Welcome to the Bar Ninja guide to home bars. Your home bar setup actually says more about your personality than you may realize. When your friends visit your home for the first time, do you offer them a cheap beer? Do you make a fresh cocktail from your fully-stocked home bar? Since you’re here, I assume you aspire to be the later.

Bartending is a learned life skill that once mastered, you will use for the rest of your life. This section of the website is a crash course for home bartenders to acquire the skills needed to successfully setup a home bar, host a successful event, and gain the basic mixology skills needed for home bartending.

Setting Up the Bar

The first step in the production of a great home bar is to consider the size and location right that is right for you. Take a minute to analyze your needs and determine the size and location that works best for your lifestyle. Are you going to be entertaining for large groups which require a large space or the construction of an actual custom bar? Are you limited by space in an apartment or condo, in which case a corner of the kitchen counter top can work. *Ninja Tip - Keep your party flowing like you know what you’re doing. Follow basic catering rules by putting the bar on the opposite side of the room from the food. Just trust us on this one…

Supplies and Tools

If you were a chef, you would probably show up to work with knives, so as a bartender don’t over look your tools. The good news is you don’t have to leave your chair to purchase these. All the following products can be purchased on this site, just visit the Bar Ninja store. Try the Ultimate Bartending Kit to get you started. If you are on a tight budget, you can get by with the following:

Cocktail Shaker

Hawthorne Strainer

Bottle opener

Wine key

Jigger or measuring glass

For a professional home bar experience, these additional items are required:

Bar spoon

Blender

Ice bucket

Knife and cutting board

Muddler

Ice scoop

Tongs

Pitcher

Bar mat

Pour spouts

Now, it's onto the good stuff. For a basic bar setup grab the following:

From the Liquor Store

1 bottle Vodka

1 bottle Flavored Vodka

1 bottle Rum

1 bottle Gin

1 bottle Tequila

1 bottle Triple Sec

1 bottle of Bourbon/Whiskey

1 bottle Irish Whiskey

1 bottle of Irish Cream

1 bottle of Amaretto

1 bottle Coffee Liqueur

1 bottle Single Malt Scotch

1 bottle Blended Scotch

6 pack Light Beer

6 pack of Guinness

Cordials of your choice: i.e. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Sambuca etc.

From the Grocery Store

Ginger ale

Lemon Lime soda

Cola

Diet Cola

Tonic Water

Soda Water

Tomato Juice

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

Cranberry Juice

Grapefruit Juice

Lime Juice

Grenadine

Limes

Lemons

Oranges

Angostura Bitters

Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco Sauce

Sugar

Salt and Pepper

The approximate cost to set everything up will be between $200.00 and $500.00 USD depending how overboard you go at the liquor store. You may also want to consider purchasing the correct glassware for the job. At the minimum you should have:

Rocks Glasses 5 to 6oz

Tall Glasses 8 to 12oz

Shot Glasses 1 ½ oz.

Wine Glasses 5 to 10oz.

Martini Glasses 5 to 6 oz.

*Ninja Tip – If you are throwing a party at home, you can take the catering route by using only white and red wine glasses for all drinks.

*Ninja Tip – You can rent glasses from your local rent-all store if you are throwing a rager.

*Ninja Tip – If you are serving hot drinks, make sure you are using the appropriate glassware or that is has handles.

Building a Bar

Building an actual home bar is an intermediate construction project. It will take a full range of tools with various building and finishing materials. If you are not savvy with a circular saw, you may want to hire help or consult a local contractor. There are also online websites like barplan.com that can help with consultation and planning for the construction of your home bar.

Bar Top Setup

Most bar tops are laid out in a similar fashion. You will want to arrange your bottles in a way that makes sense to you grouping similar items together. You will need an area for your cutting board and knife as well as bar mat and shakers.

*Ninja Tip – Go to your local hardware store and purchase fluorescent under cabinet light sticks and then place them behind your displayed liquor bottles to create a professional look. Building a small shelf to tier two separate levels of bottles can also look very pro in a home setting.