Are you stocking your at-home bar, and wondering what you need? At George’s® Beverage Company, we have you covered! We’ve all been there- you’re scrolling through social media, and see a delicious-looking drink that catches your eye. You go to the cabinet and see that you have the right liquors, but you’re missing the club soda, or bitters to finish it off. It’s the worst! 

At George’s®, we want you to be prepared to celebrate with a good drink at a moment’s notice. This is why we created our guide to home bar essentials. Giving you the ingredients to make hundreds of recipes, without needing to run out to the store! 

At-Home Bar Tools

No matter if you’re just getting into making your own cocktails, or looking to step up your drink game, having the right tools for the job will set you up for mixologist success! See a few of our must-haves below. 

1. Cocktail Shaker

We highly recommend that every at-home bar setup has a cocktail shaker! This can be used to shake a combination of spirits, mixers, and ice, in order to blend the flavors together, while chilling the drink! 

2. Jigger

A jigger is a small measuring cup, used to portion liquid ingredients. Measuring your mixes and spirits into a jigger offers more accuracy and consistency from one drink to the next, ensuring you get the proper portions! 

3. Muddler

Muddlers are perfect for mashing up herbs and fruits and great for making cocktails such as mojitos, old-fashioned, and more! 

4. Strainer

Depending on the type of cocktail shake you get, you may need a strainer! This helps keep ice, herbs, smashed fruit, and more out of your cocktails. 

5. Cocktail Glasses

If you’re serious about your cocktail game, we recommend the following types of glassware to start your at-home bar setup! 

• Highball Glass: A highball glass, also known as a tall glass, or collins glass, is best used for cocktails served on the rocks. The narrow shape of the glass helps to keep the drink gold, and preserve carbonation. 
• Rocks Glass: Also referred to as a lowball glass, or simply a short glass, the rocks glass is short and wide, with a sturdy bottom. They are not meant to hold large amounts of ice and mixers. Instead, rocks glasses are perfect drinks made with mostly spirits. The shape allows for easy muddling, stirring, or simply adding a large cube of ice or two for a chill. 
• Stemmed Glasses: This is where your coupe, martini, wine, and champagne glasses come into play. Stemmed glasses are for cocktails served “up”, or, without ice, as the long stem prevents your hands from warming the drink through the glass. 

Pro Tip: Having a party? Keep an ice bucket and drink pitcher on hand so your guests don’t have to travel back and forth for cold ice, and you can big-batch your favorite spirits to pour! Also, keep that kitchen blender on deck for your favorite frozen drinks! 

At-Home Bar Spirits

A well-rounded bar should include at least one bottle of the following liquors. Stocking a good selection will ensure that you can mix up almost any cocktail on a whim! 

Vodka

Vodkas are used in many drinks because of their clean, transparent flavor. We recommend keeping at least two on deck, one a more true-vodka flavoring, and the other? OLD BAY® VODKA, of course! 

OLD BAY® VODKA is a crisp, refreshing, six-times distilled vodka infused with the iconic flavor of OLD BAY® Seasoning. See how we use OLD BAY® VODKA in everything from the Old Bay® Bloody Mary, a Frozen Bay Pineapple Sour, and even OLD BAY® VODKA Grapefruit Smash!

Tequila

When stocking your tequila, consider adding a blanco (or silver), as well as an aged reposado! While they have different flavor profiles, both are versatile at-home bar staples.

Gin

Love it or hate it, gin is great in many drinks! A London dry gin is the most versatile and can work in many drinks such as a dry martini, gin and tonic, and even add a fun spin on the Bloody Mary for the ultimate Red Snapper!

Rum

A well-stocked at-home bar includes at least two different options for rum. A light rum works well for most cocktails such as daiquiris and mojitos. For your second bottle, choose depending on your drink and taste preferences. You can choose from an aged, dark, or spiced rum! 

Whiskey

Different types of whiskeys have their own characteristics and use. Choosing which you stock in your bar will depend on your personal style and preferences! For the most versatility, we recommend stocking bourbon and Canadian whiskey!

At-Home Bar Non-Alcoholic Mixers

George’s® Craft Cocktail Mixes

Our mixes are a simple way to elevate your cocktail game! Have fun with your favorite cocktail by choosing from George’s® Frank’s RedHot®, OLD BAY®️, Zatarain’s®, or GEORGE’S® Spicy or Mild Bloody Mary Mixes. 

Bring on the tropics with George’s® Strawberry Margarita-Daiquiri, George’s® Piña Colada, and George’s® Lime Margarita Mix. Plus, keep to the basics with George’s® Sweet & Sour mix, featuring real lemon and a delicious well-rounded taste. 

All George’s® Craft Cocktail Mixes are made with real fruit and are delicious in a variety of bar recipes, and can be used in your favorite dishes! Search through all of our products! 

Bitters

A small bottle can sometimes pack a big flavor! A dash or two of bitters can upgrade the flavor of almost any cocktail. Aromatic and orange bitters are most often used, and a bottle can last years! 

Simple Syrup

It’s called simple syrup for a reason. This sugar and water combo is the best way to sweeten a cocktail, and effortless to make! 

Sodas

You may consider stocking a variety of sodas for your at-home bar setup. We like to keep club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, cola and diet cola, and lemon-lime soda on deck! Sodas are perfect mixers for your favorite drinks, we’re thinking Palomas, Crushes, Mules, Tom Collins, and so much more!

We can’t wait to see your at-home bar setup! Remember to tag  George’s Beverage Company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok! — We’d love to feature your creations on our Social Media and Website!

Cheers!