Home Bar

[Anonymous No.15306171]

Trying to get some essentials together for stocking a home bar. Mostly looking at making classic cocktails, but wouldn't mind branching out. What am I missing?

>Bourbon
>Gin
>Vodka
>Tequila
>White rum
>Brandy
>sweet vermouth/dry vermouth
>campari
>Triple sec
>tonic/soda/etc
>bitters
>fresh citrus

[Anonymous No.15306182]

>>15306171
Maybe kahlua? For espresso martini and white russians?

[Anonymous No.15306217]

>>15306171
Pick a few classic three-ingredient cocktails that you actually enjoy and start perfecting those. At some point you’ll get bored and want to add more esoteric components to unlock new drinks. It’ll escalate naturally soon enough, don’t you worry. No point in stocking an entire bar right away.

[Anonymous No.15306534]

>>15306171
Seems you're pretty much sorted for most classic ones. I'd recommend you invest in some scotch, some rye and various different sorts of the spirits you've listed. If you're making a very booze forward cocktail, the quality and variety of your whisky can change things dramatically. A whisky sour can vary wildly depending on which whisky you use, for instance. Also look into tiki drinks and some of the more esoteric stuff you find there. The other thing is barwear, make sure you've got the right gear et al.

[Anonymous No.15306574]

>>15306171
>>15306182
>>15306217
>>15306534

You niggers know you don't get no upvotes here?

[Anonymous No.15306616]

For me? It's a gin bar

[Anonymous No.15306769]

>>15306616
Based

[Anonymous No.15306797]

ginger beer and copper mugs if you're a mule chad

[Anonymous No.15306832]

>>15306171
If you wanna stock a home bar, and assuming that you already know how to make the classic cocktails and have the equipment, you need, for spirits:
>rye whiskey
>gin
>cuban rum
>jamaican rum
>bourbon
>brandy
>tequila
And then one spirit of your choice (preferably not vodka) that is of your preference. This should stock you for spirits for most of the drinks you wanna make.

Then you're going to need liqueurs and aromatic wines. The ones that show up the most are:
>triple sec
>maraschino liqueur
>benedictine
>chartreuse
>luxardo
>campari
>sweet vermouth
>dry vermouth
And then, I'd say, one of your choice for one cocktail you wanna make. An Amaro Nonino is perfectly fine here, but so's Falernum if you're Tiki-inclined.

After that, syrups. I'd say make your own, but you're going to need at least the following:
>simple syrup
>grenadine
>orgeat
>ginger syrup
>honey syrup
And then one additional one for a cocktail you love and isn't mentioned here (cinnamon syrup, for example).

Fresh citrus, herbs and fruits are mandatory. Limes, lemons, oranges, mint, pineapple, berries and grapefruit are the most important ones (berries primarily for garnish).

Bitters:
>Angostura
>Orange Bitters
>Absinthe
And one bitter of your choice that isn't mentioned here. You may be wondering what on Earth is Absinthe doing here, but the use of dashes of absinthe like you'd use dashes of Angostura is very common.

Finally, for important things that weren't mentioned:
>soda water
Called in a load of highballs, so grab it. Importantly, instead of using ginger ale (or even ginger beer), feel free to add ginger syrup and soda water instead.
>tonic water
Tonic is the main "classic" soda that's really hard to make into a syrup because quinine is annoying to work with.

You may notice the size of the list. If you think this is a huge list, make a bar program, starting from one cocktail you love, and building on that. A Daiquiri pivots into a Gin Sour which pivots into a Tom Collins.

[Anonymous No.15306869]

>>15306832
Addendum: books.

>Imbibe! (David Wonderich)
Mandatory reading for anyone into cocktails. This is the book on the history of cocktails. Get it.

>Cocktail Codex (Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan)
Excellent guide on cocktails and making your own and how cocktails work. Far more readable on the "science"/"art" of mixology for anyone digging in than Liquid Intelligence, which is still lovely, but very much a gastronomical book.

