Any home bar should have at least twelve spirits. Commercial bars have, on average, around 40 bottles. Many homeowners would like to prepare classic and contemporary cocktails alike, but don’t have enough space or money for buying the ingredients required. The good news is that you can create dozens of cocktails by using only a few basic drinks like vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey.
Here five essential spirits that any home bar should have:
Vodka
Vodka is the main ingredient in over 37 cocktails, including Cosmopolitan, Vodka Tonic, Apple Martini, Chocolate Martini, Long Island Iced Tea, and Bloody Mary. Since it has no distinct taste, color, or flavor, it’s the best mixing liquor of all of the base spirits. The most popular brands are Stolichnaya and Absolut. This drink is 40 percent alcohol and has a silky texture. When stocking your home bar, get non-flavored vodka. You can mix it with almost anything.
Rye Whiskey
This popular drink is all over the place in classic cocktails. Rye whiskey is made with wheat, rye, and barley. It’s similar in taste to Bourbon and can be mixed with most drinks. Some of the finest whiskey cocktails include Pickleback, Manhattan, Seven and Seven, John Collins, Frisco Sour, and Algonquin.
Gin
A bottle of Plymouth gin would be the perfect addition to your home bar. This versatile beverage is extremely mixable, perfect for your favorite cocktails. You can use gin to prepare fabulous drinks such as martini, Yale Cocktail, Texas Tea, London Cup, Minnehaha, Electric Iced Tea, Gin & Tonic, Bee’s Knees, Tom Collins, and New Orleans Fizz. Choose popular brands like Hendrick’s, Hertekamp, Martin Miller’s London Dry, and Old Raj.
White Rum
Any home bar should have both dark and light rum. Light-bodied rum has a clean, light flavor, and mixes well with most drinks. It’s used in lots of cocktails and tropical drinks, including Blue Hawaiian, Frozen Daiquiri, Bacardi, Mojito, Pina Colada, Anejo Highball, Caipirinha, and Hurricane. This subtle liquor is similar to vodka, but has a sweeter taste.
Dark Rum
Dark rums are combined with light rum in many cocktails. They have a rich flavor that most people love. They are delicious when served hot and buttered. The best cocktails with dark rum include the 1972 Old Way Mai Tai, the Old Caribbean, Black Forest, Bushwacker, Melon Bomb, Eggnog, Mai Tai, Zombie, and Brass Monkey. This fine beverage is made from molasses and retains its natural flavor.