It’s something that many cocktail enthusiasts and would-be entertainers aspire to have, but amassing a collection of bottles, mixers, glassware, and various tools of the trade can be, well, expensive and a hobby in itself. I mean, who doesn’t like combing through antique stores for really neat glassware and bar stuff?
Just me? Oh, nevermind.
If I’m not drinking craft beer, I’m tippling on a small batch bourbon or rye whiskey. Two fingers, neat, with soapstone whiskey stones straight from the freezer to put a slight chill in the glass — if you really must know. I appreciate a well-made gin martini or Sidecar, but I don’t find myself craving them at home, so I don’t buy gin or brandy on the regular. I’ll leave those cocktails to the pros. They’ll do a better job than I can.
Here’s a tip: don’t overthink the home bar and stock smart — with what you like to drink. Plan your cocktail shopping just like you plan your grocery list. If I’m making a curry, I’m not going to buy steak and eggs and flour and cheese. I’m going to buy ingredients for that curry.
Get it? Good.
The Essential Mixers
Perhaps the two most essential bar staples are bitters and simple syrup. Making simple syrup is easy: one part water, two parts sugar heated in a saucepan long enough to dissolve the sugar and cooled before stashing it in the fridge in a squeeze bottle. Incredibly versatile stuff, especially if you infuse it with aromatics for some unique flavors.
If you’re looking for more exotic ready-made syrups, I highly recommend the small batch Morris Kitchen Flavored Syrups out of Brooklyn, NY and Buttermilk Mixers from Charleston, SC. I always have a bottle of ginger syrup from Morris Kitchen and a bottle of Tom Collins with Elderflowers and Hops from Buttermilk at the ready.
Bitters? Start with Angostura aromatic bitters, a good orange or citrus bitters like Jack Rudy and Peychaud’s. Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters are the heavy lifters in the home bar, and you’ll find them easily at your local Wine & Spirits shop.
For the adventurous cocktail enthusiast, there are some really interesting flavored bitters available on the market — we’re talking things like rhubarb, celery, and grapefruit. I like Fee’s Brothers and the Bitter Truth. One of my favorite shops in York is 56 Urban Provisions — and they stock Fee Brothers AND Jack Rudy. In fact, they stock all the specialty syrups, mixers and bitters mentioned here, so give them a visit.
They ship, too.
….And the Rest
There’s only a few bar tools I consider absolutely essential: the basic Boston shaker, a Hawthorne strainer and a bar spoon, but buy whatever suits your fancy. I’d prefer to keep my budget open for tasty PA rye whiskies like Wigle.
Until next time and cheers.
