Home Bar Ideas on A Budget
The ultimate guide to creating a home bar on a budget - including everything from essential spirits, liqueurs and equipment needed to stock your budget home bar.
UPDATE: I’ve now created a studio quality online cocktail course which features 3+ hours of high definition on-demand video lessons and 11 in-depth downloadable assets. The course will walk you through everything you need and need to know to make cocktails from scratch. In said course, I cover this article in more detail - check it out here for more information with a 50% discount!. Thank you!
Table of contents
Home bar design - Pinterest
After going through a time when all the bars were closed, I’m sure like myself, you thought now is the perfect time to set up your own home bar.
Let's face it, all of us at one point or another have stared into an empty space in your flats or houses and wondered “How cool would it be to have a mini home bar there”
Anytime you mention home bars you just feel like luxury, even if that home bar is just a small table with a handful of bottles.
Bragging rights aside, it’s great to have options. Every week drinking the same old stuff can get boring. It’s all well and good having a favourite drink but you don’t want to get tired of it do you?
Too much of a good thing can get boring. It’s great to get some versatility in there, just to have a few options.
So you can’t afford a fully stocked, decked out, walk behind bar with purple velvet stools, a fully stocked wine rack, ice cold fridge and pink neon “bar” sign on the wall.
That doesn’t mean you can’t create a bloody good home bar or beautiful bar cart on the cheap with little space. And whilst we are talking space, let's just explore that in more detail…
Space needed for a home bar
How much space do you need for a home bar? The answer is not much.
All in all you can have a nicely stocked home bar with just 10 or less different bottles. Which if cleverly chosen will make an array of cocktails. we will talk about those bottles shortly.
Other than them bottles, you just need some basic equipment essentials. It’s not a lot. My home bar used to be a 1 meter long space underneath my staircase, Now it’s a whole room but the equipment has stayed pretty much the same.
If you have the space you can create a nicely stocked bar filled with non essentials - bar mats, neon signs, vintage glassware and cocktail books. But if you are only working with little space, i.e. a bar cart. Then that doesn’t mean you have to necessarily sacrifice some of the bar essentials, instead you just need to lose some of the non-essentials.
Or be clever about the way you organise your cart.
So step one is to figure out what space you’re working with. Ask yourself, can you drill shelves into the wall or are you renting? Is it going to be low or high? Keep in mind, you can have a nicely stocked bar working with just shelves alone above a side table somewhere or in your kitchen.
A bar cart is a good idea if you have the floor space. With bar carts you can also wheel it around if you decide you don’t like where you first put your bar.
Non essential home bar equipment and décor
Here are a few non essential items that will make your home bar pop;
Artificial plants
Artificial plants are a great filler for small home bars - especially if your home bar is gin heavy. Plants, even artificial ones give that light green feel you get from gin.
Home gin bar - Pinterest
Plant décor for home bar - pinterest
Basic Hanging Plants
Hanging plants work great, for shelves they droop down, for carts they droop over, whether you have a larger space and you’re trying to draw attention in, or whether you have a small space you’re trying to make look brighter.
Hanging plants are a great go to.
If I could only get one plant, this is what I’d go for. Not to mention, they’re cheap.
Different styles of hanging plants
Coloured hanging plants
Rose hanging plants (perfect for botanical home bars)
If the basic hanging plants don’t work for you, or you’re simply after something more specific. I’d recommend the following;
Vintage decanters and dropper bottles
These are great for whisky based home bars. If your preference is drinking straight whisky and those classic few ingredients hard-hitting cocktails like whisky sours and old fashioneds, then your spirit collection will be kept pretty small.
A handful of whiskeys and an even smaller collection of liqueurs.
Most of your home bar will be stocked with bitters which are tiny and take up little to no space. Decanting one of your whiskeys even if it's a cheap whisky will instantly make your bar look more deluxe - especially if you decanter your bitters into small crystal glass dropper bottles.
