The most common mistake when building a home bar is buying too many bottles too soon. A shelf of half-used, mediocre spirits is far less useful than a focused collection of six excellent ones. The question to ask about every bottle is simple: how many cocktails can I make with this?
This guide is organised by spirit category, with recommendations on which styles to buy first, what price point makes sense for cocktails, and what you can actually make with each bottle.
The Five Essential Spirit Categories
Gin
Gin is arguably the most cocktail-versatile spirit in existence. A good London Dry gin works in dozens of classic recipes — from the Martini and Negroni to the Tom Collins, Gimlet, and Aviation. Its botanical complexity means it adds character to drinks that vodka would leave flat.
What to buy: Start with a classic London Dry. Tanqueray, Beefeater, and Sipsmith are all excellent, widely available, and properly priced for mixing. Once you're comfortable with the style, branch into contemporary gins (more floral, citrus-forward) for different cocktail profiles.
What to avoid: Heavily flavoured or novelty gins (strawberry gin, rhubarb gin) are fun for drinking with tonic but have limited cocktail application. Buy those as additions, not foundations.
Whiskey (Bourbon & Scotch)
Whiskey is the backbone of some of the most iconic cocktails ever made — the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, the Whisky Sour. The key decision is bourbon versus Scotch (or rye, if you want to go deep on Manhattans).
Bourbon is sweeter, with vanilla and caramel notes from American oak. It's more forgiving in cocktails and is the standard choice for Old Fashioneds and Whisky Sours. Start here if you're new to whiskey cocktails. Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey 101 are exceptional value.
Blended Scotch brings smoky, malty complexity to drinks like the Rob Roy (a Scotch Manhattan). A mid-range blend like Monkey Shoulder or Chivas Regal 12 is perfect for mixing.
Rum
Rum is one of the most diverse spirit categories — from light, clean white rums to rich, aged dark rums and the complex funky character of Jamaican pot-still expressions. For cocktail purposes, you need at least two styles.
White rum is the foundation of Daiquiris, Mojitos, and most tiki-style drinks. Bacardí Carta Blanca, Havana Club 3, or Diplomatico Planas are all excellent. White rum is clean and lets the other ingredients shine.
Dark or aged rum brings vanilla, molasses, and dried fruit notes — essential for a Dark 'n' Stormy, Rum Old Fashioned, or adding depth to punches. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva or Appleton Estate 12 are worth seeking out.
Tequila & Mezcal
Tequila's global popularity has exploded in the last decade, and for good reason — a quality silver tequila is one of the most vibrant, expressive spirits in any cocktail. The key rule: always buy 100% agave. Mixtos (blended with other sugars) taste inferior and cause much worse hangovers.
Silver (blanco) tequila is unaged, with bright agave, citrus, and pepper notes. It's the right choice for Margaritas and Palomas. Olmeca Altos Plata, El Jimador Blanco, and Espolòn Blanco are all excellent mid-range options.
Mezcal brings a distinctive smoky, earthy character from agave roasted in underground pits. It can substitute for tequila in most cocktails, adding serious complexity. Del Maguey Vida is a great starting point.
Vodka
Vodka is often dismissed by cocktail enthusiasts, but its neutrality is genuinely useful — it adds alcohol without asserting its own flavour, letting other ingredients (citrus, vermouth, liqueurs) take the lead. It's also the best base for infusions.
For cocktail purposes, you don't need to spend much on vodka. Any clean, well-distilled vodka in the mid-range will do. Ketel One, Absolut, and Grey Goose are all reliable. Avoid anything that tastes harsh or has an obvious off-note when tasted neat — that will carry through into your cocktails.
Essential Modifiers & Liqueurs
Beyond the core spirits, a handful of modifiers and liqueurs unlock a huge range of classic cocktails:
Vermouth (Dry & Sweet)
Vermouth is a fortified, aromatised wine — not just a modifier but an ingredient with real flavour. Dry vermouth (Noilly Prat, Dolin Dry) is essential for Martinis. Sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino) is the backbone of a Negroni and Manhattan. Always keep vermouth in the fridge once opened — it oxidises and goes flat within a month or two.
Campari & Aperol
Two Italian bitter liqueurs that seem similar but taste very different. Campari is intensely bitter and complex — essential for a Negroni, Jungle Bird, and Americano. Aperol is sweeter, lower in alcohol, and the base of an Aperol Spritz. Both are worth having.
Cointreau or Triple Sec
Orange liqueur is called for in an enormous number of classic cocktails — Margaritas, Sidecars, Cosmopolitans. Cointreau is the gold standard; cheaper triple secs work but taste noticeably thinner.
Coffee Liqueur
The Espresso Martini is one of the most-ordered cocktails in the world right now. A quality coffee liqueur (Kahlúa, Mr Black) plus espresso and vodka will satisfy a huge number of guests.
What to Buy and When
If you're starting from nothing, here's a sensible purchase order based on cocktail versatility:
- Month 1: London Dry gin, bourbon, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, Angostura bitters, simple syrup
- Month 2: White rum, silver tequila, Cointreau, Campari
- Month 3: Vodka, dark rum, Aperol, coffee liqueur
- Ongoing: Expand based on the recipes you want to make
By month three, you'll have a bar capable of making nearly every classic cocktail in the canon — and the app to figure out what you can make with whatever you have at any given moment.
Already have a collection? Make something with it.
Mix at Home tells you exactly which cocktails you can make with the bottles you already own — no guessing, no missing ingredients.
Download Mix at Home