Decide the place
The first step in creating a home bar is deciding where to put it. For cramped urban dwellers, a bookshelf cabinet or a drink cart might have to suffice, while those with the luxury of space might dedicate most of a room (or even the entire room) to the project. Ideally, the bar should be a freestanding structure with a countertop and shelves below, and with easy access to a sink and running water. Whatever the dimensions, there should be ample room to accommodate your stock of spirits and drink-making accessories. You should have a place for everything and keep everything in its place, so that things are ready at hand when you need them.
Get equipped!
Next comes the equipment. To make professional-quality drinks, you need professional-quality tools. This is the real key to successful cocktails. Having the right equipment is an important part of mastering any craft.
Essential home bar tools include
1. Ice bucket for extra ice cubes and tongs
2. One cocktail shaker and bar strainer, known as hawthorn
3. One can and bottle opener
4. One deluxe corkscrew with all sorts of openers, pries, lifts etc; magnetic if possible
5. One paring knife and cutting board for fruits and mini bites
6. Two stirring and mixing glasses or jug
7. Two long handled stirring spoons to enable you to shake just as readily as stir
8. Gadgets like an electric blender, particularly for frozen cocktails
9. Low-tech items such as measuring cup, a good citrus reamer, preferably glass, for extracting the juice from lemons, limes and oranges
10. Glass jug and punch bowl are also an asset
11. One packet each of short straws and napkins
12. One jar containing, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg (whole and powdered)
13. Maraschino cherries, pearl onions, olives and honey
14. Sugar and salt for coating of rim glasses
15. Ice crusher preferably electric
Glassware counts
Proper glassware is an obvious, if often neglected, necessity for any home bar. Home bartenders should pay more attention to the aesthetics of drink preparation, like proper glassware and garnishes. Not only the appearance but also the smell and yes, even the taste of a wine, can be substantially enhanced by using proper glasses. They do not have to be prohibitively costly, although as with everything else the best doesn’t come cheap! But then you can make them last long. There are some broad guidelines that we all can follow when choosing glasses. Firstly, always use a plain glass to set off your best wines. Coloured ones, or even those that have just the stems and bases tinted, can distort the appearance particularly of white wines. And although cut crystal can look beautiful, avoid it for wines because it does not make for the clearest view of the liquid in the glass.
Different types of glasses for the home bar
• Half a dozen martini or cocktail glasses in small and large sizes for drinks served up
• Half a dozen London dock or shot glasses for aperitifs, liqueurs, tequila etc.
• One dozen stemmed glasses for wines (red and white)
• Half a dozen tall glasses for iced drinks and cocktails
• One dozen beer mugs
• Half a dozen highball glasses for spirits like scotch and whisky
• Half a dozen champagne flutes or saucers for serving champagne
It sounds like a lot, but if you have one party you will use them all. Glasses should be carefully looked after. Each glass should be separately washed in hot water. Glasses should then be rinsed in lukewarm water and allowed to drain before rinsing with a clean linen cloth.
Stock up the alcohol
Though stocking a home bar with spirits requires a certain investment, the best approach is to make it fit your budget.
1. Vodka
2. Rum (light and dark)
3. Gin
4. Scotch
5. Tequila
6. Wine (red and white)
7. Beer (including nonalcoholic)
8. Liqueurs (such as Kahlua, Peach Schnapps and Malibu)
9. Bar liquids (such as club soda, tomato juice, canned fruit juices, sugar syrup, aerated soft drinks etc.)
Order and organize
Organize your liquour bottles and keep them in the same order at all times. Place them within easy reach. Juices can be arranged in a specific order near or at an angle to the liquour bottles. Fruits for flavour and garnish should also be handy.
Obviously you will need ice nearby, so it would pay to think in what you plan to keep the ice in. If you have a real bar set-up, the ice will go in an ice well designed for that purpose. If you are in the kitchen you can keep the ice in a cooler or chill the bottles in a sink filled with ice. In fact the ice must be fresh and dry. Use the best filtered water to make ice and, if you prefer, use bottled water. Ice should taste only of water. Ice is used in a blender, a shaker, a mixing glass or directly in a glass. Why do you need ice? Ice is used to ensure spirits are cooled as they are poured into a glass. Remember not to use the ice remaining in the shaker for the next drink because the ice will be broken and will retain the flavour of the previous drink. Ice can be crushed, shaved, cracked or frozen in cubes. The difference is that cracked and shaved ice is more watery than solid ice cubes. When added to a drink, the spirit is immediately diluted. With solid ice cubes, the ice holds its water longer through the sipping. The ice melts ever more slowly. As a rule, ice cubes are used for cocktails made in a shaker. Crushed ice is used for drinks created in a blender. Some ice cube trays produce fun shapes, such as stars, triangles and hearts. These add an interesting visual touch in cocktails made for a special occasion.
Always keep several small towels handy and be sure to clean up even small spills as soon as they happen! Keeping your bar area clean is not only healthy, it is aesthetically more pleasing to your guests.
