Stock Your Home Bar 101
Are you wanting to have the perfectly stocked bar cart but have no idea where to start? Are you looking to have a great at-home bar without the huge price tag? Then this blog post was written just for you!
I will walk you through the main essentials for setting up your home bar with the basic staples. Forget about all of those filler items that drain your wallet. After this, you will be ready for any event that comes your way!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links (I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you).
Glassware Essentials
Having the “proper” glassware for the right drink is great, it looks elegant and makes you feel like a bartending pro. But this approach is often a bit unrealistic. Wine glasses, martini glasses, margarita glasses, hurricane glasses, tumblers, flutes, goblets, coupes, highballs, lowballs… there are so many varieties that it can be overwhelming! One article I read covered 35 different types of drinking glassware. 35! So, for those of us who either don’t have the space, budget, or time for all of this, what are the basic essentials?
If you are a big stickler for the right glass for the right drink you may not want to read this next part… however, if you are just the average person looking to entertain and get by without having an entire China cabinet dedicated to glassware, keep reading!
I recommend these 3 staple glasses: wine glasses, short tumblers, and tall tumblers. These glasses can be used interchangeably for a large variety of drinks. It’s best to have 8 of each if space allows. I also recommend having two large pitchers or drink dispensers for batch cocktails.
Wine Glasses
There are red wine glasses, white wine glasses, and flutes that are all specific to different types of wine. These are supposed to play a role in enhancing the flavors and aerating the wine. But for those of us who are not wine connoisseurs, a basic all-purpose wine glass will do just fine.
Now for the question of stemmed vs. stemless. Stemmed is often recommended so you are not warming the wine with your hands, and they make it easier to swirl the wine around to aerate it. I personally still love stemless wine glasses because they are easy to move around with, and their design seems more fitting for a larger variety of cocktails.
You should have a set of short tumblers. Examples include whiskey, lowball, rocks, or old-fashioned. Any of these varieties will do. They are perfect for drinks served on the rocks such as scotch, gin, whiskey, or even margaritas.
Tall Tumblers
Tall tumblers like these are ideal for a variety of mixed drinks or cocktails. Examples are highballs, collins, and water glasses. Basically, any tall drinking glass will do here. You can use them for things like mojitos, long island ice tea, or any blended drink you desire.
Dispensers & Pitchers
Having some sort of large glassware that you can mix up a big batch of cocktails in is a must. I love a big glass pitcher like this one. You can put anything in these! From sangria to holiday punch, these are perfect for any large gathering. I recommend having two handy, so you can offer things like lemonade and iced tea, or an alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktail for your guests.
Drink dispensers can easily be found in a 2-pack with a stand. Stands are a must for allowing guests to easily pour a drink. No dispenser stand? Try using a tall cake stand to elevate the one you already have.
With Mason Jars Anything Goes
I have to add in the optional mason jar. This is the cute country way to say “I don’t care, I’m drinking anything I want out of this”. You can make what I like to call a jar-garita (margaritas in a jar) or basically any type of cocktail because they are perfect for mixed drinks. I love this post from littlethings.com that shares 20 mason jar cocktails with pretty simple ingredients. I’m a mojito fan myself, so their blueberry one a win in my book!
Honestly, if I could choose one type of glassware in my house, it would be handled mason jars. They are just so adorable! Just be sure to pick a fitting size, you don’t want to have to fill giant mason jars for all of your guests.
Essential Tools
Besides glassware, there are a few other items that will help to make your bar run smoother:
- Bottle opener
- Wine stopper
- Corkscrew
- Shot glasses (or jigger) for measuring
Also recommended:
- Ice bucket (with tongs)
- Cocktail shaker
- Muddler
You can also get a Bartender Kit (I love this ones sleek design and many color options) which is a great stating point. These kits include many of the items listed above in one condensed package that you’ll want to display.
Drink List
There are soooo many types of alcohol out there and it can be hard to know what to keep on hand. It’s expensive to try to stock such a variety, so here are the most popular ones. This will keep you sticking to the basics while still allowing for a wide range of drinks to be available to your guests.
- Light rum
- Dark (or spiced) rum
- Vodka
- Tequila
- Whiskey
- Gin
- Red wine
- White wine
- Beer
- Seltzers
The Extras
Common Mixers & Liquor
Triple sec (orange liquor)
Vermouth
Bitters
Sour mix
Simple syrup (homemade)
Maraschino cherry juice
Juice
Orange
Pineapple
Cranberry
Soda
Club soda
Tonic water
Coke
Lemon lime/ginger ale
Garnish
Olives
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Mint
Maraschino cherries
These extras are a bit of an extensive list, one that you can pick and choose from without needing to stock every item. When it comes to sodas, I often only keep the coke and club soda on hand. I find that club soda is close enough to substitute for lemon-lime (just add lemon or lime juice and a wedge) or tonic water (you can always add simple syrup to sweeten it up).
We usually have orange juice on hand but other juices are often only purchased for mimosas or a special cocktail that requires it. We don’t know many people who prefer traditional martinis, so vermouth and olives are not often needed in our bar supply, although lemons and limes are always on hand.
Like with our bar, you can adapt yours to fit both your drink preferences as well as those of your guests.
Seasonal Sprits
When it comes to the holidays, we tend to add a few seasonal items to our bar cart. These are always a great addition to any festive bash we host, along with some fun Christmas activities.
So when winter rolls around, you will find some sort of combination of Peppermint Schnapps, Bailey’s, Amaretto, or RumChatta has been added to our display. These all pair great with hot chocolate so we make sure we have plenty of that on hand as well!
The Completed Bar
Now that you have the basics, you should be able to create the perfect at-home bar for all of your entertaining needs. This is the perfect starting point to get you on your way to hosting all types of events, from casual gatherings to full-on celebrations. With these essentials, every guest should be able to find something to their liking!
Now that you have these bar essentials down, let’s talk about some party planning basics for your next event!
