Written by Callie and Beyond Bartending

You guys, this post has been a long time coming. Months ago me, Kenzie, and Brenna met up with Dave and Lauren of Beyond Bartending. They had worked with me when I was a venue manager as our go people for all things bar related at weddings. I got to know them and often times you could find me chit-chatting with them behind the bar on wedding nights. They were the bartenders at both Brenna’s and my wedding and we love the two of them!

So when we went to visit them a few months ago we all had a great time catching up and Dave and Lauren taught us all about the basics of a home bar! We had the styling portion down, but needed help on what type of liquors to stock up on, what tools were essential and a place to start for making great cocktails. So let’s jump in and hear from the experts!

Essential tools for the bar

I don’t know about ya’ll but I had no idea where to start with any of this. I’ve always loved the idea of the old school bartenders and all the gadgets they used to make those premium cocktails, but it always seemed so unattainable. Here’s what Lauren and Dave suggest to start with:

Bottle opener : (also known as a bar blade) every bar needs one. Heck, every human. That’s why archaeologists uncover these gems all the time.

Wine opener: ( also known as a wine key) Learn to use a good wine opener. If you do, you will instinctively learn if a wine is good or bad while pulling the cork.

Mixing tin: (preferably stainless steel)

Mixing glass: People think they should have a shaker, but if you are new to this game, (or even a professional) you cannot possibly see what you are pouring in a steel tin, thus the glass and tin. The glass is where you measure out all the ingredients for a cocktail, the tin is for shaking and chilling.

Jigger: otherwise known as the measures. It is usually shaped like an hour glass. 2 ends.1 ounce/ 1.5 ounces. The jigger is a barmen’s best friend , it ensures you are concise when following a recipe, or creating one.

Strainer: This stainless steel gadget is a win/ win... it strains pulp from your pressed and squeezed citrus, it pours the perfect chilled martini, manhattan’s and all of the shaken and strained cocktails.

Muddler: This little tool is designed to break down an ingredient (oranges, sugar, mint) There are 2 sides, the knob is for gently impressing a garnish to prepare for a cocktail, (think lemons, oranges) the prongs are for breaking down a harder additive (sugar cubes, ginger)

Long cocktail spoon/ stirring spoon: Usually 12 inches is just right. The 16 inch spoons are just plain ridiculous (unless, you have a cocktail glass on steroids (read: hurricane). And we certainly do not want to be serving anything that large.

Cutting board: for all the fresh fruit and veg you will be slicing and dicing, the herbs you will be chopping. 

Paring knife: for everything you may need to pare, cut, slice and shape.

Juice squeezer: and I mean the real hand pressed squeezers. They are economical, fun to work with and just delivers the essence and juice from every single citrus. They are designed for all of the citrus fruits. Orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit. They come in a color coordinated pack. Usually the grapefruit squeezer is steel/ aluminum. The others, yellow, orange, green. Easy Peasy!

Peeler: This little beauty will serve you well. It’s designed to create zests (orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit). It can shave a cucumber for a garnish or a cocktail. It knows no bounds! And you probably already own one to peel the spuds.

Basic liquors to have on hand

• Vodka

• Gin

• Rum

• Tequila

A note: there are brown, dark and spicy rums. There are gold and aged tequila’s, but for the purpose of a bar stock I would suggest sticking with the clear alcohols.

• Whiskey

• Scotch

• Vermouth: this is an aromatic aperitif, that is a key ingredient in “classic cocktails” MARTINI. MANHATTAN, ROB ROY, AND THE NEGRONI

• Triple sec : a strong, sweet, and colorless orange flavored liqueur. It is a modifier to the liquor you are serving.

FRESH INGREDIENTS TO HAVE ON HAND:

• Limes

• Lemons

• Oranges

• Ginger root( you can find in your grocer’s shelf) peel and/or grate for great garnishes and infusions (we’ll get to that in a later post!)

• Sugar: you can create your own simple syrup with a 1:1 ratio. One cup water, one cup sugar bring to boil, cool and store. Voila, you have the sweetener you need for every cocktail when and if needed. You can infuse these simple syrups with mint, ginger, cinnamon, green tea... the options are endless. You can add to lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice. It’s your palette, enjoy and discover!

Easiest and Most Impressive Drinks to make at Home

• Olde Fashioned

• French 75

• Vodka, gin, Sour

*do I smell another “Easy but Impressive” series post coming up??*

And that’s it! With these basics you’ll be on your way to the perfect at home bar that is sure to impress all your snobby friends!

We had a great time with Beyond Bartending! We have a few more posts that will be coming out including one about hiring the perfect bartenders for your wedding over at Local Pines and we hope to have more posts sharing drink recipes and how to make them in the future!

If want to see more about at home bars and how to make killer drinks let us know!