The two best words a party guest can hear? Full. Bar. There’s nothing quite like getting your drink of choice all night long. That being said, this doesn’t mean you have to offer all the liquor options to get the party off to a good start. Learn more about the traditional full bar ingredients and determine what mix is best for your crowd.
A full bar includes vodka, gin, tequila, light rum, dark rum, whiskey, bourbon, and scotch. It also can include brandy, triple sec, dry vermouth, and sweet vermouth. Popular finishing touches for a full bar include bitters, cherries, olives, kosher salt, lemons, and limes. And don’t forget mixers like soda and tonic waters, ginger beer, sodas, and juices. For a full bar, wine and beer are also offered, so guests can truly pick their poison.
This is a long list of things to stock up on for a party, especially if you are hosting a smaller crowd. You could end up with several unopened bottles by the end of the night – it’s a good thing that liquor doesn’t go bad!
If you’d like to offer a full bar when you entertain, chances are you can stock up on the liquor list once and then replenish the most popular spirits when you’re buying beer and wine for your party. The less popular potables will usually stretch for many parties, as they will be consumed only here and there based on individual guests’ preferences.
In our experience, vodka is the most popular spirit, followed by whiskey and bourbon. If you know your crowd loves rum and Cokes or gin and tonics, those spirits will also be popular, but crowd-dependent. Recently, tequila has emerged from the margarita and is now appreciated with sparkling water (Topo Chico is recommended for its uber-bubbles) and lime juice. And if you’re hosting the Ron Swanson Fan Club, it’s a good idea to cushion the scotch, specifically Lagavulin 16.
Brandy (including Cognac), triple sec, and vermouths are nice-to-haves but not must-haves. Unless you are a craft cocktail bartender, most likely you would offer your guests brandy neat (without ice) after dinner. We can’t say this grape-based aged spirit is very popular at most gatherings. Triple sec is typically used to offer an orange kick to drinks like margaritas, or to enhance the flavor of simpler drinks mixed with soda water. Sweet vermouth is a best supporting ingredient in popular cocktails like Manhattans and negronis. Dry vermouth is most often used in martinis, although it’s not necessary to use vermouth if your guests want their martinis straight-up.
For garnishes, limes and lemons are a must. A squeeze of citrus enhances almost every drink, so plan on picking up a handful of each for your next get-together. Green olives and maraschino cherries are used less frequently, but can be stored for next time. If a guest orders a Manhattan, chances are they would appreciate a good quality cherry brand like Luxardo over your childhood Shirley Temple garnish. You probably already have Kosher salt, which can adorn the rim of a margarita, paloma, or bloody Mary. Bitters are infused spirits that can heighten the aromatics of a cocktail with just a dash. Angostura and Peychaud’s are the most well-known bitters, but they truly come in every flavor imaginable! If you like to experiment, pick up some grapefruit, chocolate, celery, or orange bitters and try them out before your next event.
All in all, take stock of your guest list as well as your home bar before you run to the liquor store. A full bar gives your guests lots of options, but that doesn’t mean you need to offer every option. Be sure to check out more tips in our articles about mixers, non-alcoholic beverages, garnishes, and ice!
