10 Essential Bottles for Making Cocktails at Home

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These are my bottle recommendations for starting your home bar when making cocktails. You don't have to purchase all 10 at once rather use it as a guide to build out your bar incrementally. Pick a couple of cocktails that you enjoy making and start your collection around these drinks. Expand your collection over time.

WILD TURKEY 101
- Good value bourbon
- Bourbon is typically a sweet and creamy whiskey, thanks to the corn
- Aged in deeply charred barrels for more character
- Blend of 6-8 year old bourbons
- 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
- Higher proof (101 / 50.5%)

TRY IT IN - Gold Rush, Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour

RITTENHOUSE RYE
- Good value in the US although some countries, such as in Australia, it can be expensive. Here it’s $100+ AUD.
- Lower rye content, sitting at the minimum 51% in order to be named a rye whisky, meaning it’s a fruitier rye rather than heavy spice.
- 100 proof / 50%

TRY IT IN - Manhattan, Vieux Carre

APPLETON ESTATE SIGNATURE BLEND
- Jamaican aged rum
- Blend of pot and column still rums
- 4 year average age
- Dried stone fruit and molasses

TRY IT IN - Mai Tai

PLANTATION 3 STAR
- Blend of rums from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad
- Column and pot still
- Blend of aged and unaged rums
- A lighter style rum yet it still has complexity
- Notes of tropical fruit and brown sugar

TRY IT IN - Daiquiri

BEEFEATER GIN
- Classic London dry style
- Heavy focus on juniper and citrus

TRY IT IN - Bees Knees, G&T, Negroni

ST-REMY SIGNATURE FRENCH BRANDY
- Great value French brandy for cocktails
- Features notes of dried fruit and sweet spice

TRY IT IN - Champs-Elysees, Sidecar

OLMECA ALTOS BLANCO TEQUILA
- Two bartenders partnered with a master distiller in Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico to make their tequila
- Distinct citrus and agave notes make it excellent for mixing in cocktails

TRY IT IN - Margarita, Paloma

COINTREAU
- French orange liqueur
- Made from sweet and bitter orange peels
- Sits at 40%
- Bright citrus flavour

TRY IT IN - White Lady, Margarita, Corpse Reviver No. 2

CAMPARI
- Italian bitter liqueur
- Bitter citrus, clove, cinnamon

TRY IT IN - Negroni, Jungle Bird, Garibaldi, Boulevardier

MARTINI & ROSSI
- Very inexpensive Italian sweet vermouth
- Use more than dry vermouth
- Wine based so keep it in the fridge and use it while it’s fresh
- Pairs especially well with gin and whiskey

TRY IT IN - Boulevardier, Manhattan, Roby Roy

You can also shop this collection of bottles by following the link:

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music - ES_Bossa for Noa - Martin Landstrom

[tommccafferty]

Between you, The Educated Barfly, Behind the Bar and the Whiskey Vault YouTube channels, I have acquired a taste for a lot of different spirits. Thanks for the great content.

[VictorDiaz-gdmn]

Just had this idea at Costco for a home bar starter pack and glad this popped up a week later.

[urouroniwa]

Sweet vermouth is delicious on its own. A liter bottle of sweet vermouth never makes it past a month in my house :-) My wife and I really like Cinzano which is also insanely cheap.

[JT-pylv]

For Rye, I prefer Whistle Pig PIGGYBACK Rye. 100% rye. 6 years old. Thanks for your suggestions

[benjamincottle]

Curiada ey? Aussie Anders over here 😂 been enjoying your content for a few years now, just want to say thanks for making cocktails soo accessible. I’d go absinthe and chartreuse beyond this selection, lack of these stops me making a surprising amount of drinks.

[pikaloff]

Thank you very much Steve for your recommendations.I have been collecting my home bar for about 3 years.According to my preferences. At the moment I have about 70 positions.Well, I continue to work on expanding my collection😊.For beginners Very useful information. Thanks again.

[nicholasgraves]

I saw somewhere where the Negroni had surpassed the Old Fashioned as the most ordered cocktail by some measurement. True or not, a *lot* of Campari is mixed around the world, and it absolutely deserves a slot in a 10 bottle lineup.

[markrichardson]

Another awesome vid! I’ve got quite the home collection now from watching your videos and learning different cocktails. The app is awesome too! Hoping for that update soon 🤞🏼

[mattruz]

Thanks Steve. Your channel inspired me to make some fantastic cocktails at home. The Mrs. and I have a ball trying them out at Tea time. Cheers! Your book is in my sights to buy!

[BoxCuttahz]

Amazing list please do the best affordable/mid range/expensive whiskey list 😊

[BlancoSiniestro]

Excellent ten first bottles of a home bar wide range of cocktails. The staple bottle I am missing is Grand Marnier because is outstanding by itself and coffee 😊

[StephenRobinson-dq]

This is superb. Thank you so much for sharing. You are a natural and the selections spot on.

[cloudforest]

Very well explained. Moving beyond the essentials will be interesting for a next video.

[Auriorium]

I will have to check for substitutes for some of these, because I like the feeling of going to the store and buy a bottle.

[carsongbaker]

Perfect video, honestly very great choices, almost exactly what I'd recommend too

[jonlouis]

I work on the retail side of the liquor business, and I couldn't have put together a better list. I wish more of our shoppers would watch this. People buy cheap booze and then wonder why their drinks don't taste good.

[usr-raz]

Thanks for the video,
I would be happy if you make a video on how to make Angostura bitters at home, thanks

[StevetheBartender_]

If you had to start your home bar from scratch, what are the first 3 bottles you would buy?

[bobsbottomshelf]

Great List, great explanations. Certainly a better idea and build slowly rather than end up with tons of obscure bottles. DeKuyper 03 can stand in for Cointraeu I would say.

[fugu]

I only do need two bottles.
A peated whiskey with a lot of smoke in it and a bottle of Dambruie liquor.
I take my rusty nails really serious.