Home bar
How to Start a Proper Home Bar in the UK Without Going Broke
You don't need twenty bottles — you need a disciplined core of spirits, decent vermouth, fresh citrus and ice. Here's where to spend (and skip) first.
·8 min read
A home bar shouldn't mirror a nightclub back wall. Start with flavours you actually drink, learn those bottles properly, then grow.
Begin with three base spirits. Most classic cocktails orbit gin, bourbon or rye, and white rum. Those three unlock Martinis once you add vermouth, Old Fashioneds and whisky sours, plus Daiquiris and a fair share of long drinks.
Pour money into citrus and ice before exotic liqueurs. Fresh lemon and lime juice (or chilled bottled juice turned over quickly) changes every recipe more than a seventeenth bottle. Freeze large cubes in silicone moulds — slower dilution polishes stirred drinks dramatically.
Why vermouth belongs in week one
Sweet and dry vermouth matter for Martinis Manhattans Negronis and dozens of stirred builds. Refrigerate bottles after opening; oxidised vermouth tastes flat and woody. Skip vermouth and you're postponing real stirred technique — honesty saves cash.
Sensible UK starter order (£60–£120 depending on deals)
London dry gin · bourbon · white rum · Angostura · one sweet plus one dry vermouth. Whisk simple syrup (equal sugar and warm water until clear) weekly in a jug. Upgrade to orange liqueur when you're shaking sour-style drinks routinely.
Defer flavoured vodka random amaro shelves and TikTok bitters collections until repeats show what flavours you crave. Our AI generator is built so odd real-world shelves still produce workable recipes.
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