The decanter look home bar also looks sophisticated. Even if your home bar is built on a budget, just adding a few decanters change the entire feel of it.
Vintage looking bar cart - Pinterest
home whisky bar
Decanters
My ultimate recommendation, especially if you’re only working with a small space, is the regal trunk whisky decanter set.
Looks very expensive but in fact is great value for money. It comes with the decanter and matching glasses which look great next to each other.
Le Chateau Wine Decanter
Want more of a wine bar? Consider getting some wine decanters.
A good one will cost a pretty penny, if you’re after something budget but looks expensive, I’d go with the Le Chateau wine decanter.
Glass Bitters Bottles
Let’s not forget about those bitters. Whisky heavy home bars, prohibition and speakeasy styled home bars will be made up of a lot of bitters.
So to make your budget bar look expensive, consider decanting those bitters into glass bitter bottles.
I’d suggest going with a set with a few in. It’ll save you money buying them separately and offer some versatility.
The essentials for setting up a home bar
Now we have covered a few of the basics, let’s jump into the fun part. The essentials to stocking up any home bar.
Your preferences may differ a lot - maybe you prefer sipping spirits straight and want a spirit heavy bar, maybe you love cocktails and just want to be able to make the most cocktails out of the least amount of bottles, maybe you’re all about gin and tonics and you want a wide range of gin’s.
Further down this page I talk more about specific home bar preferences and how to stock them, but for this section let's just focus on the home bar as a whole.
Creating a home bar that’s budget friendly but offers enough variation to make the most cocktails.
The essentials are organised in 5 different categories. Firstly the booze which is separated in Spirits, Liqueurs and bitters. Then there's the non booze essentials: Glassware and equipment
For this list, I’ve not mentioned non alcoholic products such as fresh fruit and mixers, reason being: Most of these will be kept in your fridge and bought a few days in advance, as a bottle of lime juice wouldn't be very budget friendly seems so you would be throwing it out and restocking it every few weeks.
So although you can make a lot of cocktails, you will need to pick up the citrus!
And finally - I’ve not mentioned sugar syrup, which should be batched up and kept in the fridge.
The essential spirits, liqueurs, glassware and equipment for your budget home bar
Don’t worry about getting the most expensive spirits if you’re just starting out. It’s best to go with the cheapest option, then upgrade the ones you use the most as time goes on. For now, just worry about getting all the bottles, then upgrade later.
Below is a video where I walk you through the 13 essential bottles for stocking your home bar in the most cost effective way. Along with tips on choosing from the styles of different spirits and liqueurs.
It’s actually a lesson taken from my cocktail course - How To Make Cocktails From Scratch
In that course, I cover a lot of what’s covered here and then some. You have that free lesson on essential spirits but I also teach you about essential tools, glassware, and substitutions as well as how to build an original cocktail from scratch with what you have on hand.
I had the pleasure to film that course in a professional studio so the quality is amazing and it really allowed me to fit as much knowledge about making cocktails at home in as I could. Including 3 hours of on demand lifetime access video and 11 downloadable assets such as my 49 favourite cocktail recipes you can make with just these 13 bottles, and my complete flavour guide.
You can learn more here or check it out with the button below the video.
Spirits
Gin
Vodka
Tequila
Scotch
Bourbon
Tequila
Dark rum
Brandy
Liqueurs
Cointreau
Dry vermouth
Sweet vermouth
Campari
Kahlua
Bitters
Angostura
Orange - Can get away without it
Peychaurds - Can get away without it
Glassware
Wine glasses - set of 4 multi use glasses for both red and white.
