Everything You Need for Your Home Bar Setup

Almost 2 in 3 Americans aged 21 and older drink alcohol. Beer remains the favorite (preferred by 35%), followed by wine (31%). About 30% are partial to liquor, while 3% had no specific preference.

If, like the folks above, you drink alcohol too, consider setting up a home bar. A good enough reason is that bars charge way more for them. Indeed, some cocktails cost as much as a lovely meal in some establishments!

If you’re unsure how to set up a bar at home, don’t worry; we’ll teach you the essentials you need, so read on.

Your Preferred Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages come in four primary categories: base liquors, liqueurs, wines, and beer. The first two classify as distilled spirits. The latter two are types of distilled spirits of fermented alcohol.

Base liquors include brandy, gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey. Examples of liqueurs are amaretto, coffee liqueur, orange liqueur, and Irish cream liqueur.

Wines include marsala, sherry, and vermouth, among others. As for beer, the most popular are ale, pale ale, lager, porter, pilsner, and stout.

Your home bar doesn’t have to stock up on all those alcohols, just the ones you like the most. You also don’t have to worry about early spoilage; if kept properly, they can last for years, even beer. Bottled and canned beer can last at least six months in the pantry and up to two years in the fridge.

Essential Mixers

Mixers are non-alcoholic liquids that add flavor, volume, and depth to cocktails. These are just as crucial as spirits, especially if you like fancy drinks. The good news is that you can find the most essential mixers in stores, even in your kitchen.

Essential mixers include orange, lemon, lime, cranberry, pineapple, and grapefruit juice. You should also have carbonated mixers, like tonic water, flavored soda, and club soda. Many cocktails also use bitters, grenadine, and simple syrup, so get these too.

Bar Accessories and Tools

You may already have a bottle opener and a corkscrew, but you need jiggers to level up your mixology. Jiggers are mini measuring cups that let you accurately measure liquids for cocktails.

You also need a stainless-steel cocktail shaker and strainer for chilled, shaken drinks. Likewise, get mixing glasses, cocktail spoons, ice makers, ice molds, and ice buckets. And don’t forget glassware, including coupe, Collins, rocks, shot, and wine glasses.

Consider getting a separate chopping board for your home bar, too. You’d need this (along with a paring knife) to cut and slice your garnishes.

If you love wine, a preserver is one of the most essential home bar tools you need. This utensil lets you pour a glass of wine and keep the rest fresh for later consumption. The Vacu Vin pump, Rabbit wine sealer, and Coravin wine preserver are some of your options. 

Starting Building Your Home Bar Today

From spirits to mixers and bar tools, these are all essentials to setting up your home bar. They’re worth it if you like drinking and having people come over. Plus, even if you spend quite a sum buying them, it’ll still be cheaper in the long run than if you keep drinking at bars.

Did you enjoy reading this article? Then check out our guide on the must-have alcoholic drinks to add to your collection!