5 Bottles to Create a Restaurant-Worthy Bar at Home

Bottles like Beefeater and Ketel One are cocktail stalwarts, no question. They’re safe, dependable, and easy to find anywhere. But if you’re looking to build out your home bar with more variety, it may be time to explore alternatives that allow you to keep things classic while adding a little extra excitement.

When stocking a home bar, you’ll need the basic spirits — vodka, rum, gin, bourbon, and tequila. In professional settings, bartenders place their most frequently used bottles from each of these categories in the “rail,” a narrow shelf at waist-height in the front of a bar. This allows for each bottle to be within arm's reach at any moment. At home, this would be the equivalent of the go-to bottles stored on the top shelf of your bar cart, rather than the dusty ones tucked away in the back corners of far-away cabinets.

These classic spirits are the base of most “well drinks,” simple cocktails that rely on bottles typically found in a bartender’s rail. Add a splash of club soda to vodka, bourbon, or tequila and you have a highball. Throw in a big squeeze of lime, a dash of simple syrup plus rum or gin to make a Daiquiri or a Gimlet. Classic cocktails are classics for a reason — they’re simple to create and a small change in ingredients open up endless variations. But using high quality spirits can make them something truly worth savoring. 

If you’re looking for an easy way to increase the quality of your cocktails at home, think of stocking your home bar (or rail, if you will) like your pantry: choose well-made, delicious, and interesting basics. Here are five great brands you might not be as familiar with — a vodka, rum, tequila, whiskey, and gin — to add inspiration to your drinks.