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How to Stock a Home Bar on a Budget

Staff Writer

Updated November 20, 2024

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For cocktail aficionados — or party people getting ready for the holidays — making mixed drinks at home can be an expensive endeavor. While it’s undoubtedly cheaper to fill your cup at home instead of hitting the bar, keeping the liquor on hand to be your own mixologist can be costly.

Professional bartenders say the trick to saving money on your own home bar is to make a plan before you load up on hundreds of dollars worth of bottles. Like going to the grocery store hungry, strolling the aisles at the liquor store without a list can be a liability to your budget.

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How Much Does It Cost to Stock a Home Bar?

The cost of building a well-stocked home bar varies widely depending on what you already have on hand. If you’re starting from scratch, a basic home bar setup should set you back somewhere in the $250 to $500 range, depending on your taste in liquor.

How does that compare to the average cocktail budget in most cities? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey says consumers spent an average of $637 on alcohol in 2023, up $54 from 2022. This cost rises dramatically during the holidays and for younger people who raise a glass more often than others.

Elliott Clark, the founder of Apartment Bartender, reassures cocktail enthusiasts that many cocktails can be made at home with anywhere from three to five ingredients.

“The most expensive part is the spirit, and that doesn’t have to be expensive at all,” Clark said. “Spirits ranging in the $20 to $35 range are great for home cocktails.”

How To Stock a Home Bar on a Budget

Beginning with the end in mind is helpful when deciding what to buy for your home bar and what to leave on the shelf. There are two basic approaches to stocking a home bar on a budget.

If you’re new to making mixed drinks at home…

It’s best to sample and try a few different cocktails before you settle on what you want to invest in for your home bar.

“There are a few different ways you can go about stocking a home bar,” Clark advises. “The easiest — and most cost-effective — way is to stock your home bar with what you enjoy imbibing.”

If gin and tonics are your vibe, you’ll need a few types of gin, some quality tonic water and some herbs or citrus for garnish. If you’re an old-fashioned enthusiast, a selection of aromatic bitters, bourbon and rye whiskey, and some sugar cubes or simple syrup are a great place to start.

If you’re stocking (or restocking) a home bar for a party…

Grab a selection of liquors that cover the bases for a handful of classic cocktails. If you want to be on trend, Liquor.com says the most popular cocktails in the United States are the bourbon-based old-fashioned, the Manhattan, margaritas of all types, Long Island iced teas and various versions of martinis.

Stock Your Home Bar in 5 Easy Steps

Need a blueprint for starting the perfect home bar or filling your bar cart ahead of your next party? Follow these steps recommended by professional bartenders.

Step 1: Start With the Right Tools for the Job

“Having the right tools of the trade makes crafting cocktails at home a lot easier,” Clark said.

These are the home bar tools professional bartenders recommend to mix up cocktails at home.

Cocktail shaker

Saeed “Hawk” House, bartender, bar consultant and founder of Cocktails by Hawk, said the cocktail shaker is the cornerstone of any bar setup.

“As someone who has worked behind the bar for 10 years and has had experience using all types of cocktail shakers, I always recommend the metal-on-metal Boston shaker,” House insists. “This shaker is tried and true, and there is a reason why all working bartenders use them.”

Hawthorne strainer

This type of strainer fits across the top of a cocktail shaker (or a glass) and filters out ice, herbs, pulp, and any other bits you don’t want in your cup. Hawthorne strainers have tight coils that make the work of filtering easier.

If your shaker already has one built-in, you could skip the Hawthorne strainer. However, it’s an excellent long-term investment for your home bar or bar cart.

Jigger

There are many things your home bar setup can do without, but House warns that a cocktail jigger isn’t one of them.

“There is a reason why cocktail recipes have exact measurements,” he explains. “Every cocktail recipe is balanced, and if you want to maintain the integrity of that balanced cocktail, you need to measure the ingredients appropriately.”

If you can’t locate a jigger and are desperate, a tablespoon is a half-ounce. The small pour on a jigger is one ounce, while the tall pour is usually a two-ounce measurement.

