Home Bar Basics

Everything you need to know to set up your own home bar. Basics like glassware, necessary liquors, and what utensils you might need. Also, fruit garnishes and how to pour an honest shot. Then once you're comfortable, something a little more advanced like how to host bourbon and wine tastings.

• Home Bar Basics

  All the tools you need to make drinks for a couple friends or a full house.

• Essential Home Bar Tools and Utensils

  A guide to the essential tools and utensils needed by bartenders. The list includes cocktail shakers, blenders, strainers, muddlers, jiggers and more.

• Cutting Fruit to Garnish Cocktails

  You need to learn how to cut some simple garnishes to serve with your drinks.

• How to Pour Liquor By Counting

  You don't want all of your guests to pass out after their second drink. Learning the proper pours and proportions will make your drinks taste great and you will look like a professional bartender!

• 12 Bottles Any Bar Should Have

  I can't guarantee that you'll be able to make every drink you come across - but you'll definitely be off to a good start. Read on for the list, the best brands to buy (even on a budget!), and cocktails you can make with your sweet new stash.

• What Should You Stock in Your Home Bar?

  A guide to essential mixers that are recommended for a well-stocked home bar.

• 10 Essential Glasses for Your Home Bar

  You have the hardware. You bought the booze. You picked up the mixers. Your home bar is almost complete. Now you just need glassware.

• 8 Cocktail Books Every Bartender Should Read - BevSpot

  Cocktail books are a valuable resource for everyone behind the bar. They show us how to resurrect classic cocktails, use new and innovative ingredients, test unique garnishes, and focus on specific liquors. They also tell bartenders’ stories, suggest certain techniques, and provide a glimpse into the history of drinking and cocktail culture.

• How to Host a Bourbon Tasting at Home

  Ever wanted to host your own bourbon tasting at home? We've got all the tips you'll need to pull off a successful one.

• How to Host a Wine Tasting

  Stephen Tanzer teaches the basics of hosting a wine tasting...

Recipes Every Home Bartender Should Know

• Drinks Every Bartender Should Know

  Top drinks and cocktails that every home bartender needs to know how to make.

• Old Fashioned

  This drink has been around for over 100 years. It's a classic that goes over big these days.

• Long Island Iced Tea

  The classic Long Island Iced Tea is actually really easy to make, and great for parties or just hanging out by the pool.

• Mojito

  Refreshing, exotic and it will teach you how to muddle.

• Piña Colada

  Every home bartender has to have a frozen drink in their arsenal. This tropical deliciousness is a perfect place to start.

• Dry Martini

  Every home bartender HAS to learn how to make a great martini. It's a rite of passage.

• Bloody Mary

  This classic breakfast drink is simple and it looks great.

• Irish Coffee

  Different variations of coffee cocktails pre-date the now classic Irish coffee by at least 100 years. The original Irish coffee was invented and named by Joe Sheridan, a head chef in Foynes, County Limerick. The coffee was conceived after a group of American passengers disembarked from a long flight on a miserable winter evening in the 1940s. Sheridan added Irish whiskey to the coffee to warm the passengers up.

• White Russian

  A great White Russian recipe for people who are wanting to learn how to make classic cocktails and watch "The Big Lebowski" in style. "I gotta beverage here man!!!"

• Miss Charming's Shots & Shooters

  At some point, while hanging out at your home bar, you are going to hear this phrase... "Who wants to do some shots?!"

• About Rick - Rick On the Rocks

  I was an actor/professional musician/bartender for a number of years and then I was a bar/beverage coordinator for a major restaurant chain out of South Florida for almost a decade. I was tired of missing Easter, Halloween, and every other thing a dad should be there for. My daughter was growing up with an absentee father. I decided to give up my corporate job, spend as much time as possible with my family and start a blog. It's been over 3 years and I've been featured on the Food Network, BuzzFeed and Life of Dad. It doesn't get much better than this.