Recommendation - £29.99 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $35.99 amazon.com
Champagne Flute - set of 4
Recommendation - £28.99 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $41.97 amazon.com
Rocks glass - set of 6 cheap but durable
Recommendation - £22.89 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $19.98 amazon.com
Collins glass - 2 high quality ones
Recommendation - £21.00 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $32.92 amazon.com
Coupe - set of 4
Recommendation - £35.99 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $35.99 amazon.com
Equipment
Jigger - for measuring ingredients
Recommendation - £10.89 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $12.99 amazon.com
Bar spoon - for stirred drinks and layering
Recommendation - £4.99 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $4.99 amazon.com
Muddler - for muddled drinks
Recommendation - £7.96 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $7.99 amazon.com
Hawthorn strainer - for straining cocktails
Recommendation - £7.48 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $5.90 amazon.com
Julep strainer - for straining stirred drinks
Recommendation - £7 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $16.38 amazon.com
Mixing jar - for stirred cocktails
Recommendation - £16.98 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $23.99 amazon.com
Shaker - for shaken cocktails
Now for cocktail shakers, there are a few you can choose from, and it’s all about personal preference. Check out the below for my recommendations and find the one you would prefer to use.
Tin on tin - cheapest option, doesn’t break easily, fits a lot in.
Recommendation - £9.33 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $19.35 amazon.com
Glass boston - similiar to the above but one part is glass. Heavier, has a higher chance of breaking, but you can see what you’re mixing, when its mixed enough/when a foamy cocktail is foamed enough.
Recommendation - £10.12 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $19.95 amazon.com
3-piece shaker - Won’t break, has a built in strainer so no need for the above hawkthorn, but holds much less.
Recommendation - £15 amazon.co.uk
Recommendation - $16.98 amazon.com
I could talk cocktail shakers forever, when it comes to a shaken cocktails, you have loads of options so just make sure to do a bit of research and maybe try a few. All of them have different pros and cons, it’s down to personal preference at the end of the day. Check out this comparison to understand the difference between cocktail shakers and the best ones to buy.
If you want something more flush, check out my article on the 5 best copper cocktail shakers you can buy.
How many cocktails can you make with this?
The possibilities are endless. The beauty of this setup is you can get creative.
With a glass of ice and a bit of innovation, you could pour and mix up endless original creations from bitter cocktails to sweet cocktails and everything in-between.
However, if it's classic cocktails you are after, I’ve listed the possibilities below.
All you would need to do is pick up the fresh fruit and/or non alcoholic ingredients before mixing. I’ve made sure to only list the ones with as few non-alcoholic ingredients as possible to keep the shopping list to a minimum - so nothing with more than 2 extra ingredients.
White Russian
Black Russian
Basic Sazerac
Daiquiri
Screwdriver
Cuba libre
Moscow mule
Sidecar
Long island iced tea
Americano
Not only is that quite the excessive cocktail menu you could work through, you can also make variation on all of them. For example a tequila, brandy or rum old fashioned, or a tequila, rum, whisky mule.
And did I mention that’s only a few of the classics you could make? The list goes on from there. They're just the most popular!
So with them 14 bottles, the glassware, and the equipment, you could get a minimum 30 of the most popular cocktails, once you consider spirit variations that's 90+ and with the basic spirit mixers, drinking spirits straight and a bit of digging on more cocktails, that's way over 200 cocktails and that's without even getting to your original cocktail creations.
For more cocktail inspiration, check out all my cocktail recipes here.
How I would set that out on a small bar cart
So, you have your 14 bottles, equipment, and glassware. before you jump into your 200+ cocktails. You need to design your home bar,
Let’s assume you’re working with a small space on the budget side of things.
Take the bar cart below, which is a small cheap bar cart I found on amazon.
Dimensions 78H x 45W x 38Dcm
If you’re shopping from the UK, you can find that exact bar cart here on amazon for just £45.99.
USA would be $45.99 from here.
Top tip
The trick is to shop for a trolly and not a bar cart.
You see, when you search for a bar cart the prices are higher then say, a kitchen trolly, but the thing is, they are exactly the same thing just with different names.
A bar cart is just a trolly with bar stuff on it. So save the money and search for a kitchen or storage trolly, not a bar cart.
