Common Stock Wet Bar Items

The proper bar is well stocked.

Drinking at home has several advantages: no other customers, no smoke or noise, no bar tab and no questions about how to get home. To enjoy the same drinks at home as at a bar, you will need a well-stocked wet bar. This includes a sink (hence the name "wet bar"), a small refrigerator, glassware, hardware, stock and garnishes. A bartender's guide to mixed drinks--a cocktail recipe book--is also nice.

Glassware

Choose glassware that is appropriate for the kind of drinks you plan to serve. For example, make sure to have stemware if you are going to have wine, martini glasses if you plan to have martinis, or highball glasses if you plan to serve cocktails such as Tom Collins, mojitos or Singapore slings. Brandy snifters are necessary for brandy, cognac or liqueurs. If you are a beer drinker, beer glasses or chilled mugs are appropriate.

Hardware

Choose the hardware you will need for the kind of drinks you intend to make. If you are going to have wine you will need a corkscrew. If you make mojitos (or old-fashioneds) you will need a muddler--a small wooden pestle that is used to crush herbs. For some drinks you need a strainer, and a bar spoon always comes in handy. A knife and a cutting board are necessary for cutting lemons and limes. For a lot of drinks--especially frozen drinks--a blender is necessary. For margaritas, you will need a couple of saucers (for adding the rim of salt) and some napkins or a sponge so that the rims of the glasses can be wetted before the salt is applied.

Stock

The stock controls what you will be making. The basic stock is one red wine, one white wine and one bottle each of vodka, gin, rum and whisky. You should adjust this basic list to fit what you and your friends like. For example, if you do not need whisky, you should not stock it, and if you like drinks that require two kinds of rum--like Mai Tais or Caribou Lous, then you will need the two different kinds of rum. Stock also includes mixes: coke, 7up, tonic and seltzer. If you make highballs you need seltzer. Most alcoholic drinks will last forever--alcohol is a preservative--as long as they are kept closed. Liquors with cream (like Baileys) will go bad. however, so if it has been around for a while check it before serving.

Garnishes

Garnishes are an important part of the drinking experience. A martini without an olive is just a glass of gin. If you don't drink martinis, you won't need olives. Other garnishes that often go with drinks are lemons, limes, oranges, cocktail onions and maraschino cherries. Some garnishes, like mint and pineapple, will not keep and so must be bought the day that you plan to use them. For margaritas, you will need coarse salt (kosher, sea or bar).

References

• AboutBarWare: Stocking a Home Wet Bar
• BostonMagazine: Stocking Up
• FoodServiceWarehouse: Home Bar Design

Resources

• TheHousingForum: The Home Bar