How to set up your Home Bar

You don’t need to get all fancy tools and endless bottles to enjoy the pleasures of a perfectly mixed concoction of your favorite alcohol. Craft your own cocktails at home with a starter selection of bottles and few basic tools. And best of all you can customize to your personality or challenge your palette. Play, innovate, have fun!

Set up your home bar with these 7 pointers-

1. Base Spirits
   Today there are more choices than ever when it comes to stocking your home bar, which can also be a problem to choose. Start with what you love. If you are not sure, you can do a few of the lighter spirits like vodka, gin, tequila and a couple of the heavier ones like whiskey and rum. For choosing brands, try to be true to the origin of a spirit. Cherry pick from the world. Just know that, you don’t need them all. Only what seems practical and what may intrigue you.
2. Modifiers
   Modifiers is an umbrella term for the supportive building blocks that add layers of flavor to your cocktails. They range from complex botanical flavor bombs to straightforward sweetened liqueurs. To begin stocking a home bar, think about bottles that will allow you to make a wide variety of cocktails. You can start off with a sweet and a dry vermouth. Sherry is nice to have. Liqueurs and brandies are a lot of fun.
3. Accents
   Herbs, citrus, berries, fruits, sweeteners are the accents. They add dimension and interest. Lemon juice is the most common way to add acidic notes. Herbs like mint and basil are obvious for freshness. Smashed berries like raspberries add color and flavor. To sweeten, sugar syrup is easier to use since sugar takes longer to dissolve in ice. Store bought syrups like grenadine, elderberry syrup are great for that oomph.
4. Bitters
   Bitters are like the salt and pepper of the cocktail world. A little goes a long way. They’re essentially a concentration of alcohol, dried roots, citrus peels, and spices. They are bridging agents. They lift flavors and bring harmony resulting in a rounder and more complex drinking experience. A dash or two is usually enough. You can start with the popular and versatile Angostura bitters.
5. Garnish
   Have fun with this. Metal or bamboo cocktail skewers or a mini wooden clip are options to carry your topper. Maraschino cherries, berries, olives are commonly found skewered or dropped in. Herbs bunched in to a small bouquet can be arranged over the ice, A trimmed and twisted citrus peel makes for a simple and elegant presentation.
6. Toolkit
   You don’t need to run out and get every mixology gadget. But some basic tools will prove to be invaluable over time. And you don’t have to buy them all. You can always find something to substitute them. Below is a list of tools and easy to find suggestions to use in a pinch. Jiggers are measures for 1 and 2 oz or ½ and ¾ oz. Shot glasses which is 1 ½ oz can be used instead. Use a chopstick if you don’t have a bar spoon. A small pitcher for stirred cocktails. Shaker set, either metal-on-metal tins or cobbler are nice to have but you can always use a wide bottle with a lid to shake. Wooden spoons for muddlers. Fine-mesh strainer or tea strainer, Paring knife, Y-shaped vegetable peeler, Liquid measuring cup from your kitchen can also be used as accessories.
7. Glassware
   When deciding which kind of glassware to serve a cocktail in, the most important factor to consider is volume. Follow this general guideline for glassware to avoid serving a drink in an oversize glass or using a glass that can’t hold the full pour of a cocktail. A wine glass or a coupe glass can be used for cocktails that use upto 10oz. A highball holds most 12-14oz and is a common drinking glass for water.

Now that you know how to start that home bar you can start playing with different techniques. There’s but few rules that will ensure that you are doing it the right way. And you can learn all about them here.

Author: Annu Verghese