Bar Essentials

For anyone looking to have a great home bar setup, it is important to gather up the right bar essentials. In this post, I am going to walk you through everything that I keep on hand to have a proper bar setup to make the perfect cocktails on demand.

Robert Mondavi Merlot and
Freixnet Cava

Bar Essentials

These are the essentials to always keep on hand

Liquor, Wine, and Beer

• Champagne
• My wife loves mimosas. It tends to be her drink of choice. For champagne, you can keep cava, champagne, or prosecco on hand. We typically drink cava, which is a Spanish sparkling wine vs the French champagne or Italian prosecco.
• Wine 
• Red and White - I typically keep mostly merlots and cabernets on hand. I prefer reds over white wines, but I will keep a bottle or two of chardonnay or sauvignon blanc on hand should anybody want it.
• Bourbon and Whiskey
• I always have a handful of bottles of bourbon and whiskey on hand. Though the lineup varies, my mainstays are Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, and TX Blended Whiskey.
• Scotch
• The first scotch I ever tried and really liked was The MacAllan 12. I always have a bottle on hand. I usually keep a few others including Glenmorangie, Glendronach, Laphroaig, and Oban.
• Gin



Bourbon, Gin, Vodka, Triple Sec, Tequila, and Scotch

• I don't drink a lot of gin, but I do keep a bottle on hand. Usually something less expensive like Lone Star Gin.
• Vodka
• Vodka seems to go quick. Everyone seems to rave about Tito's and Absolut, but for the money, I haven't found anything better than Dripping Springs Vodka.
• Tequila
• There are tons of tequila options out there. I typically go for a blanco tequila. A few years ago, we found Dolce Vida Organic Tequila and have been using that ever since.
• Beer
• I keep a fridge well stocked with craft beers and some standard mass produced offerings. I always make sure to leave room in the beer fridge for guests to bring over their drinks too. 

Liqueurs, Mixers, and Garnishes

• Triple Sec
• For making margaritas, an orange liqueur is key. Triple Sec is a good inexpensive option to keep around.  
• Bitters
• Bitters go in a lot of cocktails, most commonly Old Fashioneds. There are many varieties out there. I keep two on hand, angostura and orange.
• Cherries



Angostura Bitters, Orange Bitters, Simple Syrup, Olives,
Whiskey Cherries, Grenadine

• Cherries are a great garnish for many drinks. I like to make my own whiskey cherries.
• Grenadine
• Grenadine is a great product for adding cherry flavor to a drink. It can also be use as a sweetener and to give a splash of red to a drink.
• Simple Syrup
• Simple syrup is a sweetener that works much better than sugar. You can make your own to keep on hand.
• Bailey's
• Bailey's goes in many dessert beverages or coffee. 
• Garnishes
• Also sure to keep some fresh fruit, oranges, lemons, limes, and strawberries on hand. Also jarred martini onions and olives.

Glassware

• Highball Glass



Stemware, Highball Glass, Pint Glass, Old Fashioned Glass

• The classic mixed drink glass. Also for someone just looking for a water or club soda
• Old Fashioned Glass
• For drinking whiskey neat, on the rocks, or for making you Old Fashioned
• Pint glass
• For your best beer pours or for when you feel like a double
• Stemware
• Keep your flutes for special occasion pours of champagne. Otherwise, just stick to a wine glass for everyday use

Bar Tools

Bar Spoon, Shaker, Jigger, Muddler

• Cork screw
• Always keep a good cork screw or wine opener on hand. There are many types to choose. Find the one that works best for you.
• Bar Spoon
• A long skinny spoon for stirring drinks. Some have a fork at the end for fishing out garnishes at the bottom of a jar.
• Jigger/Shot Glass
• A jigger is a double sided premeasured cup. You can also use a shot glass
• Shaker
• Most cocktails need a shaker to be made properly. Make sure to keep a good shaker on hand. 
• Muddler
• A muddler is a great tool to use to break down fruit and other garnishes to help pull more of the flavor out.