>Smuggler's Cove (Martin Cate)
If you're into tiki, grab this and do not let go, because this is a 0-100 guide on Tiki, on its history, drinks, decor and food.

>Savoy Cocktail Book
Nothing but recipes, most of them excellent. It's a great little book to have at ready if you wanna try something new.

Addendum: equipment and glassware.

>fridge
Getting a good fridge for a home bar will massively help, between ice (you will need a lot of ice) and keeping your glassware chilled.

>full bar set of shaker, stirring glass, barspoon, jigger, hawthorne strainer, citrus juicer, fine mesh strainer, muddler, peeler, cocktail sticks
Almost all fully mandatory, basic tools of the trade.

>glasses
Trawl through thrift stores for this if you can, and if you can't know that you're looking for a coupe, a martini glass, a rocks glass, a double rocks glass, and a Collins glass at least, and personally a Nick & Nora, but any glass that looks cool will do.

[Anonymous No.15306935]

I don't drink much, I have a bottle of beer once per week. While I don't want to start drinking, sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on different tastes.

[Anonymous No.15306975]

>>15306171
Not sure if it was mentioned before, but make sure you have simple syrup. It's used a lot to balance out and sweeten the cocktail. Simple to make as well

[Anonymous No.15307004]

>>15306935
just go to a bar once a week and allow yourself one or two new drinks
this way you don't have to buy all the stuff especially if you don't enjoy one

[Anonymous No.15307092]

>>15306832
>>15306869
good effort post, appreciate the info. got any advice on how to not drink your entire bar in a week like a sad drunk man?

[Anonymous No.15307164]

>>15307092
Not him, but making cocktails for friends is a good way to practice without completely destroying your liver.

[Anonymous No.15307186]

>>15307164
>Implying sad men, like him and me, have friends that visit our homes.

[Anonymous No.15307260]

>>15306171
Home bars are a bad meme.

[Anonymous No.15307344]

>>15307092
The main thing to understand is that almost everything you're making here isn't something you're going to down in one go (please don't, I've seen people knock back three New York Sours in a row within 5 minutes and people knock back half a fifth of vodka in 30 minutes). Despite really loving booze, I don't drink a lot, I drink a drink or two every few days tops. Most of what you're gonna be making with cocktails is meant to be sipped. Yes, there's cocktails made to get you absolute fucked (see: the mule, the Long Island Iced Tea, the AMF). Those are not good cocktails. The good cocktails that also happen to be rocket fuel often are incredibly complex.

Instead, when you're drinking this sort of stuff, you're instead aiming for quality. A great cocktail made with great ingredients and a focus on technique will serve you the whole night long.

[Anonymous No.15307411]

>>15306171
Try caffè borghetti which is coffee liquor and it tastes way better than kahlua

[Anonymous No.15307416]

If I make a big batch of simple syrup and store it in my fridge, how long will it keep?

[Anonymous No.15307431]

>>15307416
As long as you have a bottle? It depends. It can last for around 3-4 months if you go for 1:1 simple syrup. If you go for 2:1 (sugar to water) simple, things get more interesting, because it can essentially last forever in the fridge and for years outside of it.

[Anonymous No.15307689]

The difficulty I encountered with a home bar is the trade off between being able to keep all those items on hand, but still keeping them fresh.

Vermouth for example is a real nightmare. Vermouth is good for maybe 2 months, 3 at a max. I really like drinking Manhattans but Id have to drink a Manhattan every other day to get through a bottle of vermouth in that time. Part of the enjoyment of having a home bar is to be able to vary your drinks. Between other cocktails, whisky, rum, beer and wine, I just dont drink that many Manhattans.

You learn to adapt slightly. Old fashioned made slightly sweeter isnt that far off and none of the ingredients have a short shelf life. But its not quite the same.

[Anonymous No.15307704]

Dr. Pepper shooters if you have to drink like a 20 year old. Or long island ice tea.

