A well-stocked home bar doesn’t require a hundred bottles and a wall of equipment. With the right core items, you can make 90% of classic cocktails your guests will request. Here’s exactly what to buy first.

Essential Bar Tools

Start with these six tools — they handle virtually every technique you’ll need:

• Cocktail Shaker: A Boston shaker set (tin + mixing glass) is the professional standard, but a cobbler shaker is easier for beginners.
• Jigger: A double jigger with 1 oz and 2 oz sides is all you need. Eyeballing leads to inconsistent drinks.
• Bar Spoon: For stirred cocktails like Manhattans and Negronis. A long bar spoon with a twisted handle prevents splashing.
• Strainer: A Hawthorne strainer fits over a shaker tin; a fine mesh strainer removes ice chips for double-straining.
• Muddler: For mojitos, old fashioneds, and spicy drinks. A flat-head muddler is more versatile than a toothed one.
• Citrus Juicer: Fresh juice is non-negotiable. A handheld citrus press or countertop juicer handles limes, lemons, and oranges.

Core Spirits (The Starter Six)

These six bottles let you cover whiskey, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and vermouth — enough for dozens of classic cocktails:

• Buffalo Trace Bourbon — Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour
• Tanqueray Gin — Gin & Tonic, Negroni, Gimlet
• Bacardi Rum — Mojito, Daiquiri, Dark & Stormy
• Espolòn Blanco Tequila — Margarita, Paloma, Tequila Sunrise
• Tito’s Vodka — Moscow Mule, Cosmopolitan, Bloody Mary
• Dolin Dry Vermouth — Martinis, Gibsons; refrigerate after opening

Essential Mixers and Modifiers

• Simple Syrup: Make your own (1:1 sugar:water, heat until dissolved, cool) or buy Monin simple syrup.
• Angostura Bitters: A bottle of Angostura bitters is in nearly every classic cocktail. One bottle lasts years.
• Tonic Water: Fever-Tree tonic makes an immediate difference over generic brands.
• Ginger Beer: Fever-Tree ginger beer for Moscow Mules and Dark & Stormies.
• Club Soda: For highballs and spritzes.
• Cointreau or Triple Sec: Cointreau for Margaritas, Cosmopolitans, and Sidecars.

Essential Glassware

You don’t need every glass type. Start with: rocks glasses (lowball) for Old Fashioneds and spirit-forward drinks, highball glasses for G&Ts and Moscow Mules, and coupe glasses for shaken-and-strained cocktails. Add a pint glass set for stirring if you go the Boston shaker route.

Nice-to-Have Additions

Once your core bar is solid: Campari for Negronis, Aperol for spritzes, maraschino liqueur for Hemingway Daiquiris, and a clear ice mold to impress guests with crystal-clear ice cubes.

Related Reading

• Best Whiskey Sour Recipes
• How to Make a Spicy Margarita
• Aperol Spritz vs Campari Spritz

See also: Best Gin and Tonic Recipes