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Home Cocktail Bar Setup

Medium 20 items · 45 min
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testuser Published 1 month ago
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This checklist helps beginners and home entertainers set up a functional cocktail bar quickly. It covers spirits, liqueurs, vermouth, bitters, fresh ingredients, tools, glassware, and starter recipes.

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  1. Select versatile base spirits: gin, vodka, rum, tequila, whisky — Choose at least 2–3 to cover classics and modern drinks.
  2. Buy sweet and dry vermouth — Keep one sweet and one dry for martinis, Manhattans, and Negronis.
  3. Buy aromatic and orange bitters — Angostura and orange bitters cover most classic recipes.
  4. Stock essential liqueurs and modifiers — Add an orange liqueur, coffee or herbal liqueur, and a sweetener option.
  5. Buy fresh citrus: lemons, limes, and oranges — Purchase 4–6 of each; fresh juice elevates cocktails.
  6. Make basic syrups and mixers (simple syrup, grenadine, honey syrup) — Simple syrup 1:1 sugar to water; refrigerate up to a month.
  7. Ensure good ice quality and supply — Use filtered water; have large cubes and extra crushed ice.
  8. Gather essential bar tools — Collect the basic equipment for mixing and measuring.
  9. Add a shaker (Boston or cobbler) — Cobbler for beginners; Boston for more control and capacity.
  10. Add a jigger (15/30 ml) for accurate pours — Measure ingredients to keep cocktails balanced.
  11. Add a strainer and bar spoon — Hawthorne + fine strainer and a long spoon for stirring.
  12. Stock glassware for common cocktails — Cover rocks, highball, and coupe/martini styles.
  13. Add rocks/tumbler glasses — Use for Old Fashioned, neat pours, and simple servings.
  14. Add highball and Collins glasses — Needed for long drinks like Gin & Tonic and Tom Collins.
  15. Add coupe or martini glasses — Use for shaken or stirred 'up' cocktails.
  16. Organize garnishes and prep tools — Have a peeler, zester, muddler, olives, cherries, and citrus twists.
  17. Write and display five beginner recipes — Include Margarita, Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Martini, Whiskey Sour.
  18. Practice basic techniques: shaking, stirring, muddling — Practice with water to learn timing and dilution.
  19. Label and refrigerate vermouth after opening — Vermouth oxidizes—refrigerate and use within about 1 month.
  20. Set up a small serving station and clean workspace — Arrange spirits, tools, garnishes, and glassware within reach.
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