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Starting a home bar can be daunting, particularly if you want to be able to start making cocktails too. There are so many different spirits and liqueurs to choose from. Then, for each spirit, there are multiple brands and even flavours to consider before making your decision. At MyHomeBar, we have been considering the best way to start a drinks collection for your home bar.

In the first part of this series, we will be looking at the things to consider before going out shopping. Key considerations for your home bar such as space and budget can help make decisions later on. In the second part, we will look at what to buy for your initial collection and the third and final part, we will focus on how to develop your home bar stock in the future.

Part 1: Things To Consider Before Starting Your Home Bar

Space

It sounds obvious, but before starting out your collection, you should consider where you will keep your ingredients. The majority of bottles can take up a space of 10cm x 10cm and then 30cm (or more) tall. What options do you have to store bottles (ideally storing your spirits and liqueurs in an upright position)? How many bottles will you be able to store there?

These are all important questions to consider before making your shopping list to start your collection. You may also want to consider if you need to fit child safety locks to prevent risks.

Budget

It is also important to consider your budget when starting a home bar. Buying bottles of spirits and liqueurs can cost a lot of money for a basic collection. You should consider what your initial spend is as well as how you can continue to grow your collection in time. By growing your collection slowly, you can stagger the costs of starting up.

Time

Time can be an important factor if you have a particular party or event coming up. Are you starting a home bar on your own schedule or were you planning on hosting a party in the near future? If you do have a party coming up, it is our recommendation to get your initial collection in a week or more earlier. This will allow you time to consider if there is anything that would strongly benefit your home bar before the party.

Your Own Preferences

The final thing to consider before starting your home bar collection is what you like to drink and what your partner, family and close friends like to drink. You may want to tailor your initial shopping list if you want to be able to serve a particular cocktail or drink from Day 1.

By considering the space available to store your home bar ingredients, the budget that you can spend initially as well as on an ongoing basis, what time constraints you have and what your own drink preferences are, you will be able to plan your home bar ingredients so that they are specific to both you and to your home bar.

In the next part of this series, we will be looking at the different spirits, liqueurs and non-alcoholic ingredients that will form the basis of your home bar ingredients.

The Hostellerie Wine Glass range has just been added to our online catalogue. These wine glasses have an elegant look and feel due to their teardrop or tulip styling. We have a Red Wine Glass, White Wine Glass and Champagne Flute to choose from.

Photo courtesy of John Artis.

Sugar Syrup is an essential ingredient in a number of cocktail. Sugar Syrup, also known as Gomme or Simple Syrup, is simply a liquid sweetener which can be used to counter sour tastes or add extra sweetness to a drink recipe.

Use Sugar Syrup to add instant sweetness to your cocktails without having to wait for the sugar to disolve or without having to rely on overly sweet liqueurs.

You can buy sugar syrup from a supermarket or other retailer but it is so simple to make at home. You’ll need 2 ingredients: Caster Sugar and Water. There are two ways to make your own Sugar Syrup.

The “Correct” Way of making Sugar Syrup

Put 5 tablespoons of Caster Sugar and 5 tablespoons of water into a saucepan. Put on a low heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Stir the mixture for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Leave the syrup to cool and then you’re ready to start mixing your cocktails. Keep any excess refrigerated. Adapt the quantities depending on how much you want but keep the 50:50 ratio.

The Easy Way of making Sugar Syrup

Boil a kettle of water. To a heat resistant mixing jug add 5 tablespoons of Caster Sugar. Then add 5 tablespoons of  boiling water and stir until all of the sugar has been disolved. Leave to cool and start making your cocktails. Keep any excess refrigerated. Again, adapt the quantities to suit but keep the ratio the same.

Other Syrups to try

When you have decided your preferred way of making your Sugar Syrup, you can start experimenting with other techniques. You could try:

• using more or less water to make a syrup of a thicker or thinner consistency
• using a brown or golden sugar which will make the syrup taste richer and more of caramel
• adding some lemon and lime juice to make a sweet and sour mixture to add to your cocktails
• adding other flavourings such as mint, vanilla or rose

Have fun and enjoy your cocktails.

On a hot Summer’s Day, a classic Pimm’s Cup (or simply Pimm’s) is a welcome drink.

Pimm’s is about as British as a cup of tea, but what is it and where did it originate from?

Going back almost 2 centuries, to 1823, to an oyster bar in London where owner Mr James Pimm used gin, quinine and a selection of herbs to aid digestion. Mr Pimm’s Number 1 recipe was born.

Number 1 has a dark brown colour and is now most commonly mixed with lemonade and garnished with a selection of mint leaves, orange, strawberry and cucumber. You could always try replacing the lemonade with ginger ale, ginger beer or tonic water for a twist on the classic Pimm’s Cup.

Following World War II, the Pimm’s brand broadened their range using different spirits as a base.

• Number 1: based on gin – still the most popular variety.
• Number 2: based on whiskey, now unavailable.
• Number 3: brandy based and infused with spices and orange zest to make Pimm’s seasonal Winter Cup.
• Number 4: based on rum, now unavailable.
• Number 5: based on rye, now unavailable.
• Number 6: based on vodka, this is produced in small quantities and still available.

Did you know: At Wimbledon, during the 2 weeks of tennis, approximately 80,000 half pints of Pimm’s are ordered and consumed.

What will you need for serving your Pimm’s: Simple really, Bar Spoon and a HiBall Glass such as the Endessa HiBall (14.5oz).

The HiBall is a tall glass for serving many drinks and cocktails. It is a glass that is a must have behind any respectable home bar, being used for classic cocktails such as the Mojito, Tom Collins and Cuba Libre as well as other favourites such as a simple Gin and Tonic. The HiBall is also a useful glass for serving beers or soft drinks as they can generally hold a large volume.

