Home Bar
Frank Sinatra once said, “Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy”, and we Kenyan folk adore our alcohol. If you enjoy alcohol enough to take it home with you, don’t just keep it in your shelves or fridges for the next social gathering; instead make things a little more interesting for yourself and your guests. With enough space, a few resources, some effort and a little imagination you too could make your own mini home bar, and probably more friends than you need as a result. Plus, the bar would make for a classy addition to your household.
Storing Your Liquor
Most alcoholic beverages last relatively long in cool temperatures, with the exception of a few. You can place your alcohol on shelves, or cupboard like platforms where you can access all your drinks easily, while also appearing impressive and organized.
Alcohol
It wouldn’t be a bar without this essential beverage. You don’t need various types of Vodka or spend excessively on expensive alcohol to bring your bar to life, just obtain the overall basics. Here’s a checklist of 13 drinks you require in making a successful home bar and fulfilling all your cocktail needs, leaving you with the ingredients to make numerous recipes.
- Bourbon
- Cointreau
- Gin
- Rum (light)
- Blended Scotch
- Tequila (White)
- Vermouth (one dry and one sweet)
- Vodka
- Wine (one red and one white)
- Beer (one light and one dark)
Mixers and Garnishes
We wouldn’t be able to adore our food without the spices, oils, salts and sauces we’ve come to appreciate, and in the same light, alcoholic drinks also need a little something non-alcoholic so as to enjoy them more. For mixers these include soda, ginger ale, sparkling water, orange juice, among several other options. Several garnishes comprise of lemons, lime, kosher salt, and green olives among others.
Barware or Accessories
Now that we’ve got all the essential beverages, we need the necessities for mixing and whisking these potions. Not many are required, and they are relatively simple to get the hang of. These are:
- Long cocktail spoon: basically used for mixing drinks in tall glasses
- Peeler
- Cutting Board
- Cork Screw
- Bottle opener
- Juice squeezer
- Bartenders handbook– a guide to mixing liquors
- Ice bag
- Muddler: used like a grinder to mash fruits, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavor.
- Jigger: a bartending tool used to measure liquor, which is typically then poured into a cocktail shaker
- Cocktail shaker
- Strainer: a metal bar accessory used to remove ice from a mixed drink as it is poured into the serving glass.
- Ice cube trays
Glassware
For general use of your home bar you would mostly need four or five of each of these three glasses:
- Martini Glasses
- Highball Glasses
- All purpose-wine glasses
