This short list of essentials will have you on your way to making some great easy drinks! It is not difficult to stock the beginner bar even on a budget. If your basic bar consists of a bottle of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, bourbon, scotch, dry vermouth and a liqueur, you should be able to please just about anyone in your crowd. You’ll also want to have some club soda, and maybe some cola or tonic as well as a bowl of fresh citrus that can be juiced or simply used as a garnish. Below are some affordable brands that can be used in a variety of ways.
Stocking Your Bar: The Basics
VODKA: New Amsterdam Versatile & smooth especially for the price point
GIN: Tanqueray A traditional London dry gin
RUM: Cana Brava White Rum 3 year aged rum from Panama
TEQUILA: Altos Plata A high rated silver tequila with notes of grass, citrus and spice
BOURBON: Very Old Barton A Kentucky straight bourbon from the Sazerac Company
SCOTCH: Dewars White Label Smooth, easy drinking scotch with soft smoke and hints of honey and toffee
LIQUEUR: Stirrings Triple Sec Naturally flavored with bright orange and the right amount of sugar
VERMOUTH: Dolin Dry A French fortified wine flavored flavored from 15 herbs and botanicals.
FRESH FRUIT: For Garnish or Juice: Lemon, Lime, Orange
BITTERS: Angostura
MIXERS: Club Soda, Tonic, Cola
SYRUP: Simple Syrup (1:1 Sugar to Water)
GARNISH: Luxardo Cherries, Olives
Cocktail Ideas
Now that you've got your bar stocked it's time to grab a few bottles, your tools and start mixing! Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas to get you on your way!
Spirit | Cocktail | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
VODKA | Vodka Collins | vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda |
Screw Driver | vodka, orange juice | |
Vodka Martini | vodka, dry vermouth, olive | |
GIN | Gin & Tonic | gin, tonic, lime |
Gin Martini | gin, dry vermouth, olive | |
RUM | Cuba Libre | rum, coke, lime |
Daiquiri | rum, lime, simple syrup | |
TEQUILA | tequila, triple sec, lime, simple syrup | |
Tequila Soda | tequila, soda, lime | |
BOURBON | Old Fashioned | bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, orange, cherry |
Bourbon Coke | bourbon, coke | |
SCOTCH | Scotch Soda | Scotch, soda |