9 must-haves for setting up your own home bar

With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, it’s looking very likely that we won’t be celebrating the upcoming World Cocktail Day on 13 May in one of our favourite bars or restaurants this year.

But that doesn’t mean we need to miss out altogether!

Setting yourself up with a bar at home isn’t as challenging as it sounds. You just need the right equipment.

We asked our restaurant manager and resident barfly, Mark Langford to share his list of absolute essentials when it comes to setting up a home bar.

1. Boston Shaker

Any cocktail that requires shaking needs a Boston Shaker. Just pop them together and away you go!

2. Hawthorne strainer

Designed to fit right over your shaker, a Hawthorne strainer keeps large bits of ice and fruit out of your glass when you’re pouring.

3. Bar spoon

Perfect for stirred drinks, and also great for adding small amounts of syrups.

4. Jigger

A double-sided jigger is great for accurately measuring out ingredients to ensure your cocktails are perfectly balanced.

5. Mexican Elbow or juicer

Both of these are great for extracting all the fresh juice you need for your cocktails.

6. Muddler

A key component to a home bar, a muddler enables you to release the full flavours of any fruit you’re muddling into a drink.

7. Glassware

As a starting point, a good home bar should have a Rocks glass, a Highball and a Coupette. They will cover almost any cocktail that your heart desires.

8. Ice tray

For any cocktail, you need ice. Huge cubes might look great, but smaller cubes will cover any drink that you might make.

9. Peeler or small knife

Fruit peel is commonly used as a garnish, as well as to add a hit of extra flavour over the top.

If time is short, Mark suggests sourcing a cocktail making kit, which will see you covering all the basics. He likes this one from Barware as it has everything you need and is one of the best costing kits around, but there are plenty of other options available online.

So now that you have your home bar set up with the right equipment, what about the booze?

Mark has compiled his top five must-haves for filling your drinks cabinet and making standout vegan cocktails here.