[Anonymous No.15307726]

>>15307689
Can't you just get one of those cans of argon or whatever gas mixture that you squirt into the vermouth bottle to keep air off of it?

[Anonymous No.15307760]

>>15307726
Probably, but that starts sounding more like a chore than enjoyment to me.

Im toying with the idea of buying a case of mini bottles. Its 12x100ml which I think would be ideal. Unsure if I really want to spend the money but I think it would be a good solution.

[Anonymous No.15307788]

>>15307431
My simple syrup got a cloud at the bottom

[Anonymous No.15307843]

>>15307344
>A great cocktail made with great ingredients and a focus on technique will serve you the whole night long
What about the ice melting, or it getting warm in general?

Anyone got any fernet or amaro cocktails?

[Anonymous No.15307845]

>>15307788
Just shake it.

[Anonymous No.15307932]

>>15307416
Just make 2:1 and you never have to refrigerate it

[Anonymous No.15307941]

>>15306171
A bottle of scotch, and a bottle of champagne.

[Anonymous No.15307984]

>>15307843
I'm talking about drinking it, a good cocktail is a drink you can nurse for an extended period of time. Fernet is a bit finnicky but you might find it works best in small doses as it overpower a lot of stuff. Personal suggestion, it's delicious in a twist on a Last Word if substituting the Chartreuse. Amaro is a bit difficult, it depends on which Amaro you have. Campari, famously, is used on the Negroni, the Garibaldi, the Americano and the Jungle Bird. Amaro Nonino shows up in the Paper Plane. Cynar and Aperol also have followings. Chartreuse and Benedictine, both bitter herbal liqueurs (though French), have a lot of cocktails to their name, from forgotten classics like the Widow's Kiss, to cornerstones like the Singapore Sling. Krauterlikors like the infamous Jagermeister can also fall within that range and be used within cocktails. Erick Castro does a riff on a Surfer on Acid that involves pineapple-infused rum, coconut liqueur, Jagermeister and fresh lime juice and it is excellent. Importantly, you can replace any of those ingredients for others within their categories, so to speak.

[Anonymous No.15308363]

>>15307984
>I'm talking about drinking it
So am I. The flavours are totally different if you let the ice melt or if it warms up. Seems to me some cocktails are just meant to be drunk in a relatively short amount of time.
I live in Aus so it tends to be hot, maybe it's different elsewhere.

>Importantly, you can replace any of those ingredients for others within their categories, so to speak
Yeah, that's what I want to figure out. But I don't feel comfortable doing that unless I'm already familiar with the standard ingredient. Swapping campari for another amaro in a negroni wouldn't work, as far as the other amari I've tried go anyway.

Thanks for the recipe suggestions anyway.

[Anonymous No.15308440]

>>15306171
Can't make a Rye & Ginger for the lady without some rye whiskey and ginger ale.
Rittenhouse is a nice one.

[Anonymous No.15308474]

>>15307092
>how to not drink your entire bar in a week like a sad drunk
Yeah.
Stock a case of cheap well liquor for drowning your sorrow and keep the good booze and better quality mix set aside for your first drink of the evening and entertaining company, in the rare instance your fortress of solitude is invaded.

Realistically, a handle of 7 Crown will make a lot of whiskey sours and keep your buzz going once your taste buds begin to fail you.
Honestly, if you can make a decent sour with 7, you can make an outstanding sour with any of your classier bottles.

[Anonymous No.15308485]

>>15306171
I wish I had the willpower to have a home bar, but I easily drink a fifth of liquor a night as it is...

[Anonymous No.15308493]

Oh look another alcohol thread :/

[Anonymous No.15308664]

>>15308485

[Anonymous No.15308691]

>>15308493
oh look a giant faggot using emoticons on an image board

[Anonymous No.15308774]

Do I really need light and dark rum? Could I get by with a bottle of light rum by itself?

[Anonymous No.15308909]

If you really have that much extra money you don't know what to do with just send it to me and I'll put it to good use.