Also known as High Ball or Hi-Ball, this glass is very similar to the Collins and Sling Glasses. These are all used for long drinks served with ice and usually containing a high percentage of a non-alcoholic mixer such as fruit juice or soda water.

HiBall glasses are usually sized between 220ml and 340ml (8oz to 12oz) and have straight or near to straight sides. They don’t have a stem like a wine glass. A Collins glass is usually a little taller and thinner.

One of the classic Hi Ball drinks is the Mojito:

Ingredients: 50ml Rum, ~10 Mint Leaves, 1 Lime, Sugar, Soda Water
Equipment: Boston Shaker, Muddler, Bar Spoon, Jigger, Ice Crusher, HiBall glasses

Muddle the mint leaves, 1/2 of the lime and a teaspoon of sugar in a boston shaker glass. Add 50ml Rum and stir the flavours together. Pour the rum, sugar, mint and lime into a hiball glass. Add crushed ice to the top of the glass. Add the juice from the remaining half of the lime and top with soda water. Garnish with mint leaves and lime wedges.

MyHomeBar supplies a range of HiBall glasses as well as Sling Glasses, ready for adding to your home bar.

We just came across Cocktail Penguins – a canape idea from the blog “Blame it on the Voices“.

What a great (and unique) idea for your next cocktail party… although perhaps it would be best suited for a winter party rather than a summer one!

What you’ll need (per penguin): 1 cocktail stick, 2 olives (1 large, 1 small or medium, 1 slice of carrot and 1 clove garlic or cream cheese.

1950′s New York.

Cocktails are in full swing in New York City. Take a look at this cocktail menu from the Hotel Astor, thanks to The Invisible Agent’s blog.

But what’s on the menu? Classic drinks such as the Planter’s Punch, Screwdriver and the Singapore Sling feature on their recommended list, all for under $1.00! You could also choose Martinis, Daiquiris, Old Fashioneds and Side Cars. Again, all cost between $0.65 and $0.90.

If you wanted to push the boat out, you could order a French 75 for a “pricey” $1.65.

The 2010 Cocktail World Cup has been won by the USA team.

The competition, sponsored by 42 Below vodka, was held in New Zealand this year.

Their catchy cocktail name (‘I have too much thyme on my hands right now at this point in my life’) and drink made from 42 Below, Apple Bitters, Lime & Thyme Syrup alongside an Artichoke apertif impressed judge Jim Meehan, who commented that “their level of performance and presentation was amazing.”

The USA team members, Mark Stoddard, Todd Thrasher and Sean Hoard, were pleased with their victory. Thrasher stated “The drink was sorted from day one but the presentation came together in the last minute on the plane, it was phenomenal.”

Final Results of 2010′s Cocktail World Cup:
1. USA
2. France
3. New Zealand

See Photos from all stages of the Cocktail World Cup: http://www.cocktailworldcup.com/Gallery/Now

The latest fruit to hit the UK market is the Pineberry. MyHomeBar.co.uk have been designing some new cocktails especially for the new arrival so you can try them at home.

Pineberries have attracted much information in the UK with their white strawberry appearance and bright red seeds. They possess a taste and scent more like a pineapple though, hence the name, Pine – Berry.

Waitrose have the exclusive distribution rights in the UK and will only be stocking the fruit for 5 weeks in a limited number of stores.

The fruit is 100% natural and originated in South America, it is not genetically modified as you may expect. It starts green, like a strawberry, turning white as it ripens. When the fruit is completely white and seeds have turned a dark red, it will be perfect for using in your cocktails.

Oliver Banks from MyHomeBar.co.uk states “this new fruit arrival offers bartenders and home bar enthusiasts the chance to take on a new ingredient, using it to revolutionise existing drinks recipes and make exciting and original cocktails”.

“The berry’s appearance also give the opportunity to create interesting and unusual garnishes too.”

So as the Pineberry arrives in the UK amidst wind, rain and snow, try some new cocktails from at home, if you can get your hands on a pack over the next 5 weeks.

Flipped

• 25ml Gin
• 25ml Cointreau
• 3 Pineberries
• 3 Mint Leaves
• ½ Teaspoon of Caster Sugar
• Small squeeze of Lemon

Muddle the Pineberries, Mint and Sugar into a cocktail shaker, then add the gin, Cointreau and lemon. Seal the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice filled Hi-Ball glass, top with soda water. Garnish with 3 slices of Pineberry on the rim.

Pineberry Daiquiri

• 50ml White Rum
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 25ml Sugar Syrup
• 2 Pineberries

Muddle the Pineberries in a cocktail shaker, add the remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. Double strain into a Cocktail Glass and garnish with a whole Pineberry on the rim.

A cocktail is a mixed drink, by modern definition, it includes three or more ingredients. Cocktails can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Non-alcoholic cocktails are also referred to as “Virgin Cocktails” or “Mocktails”.

The traditional definition of a cocktail required the drink to be produced from a mixture of spirits, sugar, bitters and water. Many of today’s classic cocktails still follow a similar recipe. For example, the Manhattan is made from bourbon (spirit), vermouth (sugar), Angostura Bitters (bitters) and stirred with ice (water).

The term cocktail was first used in the Balance and Columbian Repository newspaper in May 1806:
“Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters–it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.”

Cocktails now have over 200 years of history behind them.

Cocktails developed greatly during the Great Depression in the United States where drinks were mixed illegally during prohibition. The quality was low and terms such as “bath-tub gin” came into existence.

Cocktails are now popular once again, both in bars and clubs as well as in home bars across the UK.