Knowing the essentials of a home bar are vital to party success.
Entertaining at home ranges from cocktail gatherings to cookouts and dinner parties. If alcohol is involved, you'll want to show off your drink-making expertise. Doing that requires a well-designed home bar. Start with the basic items and build on your supplies. You'll be swinging a cocktail shaker with ease before you know it.
Equipment
Before you buy the alcohol, stock your home bar with the basic equipment. That means you'll need an assortment of glasses, such as high balls, shot glasses, wine glasses, Martini and Margarita glasses, and pilsner glasses for beer. Next you'll need a way to open the alcohol, so have a few bottle openers and corkscrews on hand. To mix drinks, get a blender for frozen drinks, and a cocktail shaker for mixed drinks, along with jigger shakers, a pitcher and long-handled spoons. Top off this stash with an ice bucket and a nice pair of silver tongs or an ice scoop. Now you're ready to buy the drinks.
Alcohol
Liquor stores are packed with varieties of alcohol, but instead of mimicking the endless supplies in a store, all you really need are a few bottles of the basics. That includes vodka for Sea Breezes, gin for Martinis, bourbon for Manhattans, rum for pina coladas and daiquiris, and tequila for Margaritas. You can add scotch, whiskey and liqueurs later, as you become more adept as a bartender. Have a nice selection of red and white wines on hand, as well as domestic and imported beers. Remember light beers for folks watching their calories.
Extras
Garnishes add the finishing touch on an alcoholic drink, and so you'll need items for specific drinks, such as olives for Martinis, bitters for Manhattans, and Maraschino cherries. Some drinks require citrus juice, so buy a small cutting board and knife, and have lemons and limes nearby. You can make drinks from scratch or you may want to buy drink mixes to keep in your bar, such as sweet and sour mix, Margarita mix and pina colada mix, which comes in a can. Make up some drink cards or keep a recipe book nearby so that you and your guests can make their own drinks.
Considerations
Before you spend a bundle on the world's best bar, think of your guests. Will they really need every possible kind of alcohol, or are these guys beer drinkers? Are the girls coming over for Margarita night? Stock your bar to the max if you choose or make it simple by providing just one red wine, one white, one kind of beer and one signature drink. Don't make it too hard on yourself. If you're having more than a few dozen people, consider hiring a bartender. Consider also how much alcohol you'll need. TV's Clinton Kelly suggests that you estimate five drinks per person for a 4-hour party.
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