What Every Home Bar Should Have

With everyone spending more time at home these days, we’ve had to reimagine and reinvent the experiences that we used to go out for. And it should come as little surprise that happy hours top of the list of occasions we’ve been trying to recreate at home.

If you’re missing those after-work decompress sessions, or meeting up with your bestie at your favorite hangout, all is not lost. All it takes is a handful of bar accessories and essential spirits to take your at-home cocktail game up a notch and create your own happy hour.

Shake It Up

Bar spoons and blenders are nice extras to have, but when it comes to an essential mixing accessory, nothing competes with a good, quality cocktail shaker. You can mix just about any drink in a shaker, and it’s the preferred method in most recipes for ensuring that all ingredients are thoroughly blended. 

A cocktail shaker is easy to clean, and won’t take up much space when you want to tuck it away in a drawer or cabinet. Plus, you get the simple joy of holding the shaker up high and dramatically mixing a drink. What’s not to love? 

Glasses & Rocks Done Right

When it comes to recreating an authentic bar vibe, the proper drinking vessel is key to the experience. Let’s face it, no one wants to drink an Old Fashioned out of the leftover Solo cups lingering in a basement cabinet from your daughter’s birthday party three years ago. 

There are a variety of glasses for just about every drink, but you don’t need to stock an entire collection — just the basics will do. You’ll need some rocks glasses that keep beverages cold. Double-wall whiskey glasses are a great option not only for whiskey, but for any drink you’d serve on the rocks.

Speaking of rocks, every home bar needs ice. A simple ice tray will do, but there are also more creative options, including silicone trays that mold ice into large square or round cubes. If you prefer to keep it more simple and you don’t have an icemaker or freezer in your home bar area, an ice bucket is all you need. The Nara Ice Bucket and the Scoop Ice Bucket are two of our favorites.

For drinks that call for more liquid, mixers, or ice — such as a gin & tonic or a Tom Collins — you’ll want to have some nice highball glasses on hand.

And last, but certainly not least, no bar is complete without a set of wine glasses. Gone are the days when you had to have separate glasses for white or red. Even high-end restaurants have adopted the one-size-fits-all-grapes mentality. All that really matters is that you have some  quality stemware — and good company. 

We recommend no less than a set of six wine glasses. 

Don’t Forget The Spirits

You may want to reserve some top-shelf spirits for appointed VIPs in your home bar, but you don’t need to break the bank stocking liquor and mixers. Nor do you need to break the bank building out a full bar to store them. A libations locker or a smaller bar cabinet are both great options for small home bars.

When it comes to what liquor to keep on hand, think of the basics for the go-to cocktails you and your home bar patrons enjoy. Every bar should be able to serve  up a decent vodka, whiskey, gin, or tequila-based drink. Other spirits, including bourbon, rum, liqueur, or vermouth may not be necessary.

You should also make sure to have a nice variety of mixers, including club soda, tonic water, ginger beer, and tomato juice. Individual bottles or cans are generally better than large bottles, which will go flat sitting unused between at-home happy hours. If you have bloody mary or margarita fans in your cocktail-hour club, you’ll want to keep a couple of quality mixes on hand as well.

It’s also nice to have a couple fresh citruses to mix into your drinks. You don’t need to keep a stock in your home bar, but if there’s a happy hour in your near future, add some lemons, limes, grapefruit, or oranges to your grocery list.

Finally, you should have at least a small variety of beer and wine. Think lagers and lights, reds and whites. If you have the space, your home bar is a great place to incorporate a wine rack, too, which will allow you to keep a variety of bottles stocked. 

Is it 5 o’clock yet? There’s really no wrong way to stock your home bar. By putting some thought into it and incorporating these basics, you’ll always be ready when the mood for happy hour strikes.

Cheers!