[Anonymous No.15308951]

>>15308774
No, don't get light and dark, get Jamaican or Barbados rum and Puerto Rican/Cuban rum. Those are the two main ones with distinct flavors, and it matters. Light rum and dark rum don't exist.

[Anonymous No.15308968]

>>15308485
I wolfed, among other things, one-third of Kraken after my Grandmother died. Fun going to work shaking and your breath reeking of wine and toothpaste.

[Anonymous No.15309010]

>>15306171
>What am I missing?
Aged rum, preferably a Jamaican aged rum.

It's enormously different from white rum, and is necessary if you want to make a classic Tiki drinks like the Mai Tai.

[Anonymous No.15309068]

contreau and baileys the rest people have said already

[Anonymous No.15309115]

Since >>15306832 pretty much covered all the liquid, I'll give you tips on big clear block ice for the slow melting and aesthetic drinks on rocks.

Name of the game is directional freezing. Basically pure water freezes first, pushing all the "containment" away until it freezes last.
>a small cooler where you can take off the lid
>a large serrated knife, a cheapo bread knife works
>mallet
Fill cooler with water to almost full, carefully lug it and put it into the freezer. Depending on your freezer, it'll take 1~2 days. You want the water in the cooler to freeze halfway, not all the way. When you think it's ready, try and tap out the top frozen layer of ice out, make sure you do this in a sink or somewhere to catch all the water. Once you got your block of clear ice, start partitioning it into smaller square blocks to fit into your old fashioned glass. Start sawing the big block of ice with your large cheapo serrated knife, after it's dug in a bit, tap the back of the knife with a mallet and the ice will split cleanly. Repeat this until you got ziplock bags of ready to go clear ice.
If you're using tap water, the ice will frost over with a white coat, but you can just rinse it off before use.

[Anonymous No.15309391]

>>15309115
autism

[Anonymous No.15309501]

>>15306171
Rohypnol.
Southern Comfort
Iced tea
MDMA

[Anonymous No.15309599]

>>15309391
it's an industry thing now. Except you either pay $$$ for a machine or contraption to make clear ice or you grab a few cheap things and make it yourself.

[Anonymous No.15311012]

>>15307689
>Vermouth for example is a real nightmare.
Vermouth and other aromatized wines go bad after a bit, so after I open a bottle for cocktails, I try to do more vermouthy cocktails for a while. I inevitably have stuff left over, so I wind up just drinking it straight or with some seltzer, which is also pretty good.

I probably wind up drinking more Cocchi Americano straight than using it in cocktails.

>>15308774
No. Especially if you plan on getting into tiki, you need to realize that there is a wide range of flavors in rum, and they're not really interchangeable. I'd focus on getting a Jamaican rum and a Spanish-style rum first. Here's a rum list from the Smuggler's Cove book. (1/3)

I also find that most drinks don't call for a white rum specifically. I do have bottles of Botran Reserva Blanca, Wray and Nephews, and Probitas to use when aesthetics call for a light-colored rum, personally, but I've also built up my bar over the course of years now.

[Anonymous No.15311021]

>>15311012
(2/3)

[Anonymous No.15311032]

>>15311021
(3/3)

[Anonymous No.15311466]

I can never find Campari where I live, just Aperol.

[Anonymous No.15311751]

>>15311466
gross

[Anonymous No.15313790]

>mfw I don't like campari or aperol

A-a-am I a tastelet, brehs?

[Anonymous No.15313971]

>>15313790
Do you like any other bitter liqueurs? It might just be that you don't like those two.

[Anonymous No.15314144]

>>15313790
What do campari and aperol taste like? I never had alcohol before

[Anonymous No.15314574]

>>15314144
Bitter. Aperol is the sweeter of the two

[Anonymous No.15315316]

>>15313790
yes

[Anonymous No.15316306]

>>15314144
Like a bitter, slightly herby, unripe fruit. It's nice.