Bar spoon

The long-handled spoons in bar sets are very handy for mixing and muddling ingredients. And since they’re inexpensive, there’s no good reason not to have one.If you’re stocking a home bar on the fly, choose an alternative to a muddler lying around your kitchen, like a thin wooden spoon or reusable steel straw.

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Step 2: Buy These Home Bar Essential Liquors

Stocking a home bar or bar cart from scratch? House recommends beginning with one bottle of each of the following seven liquors:

Vodka
Gin (London Dry Gin or other)
Rum (dark rum, light rum or white rum)
Tequila
Bourbon
Single-malt scotch
Cognac

Suppose you want to pare down the selection a bit further. In that case, Clark of Apartment Bartender advises choosing four to five bottles divided evenly among aged spirits, like bourbon and reposado tequila, and unaged spirits, like gin and vodka.

How much should you spend per bottle for these base spirits?

“I’d say a $150 to $200 investment (total) is a great start here,” Clark clarifies.

That’s a modest budget of around $30 to $50 per bottle.

Step 3: Mix in the Essentials

Sipping tequila straight isn’t for everyone. The good news is you can mix plenty of flavor into your favorite cocktails with just a few simple ingredients from your fridge:

Simple syrup
Lemon juice and lime juice
Fresh juice (apple, orange or tomato juice)
Club soda or tonic water
Soda (ginger beer, Coca-Cola, etc.)
Sparkling wine (optional)

Remember that simple syrup, one of the most essential mixers, is just sugar and water. Most bars infuse simple syrup with herbs and other flavors for fun variations on popular cocktails.

Bitters are another must-have that might cost a little upfront but should last a long, long time. House suggests having the three main bitter varieties on hand: Peychaud’s, Angostura and orange bitters.

Step 4: Garnish From the Garden

Garnishes play an outsized role in the flavor profile of any good cocktail. Fortunately, most of what you’ll float in your drinks is edible, cheap and readily available.

Some common garnishes to keep on hand include citrus fruits (limes, lemons, oranges) and sprigs of herbs like rosemary or mint. Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg are also popular garnishes for seasonal cocktails.

Remember to keep some salt and sugar on hand for rimming glasses. You can also upgrade your home bar setup with a small cutting board, knife and juicer to feel like a real professional.

Step 5: Stock a Few Liqueurs or Aperitifs (Optional)

With a little extra room in your budget, you can expand your home bar selection into a pretty sweet setup. House advises branching out into a few basic liqueurs or aperitifs when you’re ready.

“I suggest stocking a Cointreau, Campari, Aperol, an Amaro and absinthe of your choice,” he said. “Feel free to get seasonal by adding an all-spice dram, elderflower or melon liqueur when the time is right.”

Take a look at your favorite alcoholic drink, and invest in one bottle of the featured spirit such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or even something seasonal (like Peppermint Schnapps).

A Word About Bar Glasses

While it’s nice to have a full bar with complimentary glassware, you don’t need martini or Collins glasses for most cocktails. Home bars focused on mixing drinks usually need basic wine glasses, a highball glass for slightly taller cocktails and a few rocks or lowball glasses.

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Stock Your Home Bar on a Budget With This Money-Saving Tip

Thirsty for a deep bench of the best bottles…but don’t have the budget yet? Don’t worry. When stocking a home bar, House advises finding a balance between saving and splurging by purchasing two bottles.

“My advice on how to balance cost with quality is this: Splurge more on the things you enjoy drinking for your home bar,” House explains. “For me, I usually stock two of every core spirit.

One is dedicated to cocktails (my call bottles), while the other is to sipping neat or on the rocks (my top-shelf bottles). When entertaining and making cocktails for your guests, use your call bottles. If you like your guest, let them sip from your top-shelf stash.”

The next time company calls, don’t fall back on that reliable bottle of red wine. As you build a deeper bench of spirits in your home bar setup over time, you’ll naturally find an approach that satisfies your guests and your budget.

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Kaz Weida is a former senior writer with The Penny Hoarder.