How to Build Your Home Cocktail Bar: Essential Ingredients

This blog post originally appeared on Our Collective Muse.

There’s nothing I want more on a Friday after work than a swanky cocktail. Cheers to the weekend, to a week’s worth of hard work. A good cocktail, slippers and the comfiest clothes in my closet. The perfect ingredients for a night in.

A “cocktail” at home often consists of white rum and Diet Coke, or if I’m feeling extra naughty, gin and tonic. I even splurged once and bought peach bitters. It seems I’m more likely to use it in smoothies, scones and salad dressings than figure out how to mix it in a cocktail. But I’m in my thirties now and for pete’s sake, I need to grow up and learn to make a proper cocktail.

So I decided to invest in an at-home cocktail bar that contained all the necessary ingredients to make fancy cocktails. But, where to start? The friend with the bar cart.

Enter my long-time pal, Kathleen Crowther, the mixologist behind the boozy Instagram account @cocktailmanifest. Not only do her cocktails look amazing, they’re also bursting with flavour and enough alcohol to make you feel (and talk) like Carrie from Sex and the City. If you look at Kathleen’s ingredient combinations, you feel dazzled and out of your league. She assured me I was overreacting and was happy to provide some guidance.

Under the guise of “doing research” for my cocktail bar, I popped over to Kathleen’s apartment one sunny Saturday afternoon for some taste testing. “Have on hand whatever you like to drink,” she said, pouring local Lost River Distillery vodka into copper glasses for Moscow Mules. In other words, don’t buy scotch if you hate the taste.

Kathleen gets her inspiration from different restaurants and lounges around Saskatoon (the Penicillin at The James is a favourite), as well as online.

“I started Cocktail Manifest as a cocktail recipe book for myself, to keep track of the different ingredients and ideas.” As she added a mint sprig to our drinks, she said, “Oprah famously served these when she and Gayle went camping. The lime gives it a bit of tartness.” I take a sip. Mother of pearl. I bet Oprah’s wasn’t half this good. One drink in and I’m wondering if it’s just easier to come over to Kathleen’s place whenever I need a drink.

The Cocktail Manifest At-Home Bar

The Booze

Top four spirits: gin, vodka, tequila (reposado or blanco), and whisky*
One or two bitters: Angostura aromatic or Orange

Again, shop accordingly for what you like. If that’s Sidecars, splurge on a bottle of Cognac and Cointreau.

The Tools

Cocktail shaker (a large glass jar works too)
2-ounce shot glass
Muddler
Hawthorne strainer – if you have something fine to sieve
Variety of glassware – Collins, Martini, Rocks, Highball, Coupe glasses and anything antique

The Essential Extras

Ice – lots of it
Easy simple syrup recipe

Bring to boil in a saucepan 1 cup of water and ½ cup of sugar for 1 minute, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. It’ll keep for months in a glass jar. (Note: You can flavor it by muddling in fresh herbs or ginger.)

Citrus – lemon, lime and/or grapefruit

Herbs – basil, mint and/or rosemary

Moscow Mule

1.5 oz vodka
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 small ginger beer
Lime wedges
Mint (optional)

Fill copper glass with ice and top with ingredients. Stir gently. (Serves 1)

As Kathleen prepares our second cocktail, we talk about her favourite Friday after-work drink. “Lately, I’ve been loving grapefruit and tequila. Sometimes I add Campari, sometimes lavender simple syrup with some salt. Generally, I like anything with citrus and a booze-forward flavor.”

She passes me a jar of dried lavender and I inhale its luxurious scent. This is going in my drink? I ask her what she likes to drink with Sunday morning brunch. “A classic mimosa. But it’s nice to experiment and bring in local ingredients, like sea buckthorn.” We’re also using Lost River Distillery vodka in these cocktails, courtesy of the lovely Lisa Landrie.

The Holyfield

2 oz vodka
1.5 oz fresh lemon juice (about 3/4 of a lemon)
1 oz lavender simple syrup (see recipe below)
1 egg white (optional)
Sprinkle of dried lavender and bee pollen (optional)

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with dried lavender and/or bee pollen. (Serves 1)

Lavender Simple Syrup: Follow the simple syrup recipe below, but add in 2 tablespoons of dried lavender and strain the syrup after it’s cooled.

Delicious cocktails at home are just a few ingredients and tools away. With a bit of advanced preparation (e.g., making a simple syrup), you’ll be sipping in style in no time. Enjoy!