The bar essentials: what every home needs to make fabulous drinks

When you have guests over to your home, you want to make sure you have everything you need to make them feel welcome. Even if you don’t have a party at your house every weekend, you always want to feel like your home is ready for anything, earthquakes, floods, or unexpected company that likes to drink! For this reason, we would like to provide you with a guide of what you would find in the perfect home bar.

The most basic necessity of bar essentials is to have the right kind of alcohol. There are thousands of recipes for mixed drinks, but you only need a few different types of liquor to be able to make most of them. They tend to revolve around the following hard liquors:

For those that like something simple, but strong, or to accompany that great meal you created, it’s always a good idea to keep a couple bottles of wine handy. People tend to be loyal to either red or white, so having a good quality bottle of each will help make sure you keep them happy. Here’s a handy guide If you need a little help navigating your way through the different types of wines.

The same rule goes for beer; yes, there are a lot of different types and varieties, but for the most part people prefer light or regular brands. Don’t feel like you need to stock a hundred brands and varieties, stick to the basics for your bar essentials, and splurge on the favorites for special occasions.

Sometimes the old standbys of beer and wine get a little boring and you want to make something special for you or your guests. If you like cocktails, you’re going to want to make sure you have these components to make your favorites.

Being able to add a finishing touch to your drink may not seem like part of a list of bar essentials, but a cocktail doesn’t look nearly as tempting unless there’s a little umbrella or colored straw inviting you to have a taste. The upside is that most garnishes tend to have a long shelf life, and the ones that don’t tend to be in your fridge for other things anyway. Take a look below to see what you need to complete your drink.

Even though many of the tools you need to make a fabulous drink are the same ones you use in the kitchen every day, it’s worth keeping a separate set as part of your bar essentials. This way you won’t have to go rummaging through your kitchen drawers every time you want to make a drink. As an added bonus, you can multitask, and have someone cooking in the kitchen while you have all the tools you need at your personal bar to whip up something fabulous.

There are more things a home bar could need to be called “perfect”, but we’ve kept our list down to the basics. Add and revise your items according to what works best for you. A word of warning though, be careful not to do too good a job, or you may have to consider opening a real bar to keep up with all your new customers!