How to stock your cart
The top shelf
The 8 spirits + bar equipment. If you keep the bar spoon, strainers and muddler inside the mixing glass you will have plenty of room to fit them all.
Second shelf
Liqueurs, bitters and a hang over artificial plant.
Bottom shelf
Glassware and maybe even some fresh whole fruit, you will be needing plenty of limes and lemons after all.
For more recommendations on cheap bar carts, check out my article on 9+ bar carts under £100.
Home bar variations
The gin lover
If you’re a gin lover read this guide. Scroll to the gin styles and pick up one of each, for liqueurs you only need a bottle of St. Germain, Campari, sweet/dry vermouth and Cointreau.
With these few bottles and a stash of tonic, you will be able to make dozens of cocktails and drinks, from plenty of gin and tonic variations to sweet, savoury, bitter, hard-hitting and light cocktails.
Whisky lover
For the whisky lover you will instead focus on having a dynamic whisky collection, this means a cheaper bourbon and scotch for mixing, a more expensive scotch and bourbon for sipping straight, and a rye whisky and Japanese whisky for variation.
Stick with only the angostura and orange bitters and for the liqueurs you could easily get away with only a bottle of sweet vermouth and Drambuie.
Dream home bar stock
If you have the space, and the money. The below list will enable you to not just have a fantastic looking home bar, but to be able to make 100s of cocktails that suit 100s of different peoples taste.
Within that list, there will be a drink/cocktail for everybody. This is for the person that doesn’t just want a home bar, they want the best home bar - beautifully designed and completely functional.
Spirits
London dry Gin
New world gin
Vodka
Tequila Blanco
Tequila Reposado
Tequila Anejo
Scotch <£20
Scotch £50>
Bourbon <£20
Bourbon £50>
Japanese whisky
Dark rum <£15
Dark rum £50>
White rum
Spiced rum
Aquavit
Pisco
Liqueurs
Cointreau
Dry vermouth
Sweet vermouth
Lillet blanc
Campari
Green chartreuse
Aperol
St. Germain
Creme de violet
Bitters
Angostura
Orange
Peychaurds
Chocolate bitters
Glassware
Everything in the above glassware essential section.
Nick and Nora’s
recommendation - £25 amazon.co.uk
recommendation - $32.96 amazon.com
A few of your favourites from my unique glassware list.
Equipment
Everything from the essential equipment list.
Soda siphon - for carbonating cocktails and fresh soda
recommendation - £76 amazon.co.uk
recommendation - $67.99 amazon.com
Wine rack - store all your wines and spare bottles in style, 12 bottle rack should do for any need.
recommendation - £24.99 amazon.co.uk
recommendation - $29.90 amazon.com
Mini bar fridge - for wines, beers, or vermouths
recommendation - £129.99 amazon.co.uk
recommendation - $185.99 amazon.com
Neon sign - no bar is complete with a neon sign.
I’m a big fan of neon signs, if you’ve ever checked out my YouTube you will notice that my home bar is kitted out with a banana neon sign.
For all my recommendations, check out my list here on the 27+ must have home bar neon signs.
Fresh herb garden - for cocktails and garnishing
Just pick up some pots that suit your bars style and fill them with fresh herbs
Inspiration for your small space home bar
Below are just a few photos of amazing home bars which makes the most of little space for your own home bar inspiration. With ideas on the styles and where you can build your home bar.
Photos from Pinterest
Under stairs home bar
Great for utilising a usually underused space.
Shelf bar
Doesn’t take up much room, all you need is a shelf and some bottles. The walls your limit!
Refurbished furniture
Wardrobes, dressers, and cupboards are just a few great options for turning old furniture into home bars. It’s relatively cheap and budget friendly if you can get your hands on some old furniture, and its fun to get creative with a little DIY product.
Overall, they look amazing as well, especially when you use something you wouldn’t expect to see a bar in.
Bar Carts
Great for moving around if you like to change your mind a lot.
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