Unless you are looking to entertain very regularly don't focus on getting everything just get what you like.
What should be stocked in a home bar?
- Thread starter Nishnabotna
- Start date
+1
You can also get one or two items a lot of people like so you can be basically covered if you have people over. For example, it's probably a good idea to have a bottle of decent vodka around even if you don't like to drink it yourself.
- Thread starter
- #23
Sure, but I'm willing to try stuff I haven't before. Who knows, I may like it.
Whoever suggested Irish whiskey is probably right, too. Something decent like Black Bush ought to have some wide appeal to Scotch and Bourbon drinkers and would seem hip and sophisticated.
What do you like already?
What do you like already?
Then do try it at a bar. You'll save a lot of money in the long run.
- Thread starter
- #26
Nah, I avoid bars. I look at it as an adventure, not a waste of money. If I don't like it my swilling friends will so it will get used up eventually.
Depending on what they sell in your state, you can always buy some miniatures. Easy way to try lots of stuff for pretty cheap.
Pretty Standard stuff you need for a home bar:
Vodka (recommend turi but can sub with ketel one or stoli)
Whisky (stock at least 3 types namely 1 blend [I'll go with JW black, famous grouse or dewars], 1 bourbon [Woodford Reserve, or any of the SBB like knob creek] and 1 single malt scotch [go with speyside or highland single malts here, you can branch to islays once you have established yourself as a sm snob])
Gin (Bombay sapphire never fails to disappoint, all important for the gin and tonics)
Rum (appleton's gold or a good brazillian cachaca for your mojitos and what nots)
Tequila (at least have a bianco and an anejo. Bianco for your margaritas and the anejo for sipping)
All important note: make your own sour mixes (they taste better and definitely cheaper so you can use the savings to buy better booze)
Simple syrup
Bitters
Vermouths
Note: you do not need to go and buy all these at one go. Slowly build up your home bar and journey into the realm of getting sloshed at home at a fraction of the price outside
To quote Sandra Lee: "It'r Cocktail time!
"
Vodka (recommend turi but can sub with ketel one or stoli)
Whisky (stock at least 3 types namely 1 blend [I'll go with JW black, famous grouse or dewars], 1 bourbon [Woodford Reserve, or any of the SBB like knob creek] and 1 single malt scotch [go with speyside or highland single malts here, you can branch to islays once you have established yourself as a sm snob])
Gin (Bombay sapphire never fails to disappoint, all important for the gin and tonics)
Rum (appleton's gold or a good brazillian cachaca for your mojitos and what nots)
Tequila (at least have a bianco and an anejo. Bianco for your margaritas and the anejo for sipping)
All important note: make your own sour mixes (they taste better and definitely cheaper so you can use the savings to buy better booze)
Simple syrup
Bitters
Vermouths
Note: you do not need to go and buy all these at one go. Slowly build up your home bar and journey into the realm of getting sloshed at home at a fraction of the price outside
To quote Sandra Lee: "It'r Cocktail time!
"
I've been building my bar over the course of a few years now. I think at last count I was at 60 some odd bottles.
Lately It's become kind of self propegating in that I'll have a bunch of friends over, offer up some drinks that people havn't tried again, then they'll ask me what I'm missing for my bar and the next time they'll show up with a bottle that I was missing.
As far as vodka goes, my friends and I did a double blind taste test last summer, in order of preference it was the following, and kind of surprising. (Prices are $CDN for a 26oz bottle at the SAQ - Quebec liquor commission)
Russian Prince ($18.75)
Skyy ($22.45)
Grey Goose ($42.25)
Stoli ($22.65)
Absolut ($22.95)
Smirnoff ($21.95)
After the taste test, for mixing I buy whatever's cheapest, for sipping I go with Skyy, but there are many better things to sip than vodka.
Lately It's become kind of self propegating in that I'll have a bunch of friends over, offer up some drinks that people havn't tried again, then they'll ask me what I'm missing for my bar and the next time they'll show up with a bottle that I was missing.
As far as vodka goes, my friends and I did a double blind taste test last summer, in order of preference it was the following, and kind of surprising. (Prices are $CDN for a 26oz bottle at the SAQ - Quebec liquor commission)
Russian Prince ($18.75)
Skyy ($22.45)
Grey Goose ($42.25)
Stoli ($22.65)
Absolut ($22.95)
Smirnoff ($21.95)
After the taste test, for mixing I buy whatever's cheapest, for sipping I go with Skyy, but there are many better things to sip than vodka.
