Home Bar Essentials

If you love to entertain when you have guests over, you may be working on building your home bar. While enjoying time inside doesn’t require a bar, sometimes a happy medium between a full-on wet bar and just a few beverages in the fridge can help elevate the hosting experience. Here are the essentials you need for a great home bar:

1. Bar Fridge

Having a separate bar fridge is a great addition for several reasons. First, you can keep your beverages at the temperature they are meant to be kept at. Beverage refrigerators are best kept 10 degrees warmer than the normal fridge temperature. Another great reason is that you will no longer waste fridge space for beverages. Now, you don’t have to worry about taking food out to put drinks in!

2. Bar Decor

Decide what style you want for your bar space. Whether you want an elegant or pub theme, choose pieces that will tell a story. 

 3. Plenty of Glassware

When hosting guests at your home bar, it is helpful to have a variety of glassware to suit the types of drinks you may be making. Keep a few white & red wine glasses on hand. Pint & Shot glasses are great to have as well!

4. Ice Trays

Unless you have an ice machine, you will need to have ice cube trays. Silicone trays are much easier to get cubes out of and tend to be much sleeker in appearance.

 5. Bar Accessories & Tools

Keep these items on hand for mixing the perfect cocktail like mojitos & cosmos!

• Mixing Spoon

• Muddler: A cocktail muddler mashes ingredients, like the mint leaves, to release their flavors

• Jigger: This small hourglass-shape double cup is used to measure drink ingredients. One side is a 1-1/2-ounce jigger; the other is a 1-ounce pony.

• Measuring Shot Glass

• Cocktail Shaker

Stocking Your Bar:

When stocking your bar with liquor, keep in mind the cocktails you plan to make & enjoy having. Some basic Liquors include Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Tequila, Scotch, Amaretto..

Mixers: Keep on hand tonic water, lime juice, orange juice, sparkling water, lemon juice, ginger ale, club soda, and cranberry juice.

Garnishes: Lemon, Lime, Oranges