Home bar basics
Five lessons from an empty shelf to your first ten drinks.
1. Five bottles and a jigger
A working home bar is five bottles, not thirty: vodka, gin, white rum, bourbon and tequila. That five covers most of the world's classics. Around them…2. Ice is the main ingredient
Ice does two jobs at once: temperature and dilution. The right amount is more than feels reasonable — fill the glass. The paradox: a full glass of ice…3. Measures and proportions
An ounce is 30 ml in home rounding, a centilitre is 10 ml, a dash is about a millilitre, a barspoon five. A "part" is a ratio, not a volume: "2 parts gin…4. Shake, stir, build
Three methods cover nine drinks out of ten. Build — right in the serving glass: ice, pour, one stir (gin & tonic, Cuba Libre). Stir — a gentle 20–30…5. Your first ten cocktails
A repertoire that makes guests welcome: Gin & Tonic, Moscow Mule and Cuba Libre — everyday builds. Negroni and Old Fashioned — stirred classics for slow…
A working home bar is five bottles, not thirty: vodka, gin, white rum, bourbon and tequila. That five covers most of the world's classics. Around them…2. Ice is the main ingredient
Ice does two jobs at once: temperature and dilution. The right amount is more than feels reasonable — fill the glass. The paradox: a full glass of ice…3. Measures and proportions
An ounce is 30 ml in home rounding, a centilitre is 10 ml, a dash is about a millilitre, a barspoon five. A "part" is a ratio, not a volume: "2 parts gin…4. Shake, stir, build
Three methods cover nine drinks out of ten. Build — right in the serving glass: ice, pour, one stir (gin & tonic, Cuba Libre). Stir — a gentle 20–30…5. Your first ten cocktails
A repertoire that makes guests welcome: Gin & Tonic, Moscow Mule and Cuba Libre — everyday builds. Negroni and Old Fashioned — stirred classics for slow…
Free printables
Bartending BasicsA five-lesson home course: bottles, ice, measuring, technique and the first ten drinksFree PDF · US Letter and A4 →
The Mixology HandbookTechnique, tools, measures, glassware and 50 essential cocktails in one free e-bookFree PDF · US Letter and A4 →
Cocktail Measurement Conversion ChartOunces, millilitres, jiggers and spoons, and how to scale a recipeFree PDF · US Letter and A4 →
Basic Bartending Drinks Cheat Sheet30 drinks every bar pours, by base spiritFree PDF · US Letter and A4 →