How to Build a Home Bar
Entertaining has always been an important part of my life, and there’s nothing more fun than gathering for a cocktail hour—whether informally or planned in advance. I was so excited when Material Kitchen reached out to ask me to curate a selection of my favorite products. Sarah’s Home Bar Essentials is live on their site, and includes three essential pieces for your home bar! You can find the edit here. (And as a reminder, SARAHMATERIAL snags you 20% off your choice of products on the site.)
I’ve always felt cocktail hour to be a soothing kind of ritual, a way to transition between work and home life. When I lived in D.C., my roommates and I shared this tradition most evenings, and over the years set up our own complete home bar, ensuring we had everything we needed right there in our library.
Today I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned, through trial and error, when building your home bar.
Have the right glassware
Start with the basics. A great glass enhances the cocktail experience and makes it so much better. If you are served a cocktail in a mismatched glass or something that isn’t quite right, it takes away from your enjoyment of the moment. I truly believe you only need a few options if those options are the right ones. That’s where Material Kitchen comes in. Every member of my family is obsessed with the half glass set: elegant enough for cocktail hour, yet perfectly approachable for everyday. It’s a great glass to have in your bar because of its versatility and its beauty. It’s a perfect combination of function and form.
Figure out what you love and stock the ingredients for it
Now that you’ve got the right glassware, you have to figure out what you’re serving. I’m of the STRONG belief that you should only stock what you love—after all, it’s your home bar. If you love gin (and I do), make sure you have the ingredients for a gin martini, gin rickey, and gin sour. Look up various recipes, practice, and show off when you have friends over! There’s nothing more impressive than perfectly mastering a complicated recipe and making a batch when hosting a dinner party.
With the Material Kitchen Cloud Pitcher and Half Glass Set, part of my Home Bar Essentials Collection
Have a signature drink
Come up with a fun signature cocktail for your house, particularly if you entertain frequently. I love to share the cocktails I love with my friends. This was a signature when I lived in D.C.
Nowadays, with time at a premium, I enjoy mixing up a batch of cocktails at the beginning of cocktail hour so I don’t need to constantly be at the bar. Material Kitchen teamed up with the geniuses at Death & Co. (one of the world’s leading cocktail bars) to create this truly lovely cocktail pitcher. The pitcher has straight sides and holds 45 oz., perfect for mixing a large batch of martinis, Southsides, and more. The handle is particularly well-designed for pouring and is beautiful to look at when on the bar.
Make it informal but organized
Encourage your friends and guests to help themselves! Having things organized takes the guesswork out of where the corkscrew or jigger are, and allows for the flow of conversation to continue while they make their own drink. Keep bottles corraled on a tray (this lucite one is great because it takes up limited visual space) and bar tools in a tortoiseshell glass or julep cup.
Don’t overcrowd your bar
You don’t need to stock your bar with every liqueur or garnish or mixer under the sun—add what you need, remove what you don’t, and you won’t be constantly worrying about knocking over a bottle when you mix a cocktail.
You can never have too many cocktail napkins!
My last tip is the most self-explanatory. I love Dear Annabelle, August Morgan, The Pink House Design, and Julia Amory for cocktail napkins if you’re purchasing new or for a guest.
What’s in your home bar?
Thank you to my friends at Material Kitchen for collaborating with me on this collection! You can find my home bar essentials here at Material Kitchen. Don’t forget that you can use SARAHMATERIAL for 20% off your purchase!
