How big is your home bar? (Assuming you have one and don’t just keep liquor on hand)
If you have a true bar, what do you stock regularly? How many bottles would you say you have at any given time? Do you wish you had more? Do you purchase for parties and get togethers rather than keep things in stock?
Just curious as I am in the process of populating a new-ish home bar.
Overwhelming responses again.
My home bar is a shelf in the wine cellar, not a true bar, but for most staples i just have one bottle on hand (vodka, gin, teq, etc) if you want a selection at my house, you have to ask for bourbon. If I have a party, it’s the same thing but I just buy more
my home bar is about 6 feet wide and has 3 bar stools in front …more of an accessory than the centerpiece of the room due to size restrictions
I keep all the staple speed rack liquor and mixers that don’t require refrigertation in it.
i keep the open bottle plus a full of each
I also get 1.75 bottles for specific guests
my MIL drinks grey goose like water and her husband drinks rum by the pint glass
on the shelfs behind the bar, i keep my premium liquor (about 20+ vodka, 5 or 6 differnt gin, 10+ tequila & rum - note: a good friend owns a bar and I get them at his cost)
in the cabinet to the left, l keep my private stash of scotch and bourbon (under lock)
Holy cow…I want your bar!
still stocking up booze and shopping for an actual bar. But right now I have about 4-5 gin’s on hand, 2 vodka’s, a few bottles of rum, about 20 bottles of bourbon and 15ish bottles of scotch.
Not that big. Crate & Barrel Madison wine tower. Store all liquor bottles in the slot.
Usually just have one bottle of each of the following:
Liquor
Bourbon (Wish I had more of)
Single Malt Whisky (wish I had more of)
Vodka (sometimes 2 different kinds)
Gin (wish I had more of)
Tequila
Rum (also, sometimes 2 different kinds)
Brandy
Accoutrements
Cointreau
Vermouth (dry I believe)
Can’t recall any others at the moment
Miscellaneous Crap
Dubbonet; for my wife’s grandmother
Purchase for Parties
Sausage; LOTS of sausage! 
I can answer this better with a picture, so I will take one tonight. I have a liquor cabinet that I am very fond of.
Good thing you don’t live in Oregon. Bars here pay the standard, state-determined and outrageous retail as the rest of us - which is anywhere from 40 to 80% more than what the same item costs at retail in California. There, bars pay wholesale which is, of course, lower yet.
20+ Vodkas! That seems like a lot!
Got mine at World Market for I think $399 (was less on sale). I really like it because it is fairly small when all closed up. It can be opened easily for personal use, but then the flip top opens even wider if I am entertaining. I keep the liquor in there, and some beers I am going to drink in the next few months, and any cheaper, drink now wines.
He fits nicely, but I prefer to keep him secluded from the others…
Try to always have on hand one nice bottle and a handle of another for blended drinks.
Gin: one nice bottle and one handle of Tanqueray
Vodka: Ketel One and handle of Absolut
Tequila: top shelf bottle only
Bourbon Whiskey: Buffalo Trace/Eagle Rare and liter of Knob Creek
Scotch: 12/18 year olds variety
Campari
Small bottle of Absynthe
Grand Marnier
Bitters
And nice martini glasses (not too big) and low-ball glasses.
Mine is spread all over the place. About 2 dozen rums in a linen closest, most of the mixing agents in a cabinet off the kitchen, another cabinet with maybe a dozen gins and mixing whiskeys, a rack w/ other spirits in the dining room, all the non-cocktail spirits (like whisky) down in the wine cellar which also has the excess and stuff that is seldom used.
Like cooking, the secret to mixing is good mise-en-place. If I am going to make cocktails, all the needed stuff gets pulled and lined up so that I can go through it efficiently.
A.
I was wondering when you were going to check in.
What are your essentials right now?
You know you will have better luck finding me on Twitter!
Here is what I am shaking currently :
Gin: Ransom Old Tom, Cadenhead Old Raj would be my ones for bespoke cocktails.
Rogue Pink Spruce (that + a little gomme syrup is really close to Old Tom), Whitley Neil, Brokers (house)
Death’s Door makes my absolute fav American artisan gin.
Rye : Rittenhouse 100, (out of) Templeton, High Mountain Rendezvous (latter two bespoke)
Sazerac, Old Overholt
Bourbon : Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Tuthilltown Baby (no bespoke right now)
Cognac : Remy VSOP
Rum : Smith and Cross, Sea Wynde, Angoustura 1821 (bespoke),
Mount Gay Eclipse, Appleton XV, Ron Zacapa
St George Agua Libre Aged (out, unavailable) is an incredible agricole style
Lemon Hart 151 is the only 151 worth anything. No US distribution, down to a wee dram.
Whisky : Red Breast, Laphroig Quarter Cask
Other stuff in heavy rotation : Luxardo Maraschino, Chartreuse, Carpano Antica (vermouth), St. Elizabeth Allspice, Batavia Arrack, Velvet Falernum.
Loving Bittermen’s Bitters, Trader Tiki Syrups
The other essential is proper ice cube trays to get small and large true cubes.
A.
Where did you find good ice cube trays?
oxo trays work well for large ice cubes
I am still searching for small ice cube trays, maybe 3/4"-1" cubes
Tovolo is the brand.
Sur la Table has:
http://www.surlatable.com/product/perfect+cube+ice+cube+trays.do?keyword=ice&sortby=ourPicks
Also other on line retailers.
Tovolo also has 2" cube trays which I love. I got them at Sur la Table, but don’t see them on SlT’s site.
Lastly, there is this http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Spherical%20Ice%20Tray%20Set_10451_10001_57253 to make spherical ice.
A.
Thanks guys. I’ll check them out.