How to Build Your First Home Bar

A great home bar isn't about having everything. It's about having the right five things — and actually being able to make a dozen classic drinks with them. Most guys overbuy cheap bottles and underinvest in the two or three workhorses that do all the heavy lifting. The goal is a shelf that lets you pour a proper Old Fashioned, a Negroni, or a whiskey sour without hunting for anything or apologizing for what you've got.

• Buffalo Trace Bourbon — The workhorse. Drinks well neat, works perfectly in cocktails, costs less than $35. Start here.
• Campari — One bottle makes Negronis indefinitely. Non-negotiable for any respectable home bar.
• Sweet Vermouth — Carpano Antica or Cocchi di Torino. Refrigerate after opening. Most guys ignore this and their Negroni suffers for it.
• Gin — Tanqueray or Hendrick's. Works in a Gin & Tonic, a Martini, or a Tom Collins. One bottle covers three categories.
• Angostura Bitters — A bottle lasts years. Mandatory for any Old Fashioned or Manhattan. Don't skip it.

• Glencairn glass set — For bourbon and whiskey, served neat. A proper nosing glass isn't pretentious, it's just better. A four-pack runs about $40 on Amazon.
• King cube ice tray — A 2-inch ice cube melts slower and doesn't water down your drink. The single most underrated upgrade for a bourbon drinker.