, concentrated botanical infusions with an alcoholic base. Made from spices, herbs, and fruits, they add depth of flavour and complexity to your drinks with just a few dashes. The most common bitters are Angostura bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, orange bitters etc.
(ii) Syrups - They enhance the flavour and texture of your cocktails. They are sweet liquids made from dissolving sugar or other sweeteners in water. Some common syrups are - simple syrup, honey syrup, fruit syrups, etc.
(iii) Liqueurs - Cocktails are alcoholic drinks created from distilled spirits, sugar, and other ingredients that help to add flavour and layers to the cocktails. Some of the liqueurs you can stock up in your home bar are - Amaretto, Campari, Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur, etc.
(iv) Cream - Milk or heavy cream is used in creamy or dessert-like cocktails. Some of the cocktails that use cream are Irish coffee, Piña Colada, White Russian, etc.
(v) Soft drinks - These are carbonated drinks such as tonic water, cola, lemonade or ginger ale. It can be used to mix a variety of cocktails such as gin and tonic, whisky and cola, moscow mule etc.
(vi) Fresh juice - Perfect for adding a refreshing burst of flavour to cocktail recipes. Fresh juices such as orange, pineapple, cranberry, and grapefruit juice have been widely used in cocktails.
4. Don’t forget the garnishes!
Now that you have all the ingredients you need to whip up delectable cocktail recipes, do not forget about the most important detail that enhances the flavour and visual appeal of your cocktails - garnishes. Here are some must-have garnishes - citrus fruits, olives, mint leaves, maraschino cherries, sugar cubes and spices. You can also use slices of fresh fruits that complement the flavours of your cocktail ingredients for garnishing. Additionally, dehydrated garnishes have a longer shelf life and add a beautiful finishing touch to your drinks.
Well, that was our brief guide on how to have a well-stocked home bar. With these essential beverages in your arsenal, you will be on your way to crafting the tastiest and most indulgent cocktails in no time!
