Stock Your Bar

Last week I did a post on creating a well-stocked bar over on the HomeGoods blog and thought it would be fun to continue the conversation over here.

Since the holidays are officially upon us, it's pretty likely that you'll have guests at your home sometime during the next six weeks. So, it's time to make sure that you are equipped to be a proper host/hostess. Proper hosts offer refreshments and it's nice to be able to offer a wide range of options. We've probably all been in the situation where someone has dropped by and you offer a drink and actually have nothing but tap water and vodka. Not many people would ask for that combo.

To avoid this pitfall, just take the initiative to prep, shop, and maintain and you'll be set! Here's a quick reference list of essentials that you can use to while stocking:

Luckily most of the above aren't perishable so if you buy the items now, they will be good to use for a long time. And obviously, there are a multitude of other drinks, tools, snacks, and glasses that you might want to have on hand. We drink lots of wine so we have a wine aerator and a VacuVin Wine Saver.

Besides accumulating all of the booze, glassware, garnishes, and tools that it takes to be a good home bartender, many of you also need a place to keep/display the aforementioned necessities. If you don't have a built-in bar at your house, then consider putting a bar cabinet or cart to work.

Bar carts have been all the rage over the past couple of years, and Society Social is a new company that pretty much specializes in them. Here are some of their bars in case you're in the market...

What do you think of Society Social's bars? And what did I leave off of my list of essentials? Do you have favorite bar tools, cocktails, or garnishes? How do you store your barware/booze?