Sipping cocktails at home is a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening. Whether you’re entertaining friends or just relaxing by yourself, home cocktails add a touch of luxury and sophistication to any day. Try out these wine cocktail recipes and see if you agree. With a little bit of planning, setting up your home bar is easy and affordable. Grab a few bottles of your favorite spirits and get started.
Five Well-Known Cocktails to Serve Your Guests at Home
The Old Fashioned
This classic cocktail is simple but delicious. A mixture of sugar, bitters, and whiskey served over ice with a twist of citrus rind for garnish. It is as easy as mixing the ingredients in an old-fashioned glass and operating with a spoon. You can use practically any whiskey for this drink, so choose your favorite. You can also check out one of the many wine cocktail recipes for the perfect Old Fashioned cocktail recipe.
Cuba Libre
Also known as rum and coke, the Cuba Libre is made with cola, lime juice, and white rum. Mix two parts of cola with one piece of lime juice (about four ounces), then add an ounce of white rum and a little bit of ice. Or, if you prefer to keep the classic coke flavor, use two parts cola and one part rum. The lime juice cuts through the drink’s sweetness, making it an excellent choice for sweeter palates.
Cosmopolitan
This pink cocktail is made with vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice. To make it easy to mix, the ingredients for this one in a pitcher (about two liters) and stir to combine. You can also make several individual drinks by filling a shaker halfway with ice, adding all the ingredients plus three ounces of cranberry juice, and shaking for 10 seconds. Strain the drink into a martini glass, garnish with a twist of orange or lime peel.
Martini
The classic martini is made with gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and ice. Just fill a shaker halfway with ice cubes, add two parts gin or vodka to one part vermouth, and stir for about 10 seconds. Strain the drink into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an olive or lemon twist.
Negroni
This is a great cocktail to serve in the summer. It’s made with one part gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari (an Italian liqueur), with an orange twist. If you prefer your Negroni less bitter, substitute another part gin for Campari. It’s best to mix this one in a pitcher (about three liters), so you can serve it by the glass.
Good Ideas for a Small Home Bar
If you’re looking to set up a small home bar, all you need are a few bottles of your favorite spirits. Here are some other great ideas for setting up your tiny home bar.
Install a Counter and Cabinets to Store Your liquor
Even a tiny home bar can benefit from shelves and cabinets to keep your belongings organized. You can find these items at any home improvement store or online, but avoid the precious-wood look because it’s too fancy for cocktails. A sleek stainless steel cabinet is perfect for the home bartender—tall store items like vermouth bottles behind short ones like gin and whisky to take vertical space.
Get a Few Glasses
You don’t need tons of glassware for cocktails, but you need enough to serve your guests properly. You can get cheap cocktail glasses at dollar stores or party supply stores, but you can also find beautiful glassware online. Get several glasses so you’ll have enough for everyone.
Mix With an Ice Bucket and Tongs
Invest in an attractive ice bucket to keep your drinks cold on the countertop throughout the night. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something that looks nice and is stainless steel or plastic. You’ll also need a few pairs of tongs to handle your ice cubes, and make sure you have a small towel nearby to dry the glasses after washing them.
Install a Mini Fridge to Store Drinks and Snacks
A small home bar is perfect for hosting, but you’ll need a place to store your drinks and snacks when your guests arrive. A mini-fridge is the ideal solution; just make sure it looks nice if you want to keep it on display next to the countertop.
It doesn’t take much to transform a small home bar. With just a few bottles, a few accessories, and a mini-fridge, you can have everything you need for cocktails at home without having too much extra space taken up.