- Thread starter
- #31
Wait, did the order of preference start with Russian Prince @ #1, or is that at #6 leaving Smirnoff #1?
Smirnoff came in last, the Russian Prince came in first.
It comes in a plastic bottle, even at the 26oz size that advertises in big letters "Light Weight Unbreakable Plastic" it turns out that it's made by Bacardi.
I figure the plastic bottle helps leech out some of the fusel oils and congeners to make it a smooth great tasting vodka
It comes in a plastic bottle, even at the 26oz size that advertises in big letters "Light Weight Unbreakable Plastic" it turns out that it's made by Bacardi.
I figure the plastic bottle helps leech out some of the fusel oils and congeners to make it a smooth great tasting vodka
I prefer to K.I.S.S. You start filling unimportant gaps and then it's just too much.
- 1 bottle of good bourbon. (Bulleit, Basil Haydens, Woodford, etc)
- 1 bottle of good scotch (Balvenie DoubleWood, Macallan 12+, etc)
- 1 bottle of good vodka. (Stoli, Belv, etc)
- 1 bottle of good gin (Mainly Sapphire, but Hendricks is okay)
- 1 bottle of white rum
- 1 bottle of dark rum (I don't really prefer soleras as they almost have no body)
- Angostura bitters
- Dry vermouth
- Sweet vermouth
- A couple bottles of white and red wine.
That's the ultimate bar stock, atleast in my book. You can do just about anything with that.
While I do have a bottle of tequila and some assorted port wines available, I don't typically offer them to guests. Those are for me.
- 1 bottle of good bourbon. (Bulleit, Basil Haydens, Woodford, etc)
- 1 bottle of good scotch (Balvenie DoubleWood, Macallan 12+, etc)
- 1 bottle of good vodka. (Stoli, Belv, etc)
- 1 bottle of good gin (Mainly Sapphire, but Hendricks is okay)
- 1 bottle of white rum
- 1 bottle of dark rum (I don't really prefer soleras as they almost have no body)
- Angostura bitters
- Dry vermouth
- Sweet vermouth
- A couple bottles of white and red wine.
That's the ultimate bar stock, atleast in my book. You can do just about anything with that.
While I do have a bottle of tequila and some assorted port wines available, I don't typically offer them to guests. Those are for me.
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This.
Cover the bases; keep the quality high. No one's going to complain if you don't have absolutely everything on hand when everything you DO have is good stuff.
When you get about halfway down a bottle of something, try a different brand. When you find something you love, always have it on hand. Before long you'll have 3-4 choices of most things, and some very good examples of your favorite types.
The downside of that is discovering that your favorite Scotch (say, Aberlour a'bunadh) is $70 a bottle, and your favorite bourbon (George T. Stagg) is only released once a year!
NANP
If you look in any bartending guide from the mid-twentieth century or so, they all have these "how to stock a home bar" lists in them. Apparently, in those days you were expected to have a full bar in your house at all times for all your freeloading friends/acquaintances/travelling salesmen/boss (think Larry Tate 
).
Luckily, you're not legally required to offer the TV repairman a highball anymore, so a lot of these lists are quite a bit more than you really need! However, it is nice being able to whip up a drink or two, but you can really get by with just a few bottles and some extras. No need to go super top-shelf initially, the idea here is simply to mix up some drinks (there are some good lists upthread). One thing to remember is always have a bunch of the non-booze ingredients on hand:
limes
lemons
maraschino cherries
olives
soda, tonic, bitter lemon, coke, 7-up, etc.
cranberry juice
sugar cubes
For the lemons and limes, just grab a few extra whenever you're at the grocery store so you always have some fresh stock. Get mixers in the small bottles or cans (you can also get small bottles of cranberry juice cocktail as well). The stuff in jars keeps forever, so that's easy.
). Luckily, you're not legally required to offer the TV repairman a highball anymore, so a lot of these lists are quite a bit more than you really need! However, it is nice being able to whip up a drink or two, but you can really get by with just a few bottles and some extras. No need to go super top-shelf initially, the idea here is simply to mix up some drinks (there are some good lists upthread). One thing to remember is always have a bunch of the non-booze ingredients on hand:
limes
lemons
maraschino cherries
olives
soda, tonic, bitter lemon, coke, 7-up, etc.
cranberry juice
sugar cubes
For the lemons and limes, just grab a few extra whenever you're at the grocery store so you always have some fresh stock. Get mixers in the small bottles or cans (you can also get small bottles of cranberry juice cocktail as well). The stuff in jars keeps forever, so that's easy.
