gin
whiskey
What belongs in the home bar?
These spirits, ingredients and accessories are a must-have!
Your own little home bar is every spirits lover's dream. If you no longer want to put up with a cheap gin in the "poison cabinet", you should present your favorite drinks in style on a bar cart in the living room or kitchen. Ideal for the next whisky tasting, cocktail evening or gin and tonic round. But what exactly belongs in your own home bar? You can get your starter kit here.
What do you want to know?
Jump directly to the relevant category:
Still unsure?
Find unique tastings for the curious and lovers – whether whisky, rum or gin.
These are the most important spirits for the home bar
Of course, it is entirely up to you - or rather, your taste - which spirits you want to put in your bar cart . There should be at least two so that your guests at least have a choice. And you can also choose a different drink from time to time.
Here we give you a small overview of which spirits you can put in your home bar or your bar counter.
It is also useful to have a basic stock of other ingredients for decoration and enrichment. You will find out which ones are necessary below.
Typical spirits for the home bar :
- whiskey
- gin
- cognac
- vodka
- tequila
- Brown/White Rum
Simply select a category and receive spirits tips for your home bar:
whiskey
There's no question about it: a bourbon or scotch looks good in any home bar. Because no two whiskies are the same - and that's exactly what makes them so interesting. There's hardly a drink that has such a wide variety of flavors thanks to its countless aromas.
Whether you want a Scottish, American or Irish whiskey in your home bar is entirely up to your taste. One of the most popular is probably scotch made from malted barley. Nine out of ten Scottish whiskeys are blends. Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and Teachers are classic blended whiskeys. But many lovers also put American varieties such as bourbon (from Jim Beam, Maker's Mark or Evan Williams, for example) in their home bars.
Our top recommendations:
Are you still unsure which whisky you should have in your home bar, or do you want to discover new whiskies? We recommend a whisky tasting .
gin
Pure or in a cocktail - gin is very versatile. For this reason, it is also an indispensable basic item in a home bar. With the gin and tonic, martini, negroni, gimlet, gin basil smash or many other long drinks, there are an incredible number of ways to serve gin ( here are a few ideas to browse through ). The selection is correspondingly large.
Our tip : Limit yourself to one or two gins for your home bar. We have summarised the different types in our gin variety overview .
Our top recommendations:
Do you want to try a few different gins? Attend a gin tasting and find out which gin suits you.
cognac
Cognac is becoming increasingly popular these days. It is clearly one of the higher quality spirits, but it can enhance any home bar. Cognac bottles are usually real eye-catchers!
The brandy is usually distilled twice (double distillation process) and is location-specific. This means that the cognac must be distilled in the French town of Cognac or the surrounding area. An example of this is VS Cognac .
Alternatively, you can also choose brandy . This is basically the general term and the production is also quite similar. For example, a Solera Reserva Brandy tastes very good.
vodka
Vodka is not only the basis of many cocktails (for example in Sex on the Beach) and therefore usually tasteless, it also tastes really good neat.
Vodkas on the market today are characterized by their purity. There are also flavored ones. In any case, a vodka must have a minimum alcohol content of 37.5 percent vol.
Our tip : We recommend this vodka especially to cocktail lovers. Because with the help of this Russian spirit you can conjure up anything that tastes good.
Typical vodka-based cocktails are:
- Mojito
- Vodka Cranberry
- Cosmopolitan
- Bloody Mary
- Moscow Mule
tequila
Everyone probably knows the cactus that is typical for tequila. Mexico's national drink is an asset to the basic equipment of every home bar and belongs in the bar cart of lovers. Only the heart of the cactus is used for distilling, which has to mature for a good seven years.
Tequila can also be mixed well or enjoyed neat. The party classic of drinking tequila with salt and lemon does not originate from Mexico. It is a purely European and American invention. But of course it is no less bad...
Brown rum
Brown rum or dark rum is a classic in the home bar. Make sure that it actually got its color from maturing in wooden barrels and that it has not been artificially colored.
Brown rum tastes particularly good in cocktails. For example in a Mai Tai or old fashioned. Connoisseurs like to drink good rum neat. Our tip : Brown rum is really good to enjoy on ice.
Do you want to find your favorite rum? Check out the rum tastings near you . Suitable for beginners and professionals alike.
White rum
In contrast to brown rum, white rum is stored in steel tanks. It is mostly bottled unaged , while brown rum is still matured in oak barrels.
Nevertheless, white rum should not be missing from the basic equipment of the home bar. However, you should mainly use it for mixing cocktails. Accordingly, white rum is not that expensive.
The classics include:
- Pina Colada
- Mojito
- Long Island Iced Tea
Ingredients for the home bar
These add-ons are irreplaceable for the home bar:
-
Fruit, vegetables and herbs : lemons, limes, cucumber, basil, mint - anyone who drinks cocktails should always have a basic stock of fresh fruit, vegetables or suitable herbs for the home bar. The choice naturally depends on the spirits you have.
Our tip : With a small herb garden on the balcony you always have fresh ingredients. -
Long drink drinks : Tonic, soda or sparkling wine – you can't go wrong with these drinks. They can be mixed in many different ways with spirits.
Our tip : Check out our top list of tonic water to stock up on the best. - Ice : A classic that many people forget. Ice cubes should always be kept in the freezer. Also a good ice container.
- Fruit juices : Orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice are almost a must in the home bar. They can be used in many cocktails.
All other ingredients can usually be found in every kitchen: salt, pepper, milk and cream. If you want something a little more unusual, you should find out in advance what other ingredients you need. For example, nutmeg or vanilla are always good ideas.
This equipment should not be missing in any bar cart
In addition to the spirits and add-ons, you also need a basic set of equipment for the home bar. This includes:
- Cocktail Shaker
- Measuring cup
- Mixing glasses
- Tongs
- Ice container and scoop if necessary
- Lemon squeezer
- Bar strainer or strainer
- Matching glasses (mostly tumblers and long drink glasses)