Originally Posted by
gfunkdave
One bottle each of:
-good whiskey (bourbon or scotch or both)
-good vodka
-good gin
-good rum (one white, one brown)
-good tequila (anejo or reposado, unless you mainly intend to make margaritas)
-Campari or another amaro
-good dry vermouth
-good sweet vermouth
-cocktail shaker and strainer
-bar spoon
-Rose's lime juice
-good grenadine (not Rose's)
-Mixers
-ice cube tray to make actual cubes of ice, not the sad half moon crescents your freezer makes
Great list! Would add rye if you prefer drier whisky for Manhattans/Old Fashioneds/etc... as I do.
Though you may want to just start simply by working backwards from the cocktails you like to drink. I bought a bunch of bottles that a bar is "supposed" to have a while back, and many of them still sit unopened at the bottom of my bar cart. For example, the rum simply wouldn't get drank (drunk?) in our house, while my gin collection has steadily grown.
At my house, a few other musts:
- A couple of digestifs (e.g., Amaro Montenegro and something herbal like Unicum or Fernet)
- Some crowd-pleaser wines
- Maraschino cherries (don't skimp on these...Luxardo are $$, but worth it, and will last you for a long time)