5 minute read
Cheers! Stocking Your Home Bar
CHEERS! Stocking your From casual hangs to formal fêtes, entertaining at home is back, and back in a big way. Here’s how to stock an elegant home bar. HOME BAR
The happy sounds of conversation. The clinking
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of ice in glasses. The buzz of excitement seeing friends and family we haven’t caught up with in a while. Whether it’s cooking a big dinner or hosting a relaxed cocktail party, many of us are excited to entertain again. Having your bar stocked makes it easy to host spur-of-the-moment occasions, but it also makes bigger parties easier to pull off. Here’s an essential guide to stocking your home bar.
TOOLS
Even the easiest drink recipes call for the right tools, so start with the basics. Those include a jigger for measurement, a cocktail shaker, a bottle opener, corkscrew, long-handled spoon for stirring, and a strainer. An ample-size pitcher allows for batched cocktails, allowing you to prep in advance and simply pour the beverage over ice once guests arrive. (Think sangria, margaritas, or rum punches.) You’ll also want to have an ice bucket and tongs.
COCKTAIL MAKINGS
Soju? Aquavit? Sure, but before selecting the lesser-known spirits, cover the boozy basics with these, which are featured most often in cocktail recipes: • A bottle of vodka, which can be used for vodka gimlets, martinis, Cosmopolitans, and Moscow Mules, to name but a few. Many people also stock flavored vodkas, such as grapefruit, vanilla or pear, in their home bar offerings. • Two bottles of rum. A light rum is mixed in cocktails such as the classic daquiri or a refreshing mojito.
Tropical cocktails such as a Dark and Stormy call for a darker rum. And some recipes, like a mai tai or a rum runner, call for two kinds of rum—batten the hatches! • A bottle of whiskey. Some people just stick to a whiskey, neat. Others want a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. • A bottle of gin for martinis, or for the summer classic—a gin and tonic. If martinis are going to be served, add on a bottle of dry vermouth. (Some martini fans joke about a martini so dry that they keep their vermouth in another room.) • An orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau or
Grand Marnier. Kardiel’s Urbane 35" Bar Cabinet in Natural Oak. The Urbane comes with a retro mirror, shelves and a drop-down bar top for mixing and serving cocktails. It is a design-led piece, with a drawer face that completely conceals so as to not dominate the room.
Kardiel’s Urbane 35" Bar Cabinet in Walnut
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MIXING AND MATCHING
A well-stocked home bar should have these on hand: • Tonic water. Note, for any of the carbonated beverages, buy them in small cans or bottles so a fresh fizz is easily available. Two-liter bottles would work for a big party, of course. • Club soda • Ginger ale • Cola • Bitters • Simple sugar • Sour mix.
KARDIEL FURNITURE SHOWN HERE
Dwell 108" Fabric Sofa Sectional • Lawson 30" Fabric Chair Urbane 35" Bar Cabinet in Walnut • Scan 43" Coffee Table in Walnut
GARNISHES
• Lemons and limes to cut into wedges. • Good-quality maraschino cherries (none of those bright red kiddie ones!) • Coarse salt for rimming a margarita glass • Cocktail onions (use in a Gibson cocktail) • Olives for martinis (bleu cheese or almond-stuffed versions are nice options, too).
NON-ALCOHOLIC OFFERINGS
About a third of adults in the U.S. do not drink alcohol, and the alcohol-free movement is also growing. Gracious hosts keep this in mind and have flavored seltzers, N/A beer, sparkling water and spicy ginger beers for guests who don’t imbibe alcohol.
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KARDIEL FURNITURE SHOWN HERE
Left: Lawson 28" Leather Chairs, in Gold/Frothy • Urbane 35" Bar Cabinet in Natural Oak Right: Urbane 35" Bar Cabinet in Walnut • Taylor 123" Modular Fabric Sectional in Oyster woven fabric
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Photo by Juliana Barquero/Unsplash Photo by Leilani Angel/Unsplash
THE CHARCUTERIE BOARD
One does not need to visit a restaurant or wine bar to enjoy a charcuterie platter—it’s an ideal appetizer to serve with cocktails from your home bar. The word “charcuterie” comes from a French term used to describe a shop that sold cured meats. These days, charcuterie still refers to cured meats, but increasingly covers the whole board—cheeses, olives, fruit, nuts, spreads, etc.
Instagram is rife with images of beautiful charcuterie boards laden with goodies. But beyond being visually appealing, there are good reasons to serve them. For one, they can be modified for many dietary concerns, appealing to both meat-lovers and their vegetarian friends, people on Keto, people who love carbs, people who shun carbs, hold the nuts if someone’s allergic—basically, there can be something for everyone.
Second, they are easy to prepare before guests arrive, meaning the host can relax and enjoy the conversation instead of jumping up to retrieve mini quiches from the oven. Lastly, charcuterie boards can be scaled up or down—an oversize board for a boisterous big group, a small board for a quiet couple’s night. Here’s some tips for creating an epic charcuterie board for home entertaining:
START WITH A GREAT BOARD. A large cutting board can do in a pinch or buy a designated charcuterie board such as olivewood, marble, personalized, models that have drawers for cheese knives, or more.
NEXT, ASSEMBLE A VARIETY OF NIBBLY BITS. Unless the spread is solely for vegetarians, cured meats might include soppressata, prosciutto, pepperoni, salami or Parma ham. Offer a few types of cheese, from hard cheeses like aged Gouda to softer cheeses like Brie, and bread, toast rounds, crackers or breadsticks. Dried fruits add color and more texture. Arrange in olives, pickles and nuts, and don’t forget spreads such as mustard and honey. Lastly, garnish with a flourish—how about a sprig of rosemary? Enjoy the feast!
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