A gin, a bourbon, a rye, a rum, a tequila, two vermouths, Campari, a triple sec and three bitters. That is the whole bar, and it makes every drink worth making.
Most home bars are a shelf of half-finished souvenirs and a bottle of Baileys from 2019. A working bar is smaller and more deliberate: a dozen bottles chosen because each appears in several classic drinks, a few tools, the right glasses and good ice. With that in place you can make almost any cocktail a guest is likely to name, and the ones you cannot are not worth making.
The twelve bottles
- London dry gin, juniper forward: Tanqueray, Beefeater, Sipsmith. Martini, Negroni, Gimlet, Tom Collins, Gin and Tonic.
- Bourbon, over 45 percent: Wild Turkey 101, Buffalo Trace. Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Mint Julep, Boulevardier.
- Rye: Rittenhouse, Sazerac. Manhattan, Sazerac, Vieux Carré.
- Aged rum: Diplomático Reserva, Plantation Barbados 5, Appleton 12. Daiquiri with a white rum if you must, Rum Old Fashioned, Dark and Stormy.
- Blanco or reposado tequila, 100 percent agave: Fortaleza, Tapatío, Ocho. Margarita, Paloma, Tommy’s.
- Sweet vermouth: Cocchi di Torino, Carpano Antica. Manhattan, Negroni, Boulevardier. Keep it in the fridge.
- Dry vermouth: Dolin, Noilly Prat. Martini. Also in the fridge, and replaced every two months.
- Campari. Negroni, Americano, Boulevardier, Sbagliato.
- Triple sec: Cointreau. Margarita, Sidecar, White Lady, Cosmopolitan for guests who ask.
- Angostura bitters, orange bitters and Peychaud’s. Small bottles, last for years, make everything better.
A home bar is judged by what it can make, not by what it displays. Twelve working bottles beat forty decorative ones.
The tools
A mixing glass and a long bar spoon for stirred drinks, which is most of the classics. A shaker, Boston or cobbler, for anything with citrus or egg white. A jigger with 25 and 50 ml marks, or 30 and 60 if you think in ounces. A Hawthorne strainer, a fine strainer, a peeler for citrus and a citrus press. A large clear ice mould and a tray for small cubes. Total cost under €120, and it lasts for life.
The glasses
Six heavy rocks glasses, six coupes or small Martini glasses, six highballs. Nothing larger than 150 ml for a coupe; a drink served up warms fast and should be small and cold. Chill the glass in the freezer for ten minutes before a Martini or a Manhattan. The difference is not subtle.
The five drinks to learn
The Old Fashioned, the Negroni, the Martini, the Daiquiri and the Whiskey Sour. Between them they teach stirring, shaking, dilution, balance and the use of citrus and sugar. Master those five and every other cocktail is a variation you can reason your way to. The Home Bar tool on this site tells you what you can make from what you have; use it the first time a guest names a drink you have not heard of.
Questions we get asked
What about vodka?
Add one if your guests drink it. It appears in no classic drink that is improved by it, which is why it is not in the twelve.
Do vermouths really need the fridge?
Yes. They are wine, and open wine oxidises. A vermouth on a warm shelf for six months is why so many home Martinis taste of nothing.
How much does the whole bar cost?
Around €350 for the twelve bottles at sensible quality, €120 for the tools, €150 for the glasses. Less than one round of cocktails in a hotel bar every week for a year.
