Last week, we listed some home bar tools that make mixology easy and fun. This week we’ll tackle the list of basic ingredients that we recommend having on hand for your cocktails.

Mixology is a matter of taste, of course! The name of the game is to create drinks you want to enjoy. While someone’s home bar might skew toward dry martinis and simple cocktails, someone else’s could lean heavier toward fruit and dessert drinks. There’s no wrong way to get into cocktail creation!

While it depends on what sorts of drinks you plan to mix up, the following list contains ingredients that almost always come in handy:

Angostura Bitters

enhance the flavor of anything it’s added to, from cocktails to dinner to dessert!

Angostura Bitters ($35) – You’ll find bitters in a lot of different cocktails, and it’s versatile enough that you might even be inspired to try it in mocktails, soups, desserts, and more. It really does enhance everything it touches!

Lemons & Limes ($1) – Best bought fresh, lemons and limes (and oranges too, while we’re at it!) can be used as both ingredients and garnishes. If a cocktail calls for freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, you can bet it tastes way better when you squeeze it to order. Your cocktails (and guests, when we entertain again) will thank you for it!

Maraschino Cherries ($4) – These sweetened cherries are great in any fruity cocktail as a garnish or ingredient, and the juice can be used for all sorts of dessert cocktails. Don’t forget the toothpicks!

Cinnamon sticks ($10) – Best bought in bulk, cinnamon sticks are essential for garnishes (especially for winter and coffee drinks) and can be ground for a fresh burst of cinnamon when required.

Simple Syrup – Honestly, we’re not going to put a price on Simple Syrup because it’s so easy to make at home. Microwave a 1:1 ratio of white sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Then let it cool. That’s it. Now you have simple syrup for all sorts of dessert drinks, as well as our Wisconsin favorite: the Old Fashioned!

Siren Shrub Co. Sipping Vinegars ($20) – Sipping vinegar is a great tool to have in your home bar. You can use it to add flavor and character to your drinks without overly sweetening them, and with such a variety of flavors available from Basil to Tart Cherry to Maple Ginger, there’s something for every occasion. The best part is you can use a shot of shrub in a glass of Sprite for a quick, tasty mocktail.

Ginger Ale/Ginger Beer/Sprite ($5) – Grab yourself some bubbly mixers! Ginger Ale is used in a lot of sweeter and some spicy cocktails, Ginger Beer is a little more aggressive and required for Moscow Mules, and Sprite is a good all-around source of bubbles. Dark sodas like colas are great with whiskey and rum, and we highly recommend trying some Point Root Beer with a shot of Riverbank Spiced Rum. Don’t limit yourself to just these, though—get creative and see what other flavors your creations need!

Ice – We won’t put a price here either because odds are pretty good you already have some in your freezer. If you don’t, head to the nearest location of The Store and you can always grab a bag.

Siren Shrubs

add an exciting, tart flavor to any drink.

Oh, we almost forgot! You’ll need to pick up some spirits to start mixing. Ideally something with all-natural ingredients, handcrafted in small batches by a local Wisconsin company. We wonder where you can buy such wonderful spirits…

Now that you’ve done some shopping and stocked up on supplies, you’re going to want to get practicing! We recommend looking up some recipes and how-tos online. It just so happens that we post a new video recipe every week, so a good place to start might just be our Facebook videos or the recipe page on our site.

Happy mixing!

Locally distilled in Plover, Wisconsin.

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