Ah, our first home bar setup… Complete with a variety of spirits and a thrifted set of glasses. We were feeling like real (home) bartending hotshots. Riiiiiight up until we dove into a collection of cocktail recipes and realized we didn’t have half the ingredients. After (quickly!) resolving this issue, we’re here to give you the scoop on the top five staple mixers every home bar needs.
Simple Syrup
We like it, we love it, we want some more of it! Simple syrup is behind every single bar you’ve ever been to and is a key ingredient in a lot of cocktails. It lives up to its name with a simple ingredient list—just water and sugar. It’s easy to make at home (and even easier to buy—we don’t all have the patience for DIY) and will save your poor wrists from trying to mix sugar or honey into a chilled cocktail. Added bonus: you can infuse your homemade simple syrups with just about any flavor you can imagine. We’ll gladly take our cocktails with infused booze AND infused syrup mixers, thanks!
Lemon and Lime Juice
If you know us, you know we’re big citrus fans—but we SWEAR these are important. Lemon and lime shine in a huge array of cocktails from Whiskey Sours to Margaritas to French 75s. We like keeping whole lemons and limes on hand for a quick juice since we can use the peels for garnish, but we won’t judge if you use the bottled stuff! And if you have one of the two on hand, don't sweat. Just choose your fav and boldly declare that your signature twist on a Moscow Mule is a bright lemony flavor.
Bitters
Bitters are a trendy addition to a cocktail for good reason. These little bottles feature highly concentrated botanical flavor in a base clear alcohol. There’s a wide range of flavors used to create bitters like citrus, herbs and tree bark (!), but they’re all—you guessed it—bitter. Don’t be intimidated though! A couple of drops is all it takes to add depth and complexity to simple drinks. Angostura and orange bitters are the staples we recommend keeping stocked on your bar cart, but there are lots of flavors to explore like chocolate, cherry and cardamom!
Vermouth
Vermouth is like wine’s cooler cousin who spent time traveling the world. It’s infused with a worldly combination of brandy, herbs and spices, and a lil’ extra sweetness—yum. It comes in sweet and dry varieties to suit different cocktails, and with both of them on hand, you’ll be able to mix up Martinis, Manhattans, and (our forever fave) Negronis. P.S. you can wow your party guests by telling them that dry vermouth they’re sipping on includes wormwood, just like absinthe.
Soda Water
Sometimes you need something a little bit bubbly! Plain old soda water (aka seltzer) instantly upgrades your cocktail into something refreshing and effervescent—and shines in summery cocktails like Tom Collins and Highballs. You should also grab a bottle of tonic water, which looks the same at first glance but gets a little boost of bitter flavor from added quinine! Your drinking buddies will thank you for their perfect Gin & Tonics.
There’s a whole world of endless possibilities for mixers (hellooooo apple cider for fall cocktails), but these five will take you far. Combined with your essential liquors, you’ll have everything you need to mix up Manhattans, Daiquiris, Martinis…the list goes on. Let’s just say the guests at your next dinner party will be blown away by your cocktail menu, mixologist!