Home bar must-haves
“What's in your home bar?”
30 answers from 26 people · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Upgrade your sweet vermouth in your cocktails: more interesting flavors - strong by vanilla notes Excellent in a Negroni, Manhattan, Boulevardier, or Americano. Served chilled on its own or over ice is a nice aperitif or digestif.
AMARO MONTENEGRO LIQUEUR 750ML
My dinner drink of choice with ice and two orange slices. It’s terrific.
Tastes like over-ripe bananas and coffee beans!https://shop.klwines.com/products/details/1052125
Extra fancy pewter cocktail jigger
Perfect weight, perfect patina. You can even have it hand-engraved if you're willing to wait a little longer. Makes for an unexpected special gift.
1
Stainless Steel Lemon Squeezer
a metal lemon squeezer was an epiphany that came to me much too late. riddled with yellow paint chips in my morning glass of lemon water. this squeezer sans paint encourages a life long relationship between the two of us (the squeezer and i)
4
Luigi Bormioli Backdoor '20S Nick & Nora Cocktail Glasses (Set of 4)
Girls just wanna have fun cocktail glasses
my cocktail bible. I wouldn’t have a bar without it. You can come read my copy over a cocktail at Sugar Water.
1
Hair of the Dog Aromatic Bitters – Alcohol Free
my very favorite bitters. excellent in plain old seltzer and in more complex cocktails.
4
Fred Jerbis Sagrestan Dry Vermouth
we're big vermouth people in my house. this is a most delicious find of late. dry and luscious. treat yourself.
AMARO QUINTESSENTIA 70cl - NONINO
Again, a light and delicately flavored Italian amaro - delicious on ice or with a splash of soda and a lemon. Blueprint vibes.
Idk why muddlers have to be the ugliest thing ever but it's for sure a fact. The one I love best isn't made anymore but this one looks promising and it comes with an ice smashing bag, if ur into that sort of thing.
1
Gotta juice a lot of citrus by hand? This is the tool to use. Strains out the seeds, folds flat in the drawer, dishwasher safe, and gets every last drop of juice out. Much, much easier to use than regular handheld juicers.
Great gift idea. A stamp and ice cube molds. My brother loves his birthday present.
Art Deco Novelty Cocktail Sticks ‘Cocktails’ by Sudre, French, 1930’s
I have become absolutely enamored with these cocktail sticks. The cutest designs and ones I can’t wait to bring into my home as I grow more into my roles as the hostess with the mostest.
Drink sparkling wine? This stopper will help keep the fizziness between pours and will allow you to keep an open bottle in the fridge for several days.
If you’ve opened a bottle and have leftover wine there’s two ways I recommend storing it - in a mason jar (IYKYK), or one of these vacuum pumps. You put a stopper on the neck and use the pump to create an air-tight seal. This helps prevent more oxygen from getting into the bottle and keeps your wine fresh for about 24 hours longer than just resealing it with the cork. I’ve been using these for years.
Libbey 5 oz. Straight Sided Juice / Tasting Glass - 6/Pack
this is one of my favorite little juice/seltzer/beer/desert/everything glass. it’s sturdy, it’s versatile, it’s inexpensive.
Duralex Le Picardie Clear Glass Tumblers (Set of 6)
Perfect little vermouth and house wine glasses.
they only sell them wholesale, but if you email repeatedly they will finally cave and let you order.
Westmark Hermetus Cap Opener And Sealer
Very clever German bottle opener that can reseal the cap if you didn't finish your drink in one sitting!
Store your bar cart in unlabled bottles
Keep it clean at home. With very few exceptions, you don’t need the original bottle with the company’s ugly logo. Bonus: your kids will think you’re mixing potions. I use a label maker to print a small label for the bottom of each bottle to know what’s inside. You can’t even see it. This was inspired by the “Manhattan Cart” at Eleven Madison Park. They roll it out and make a cocktail table-side using all unlabeled bottles. You can painstakingly remove the labels or purchase some brand new clear bottles. They are cheap ($4ish each) but shipping adds up.
1
Wouldn't I just love to open up a magical door in my home and have a fully stocked bar in there, complete with chic vintage glassware and perhaps a framed photo or two. Seems like a great way to use a few extra square feet. Must more exciting than a bar cart IMHO. Speakeasy vibes! Here are a few more inspo images I found because I am BEGGING someone to do this.
151
6 recs
