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The Ultimate Bartender's Guide

Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's and Party Guide

New American Bartender's Guide

Complete Home Bartender's Guide: 780 Recipes for the Perfect Drink

Maran Illustrated Bartending

Stir up your own signature cocktail.

Whether you’re hosting a party, aiming for a bartending job, or just conjuring a cocktail for your own enjoyment, mixing drinks is a fun and worthwhile craft. Become the toast of the town by learning to:

Stock your bar with essential alcohol, mixers, tools, and glassware
Master techniques from stirring to shaking to cutting lemon twists
Mix more than 60 of the most popular cocktail recipes

How to Stock a Bar

The first step to good bartending is to stock up on the basic ingredients: alcohol, mixers and juices, garnishes, and ice.

Alcohol

Whether you just want to mix a few drinks for friends or throw legendary cocktail parties for hundreds, there are only four major types of alcohol you’ll need.

Liquor

Liquors, or spirits, are alcoholic beverages distilled from grains, fruits, or other ingredients. Liquor is the key ingredient of nearly all mixed drinks, or cocktails, which combine one of the seven basic types of liquor with various mixers or juices. Some liquors are served straight (not mixed).

Liquors have high alcohol levels, measured in proof. The proof of a liquor is simply double the liquor’s alcohol content by volume: a vodka that’s 50% alcohol by volume, for example, is referred to as “100 proof.”

Spirit	Proof	Comments
Brandy	70–100	Brandy is made by distilling and aging wine or fruit. It comes in many varieties, including Armagnac, Calvados, Cognac, Eau-de-Vie, Frambroise, Grappa, and Kirsch.
Gin	70–90	Gin is a spirit flavored with juniper berries. Higher-proof dry gins are used in mixed drinks; sweeter, lower-proof Dutch gins may be served straight.
Rum	80–180	Rum comes in three varieties: light, gold, and dark. Most are used in mixed drinks, though darker rums are also used in cooking or sipped straight.
Tequila	80–110	Tequila is made from the agave plant, native to Mexico. Blanco (white tequila) is strong and bottled straight from the still. Oro (gold tequila) is mellowed with caramel. Reposado (rested) is mellowed by up to a year of aging in oak barrels; Añejo (aged) is aged for more than a year.
Vodka	80–100	Vodka is a clear spirit distilled from grain or potatoes. Modestly priced vodkas are great for mixed drinks. Higher-quality or flavored vodkas can be used for shots or sipped straight.
Whiskey	80–160	Whiskey refers to a wide range of spirits made from barley, wheat, rye, corn, or other grains and aged in oak casks. Whiskey may be blended (a mix of different types) or straight (only one type). Canadian whiskey is light-bodied; Irish whiskey has a stronger, smokier taste. Scotch whiskey encompasses a number of blended whiskies as well as single malt whiskey, which is stronger and more intensely flavored. American varieties include Tennessee whiskey and bourbon, an unblended whiskey that has a sweet, woody taste and is made only in Kentucky.

Liquor may be served in many different ways:

On the rocks: Served over ice
Straight up: Served chilled; no ice
Neat: Served directly from the bottle; no ice
Frozen: Mixed in a blender with ice
Dry: Not sweet

Aperitifs, Liqueurs, and Cordials

Aperitifs are drinks traditionally served as appetizers before meals. Liqueurs and cordials are sweet alcohols served as after-dinner beverages or used to accent cocktails. The most popular aperitifs, liqueurs, and cordials include:

Amaretto
Anisette
Baileys Irish Cream
Campari
Chambord
Cointreau
Crème de cacao
Crème de cassis
Crème de menthe
Grand Marnier
Kahlúa
Pernod
Sambuca
Schnapps
Triple sec

Beer

Beer is brewed from grains and hops, a dried plant material. Most beers are low in alcohol content, ranging from 3–7% alcohol by volume. Beer comes in many different styles, from pale, light-bodied pilsners to rich, dark stouts. The type you should stock depends on your budget and personal preference. At the very least, stock one brand of pale, light-bodied beer and another that’s darker and more full-bodied.

Wine

Wine is made by fermenting and aging grape juice. Wines may be red, white, rosé, or sparkling (see the Quamut guide to Wine.) For your home bar, stock at least one variety of red, white, and sparkling wine—preferably champagne, the premier type of sparkling wine.

Cost?

Though higher-quality alcohol generally makes better drinks, you don’t need to break the bank—cheaper alcohol works just as well in most cases. Save the good stuff for martinis, Manhattans, and other drinks that don’t contain mixers.