How To Build A Home Bar On a Budget

Creating an at-home bar doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it mean leaving a big dent in your wallet. By opting for the basics, and honing in on the drinks you enjoy, professional bartender Adrian Lindsay reveals how to build a home bar on a budget for about $100.

Having the right tools will make crafting your favorite cocktails at home a lot easier. This means investing in a bar kit that will provide the necessary tools to mix your drinks.

“You can get them [a bar kit] anywhere priced from $10 on the lower end…The ones I would recommend would go for about $20. There’s one on Amazon that I got by the brand Semderm,” shares the owner of the Ideal Bartending Company, a bar consulting and private bartending business based in North Carolina.

Bar Kit Must-Haves

Though bar kit contents will vary, Lindsay reminds us to make sure these four essential tools are included: a cocktail shaker, a strainer (to filter out ice and anything you don’t want in your drink), a jigger (to measure your liquor accurately) and a bar spoon (this long-handled spoon is used for mixing ingredients).

“Some kits will also include reusable cocktail stirrers, a muddler (used to crush fruits, herbs and spices), a pour spot to make it easier to pour your liquor in a controlled manner and some sort of tool to peel citrus with,” says the pro bartender. “It will vary from maker to maker as to what they put in their kits.”

Raise a Glass

Don’t let glassware make or break your bar budget. “For glasses, I would recommend going to a thrift shop,” says the Winston-Salem native, who says the glassware selection at second-hand stores are amazing for quality and quantity.

“You can buy one or two glasses, or you can buy a bunch, and they usually cost $1.00 to $2.00 per glass. I probably have about 300 bar glasses, and I would bet 200 of those are from thrift shops.”

To hone in on the glasses you’ll need when building a home bar on a budget, the career bartender recommends picking up a pair of each of these glassware types: rocks glass—“Use it for gin and tonic or salt the rim for margaritas. It can be a utility glass if you need it to be.” Martini glass—“You can use it for cocktails, like cosmos.” Wine glass—“Use a wine glass to drink champagne out of; you don’t need a flute. Also, put white wine in it to make spritzers, which is super popular in the summertime.”

Stocking the Bar

Before investing in the spirits to stock home bar on a budget, Lindsay offers this piece of wisdom, “You have to think about your goal and ask yourself: ‘What drinks do I like?’ Then you build from there, buying just the liquors that you like to make your drinks of choice,” shares the veteran hospitality pro.

To get started, he lists the five basic liquors that will allow you to craft most of the common drinks: vodka, gin, rum, tequila and whiskey.

“You can get a good vodka for $10 to $12. Rain Vodka is a really good entry-level vodka; in my area it’s around $11. If you can’t find Rain Vodka, New Amsterdam is a good vodka around the same price range,” says the Greensboro, North Carolina-based bartender.

For gin, Lindsay names Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve Gin (with the black label) as his choice, priced at about $12. “It has a little more juniper in it than the traditional Seagram’s; it’s a little smoother,” he notes. As for rum, “Cruzan Aged Dark Rum—I don’t think you’re going to get a better rum for the price and that’s usually around $11-$12.”

The bartending pro rounds out his liquor choices with tequila and bourbon: “Corazon Blanco Tequila, about $24, is probably one of the few 100-percent agave tequila that you’re going to find in that price range. It’s a really good value. For whiskey, I would say Benchmark bourbon whiskey is not too harsh, really goes well in cocktails. It’s really hard to find a decent bourbon in the $15 range.”

Building a Modern Home Bar On a Budget

While he suggests stocking your home bar with the five basic liquors he names, the professional bartender also reminds us we can substitute or leave out, spirits depending on what we enjoy drinking and still remain within budget.

As an example, “If you don’t like rum or gin you can leave that out and instead elevate your bar and buy a vermouth—in case you want to make Manhattans. Or, you might want to get some peach schnapps to make yourself more fruity drinks.”

Building a home bar on a budget can also expand to things you may already have on hand like ice and fresh citrus (lemons, limes). Likewise simple syrup, the go-to ingredient for adding more thickness and sweetness to cocktails, can easily be made in the kitchen.

“You can buy simple syrup at the grocery store or any kind of beverage store, but generally you can make it at home. It’s just equal parts water and sugar. You heat it up until the sugar is dissolved,” instructs the bar pro.

“If you want a rich simple syrup, you can do two cups of sugar to one cup of water and that will last longer. With the regular simple syrup, after a week or two, you want to get rid of it. If you do the rich simple syrup, it’ll last about a month in your refrigerator.”

Though a bar cart may not be within reach for this $100 budget, Lindsay says to consider using a tray to gather your bar necessities and spirits. Any large tray or platter you may already have at home will do just as long as it comfortably holds your barware and liquors.

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Personalization is Key

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to simplify your at-home bar situation, learning how to build a home bar on a budget doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

“I think you should actually lean into buying things you would actually like,” reminds Lindsay about how to get the most enjoyment from a home bar…no matter your budget.

Follow Adrian Lindsay on Instagram and discover some of his creative cocktail recipes here on Cuisine Noir.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine