Liquor Stock

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Start with the Alcohol Basics

When you first start to get your alcohol and liquor stock together for your home bar, acquire the basics of alcohol first. By the basics, I mean to buy the types of alcohol that allow you to mix the largest variety of mixed drinks and cocktails.

But before you buy any of your liquor, buy a liquor cabinet of some kind to keep the alcohol in storage and away from light whenever you're not mixing drinks. The quality of your liquor stock will degrade quickly without the proper storage.

There are a few kinds of liquor that you will always want to keep on hand for your home bar. Start with these basic spirits and expand from there: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey and tequila are the basic staples to start with.

Buy these in 750ml bottles for easiest storage and for regular use. Go for the larger bottles when throwing a party or when having more guests over. And get the brands you like the most since you will be drinking from and mixing from them the most.

If you or your guests like to drink some of the finer types of spirits, then you already know which kinds of liquor to get. But again, keep them out of direct light when not in use.

Vodka is probably the most versatile of all the liquors because it has less of a distinct taste then any of the others. This allows you to use the most drink recipes of any alcohol. Rum, both light and dark, is also a very versatile liquor and is found in many cocktail recipes. Tequila and gin are normally not as important to have in your liquor stock, but if you or guests like them then by all means stock some of these spirits.

You may want to consider adding at least 2-3 kinds of Whiskey to your liquor stock. A bottle of Bourbon, some good Scotch, and maybe an Irish whiskey will be nice additions to your liquor stock.

If you regularly have guests over that you know prefer certain drinks, then stock some of their favorites. Maybe get some Cointreau or Triple Sec for those that like Margaritas. Have some Kahlua for Black Russians, or blue curacao for any number of blue drinks. Or maybe stock some Peach Schnapps for those that like Fuzzy Navels. Accomodating friends and guests is all part of being a great home bar host.

As you've probably figured out by now, there are at least a million combinations when getting together the liquor for your home bar. But if you'll buy the basic liquors, everything else will gradually come together for your home bar liquor stock.

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