When it comes to the world of mixed drinks, things changed with the cocktail renaissance of the early aughts. Before that, if you wanted an old fashioned, you’d have to hope the ancient bartender at your local watering hole knew how to make one (or had the directions on a laminated piece of paper somewhere). Now, it seems like you can visit any big city, small town, or one-stoplight pass-through and find at least one “bespoke” or “craft” cocktail bar.
This has also led to countless novices taking up mixology in the privacy of their own homes.
But, for everyone who purchased a home bar or bar cart and filled it with the necessary bottles, tinctures, and ingredients, countless others felt too overwhelmed to do anything more than buy a bottle of Jack and a six-pack of Coke. We’re here to help those would-be home bartenders along on their journies. Well, technically a slew of bartenders are going to help.
“Chefs know that their food depends on great ingredients, and as a home mixologist, you should too,” says Jim Lunchick, mixologist at Merriman’s Waimea in Waimea, Hawaii.
With this in mind, we asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the most underrated home bar ingredients. They were kind enough to list their can’t-miss ingredients and even explained why they’re necessary home bar ingredients. We’re not talking about the alcohol or the tools today. Simply the important ingredients you can’t mix without. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks.
Fresh Herbs
Martin Gutierrez, bar manager at Joia Beach’s Bar in Miami
“In my opinion, one of the most underrated home bar ingredients is fresh herbs. While commonly used in cooking, fresh herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, and thyme can elevate the flavor profile of cocktails in a unique and refreshing way. Adding a sprig of mint to a mojito or a basil leaf to a gin cocktail can bring a burst of freshness and complexity to the drink that is often overlooked. The aromatic qualities of fresh herbs can complement and enhance the other ingredients in a cocktail, creating a more well-rounded and enjoyable drinking experience.”
Vermouth
Ray Tremblay, corporate beverage director of COJE Group in Boston
“I believe that vermouth is probably the most underrated home bar ingredient. It’s a staple of many classic cocktails, but in home bars, it’s usually collecting dust and poorly stored. Investing in quality vermouth and storing it properly in the fridge can result in some great cocktails such as martinis, Manhattans, boulevardiers/negronis, spritzes, and Americanos.”
Ice
Christian Taibi, bar czar at Mahina & Sun’s at The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Honolulu, Hawaii
“Ice! You can maintain bar quality drinks by prioritizing your ice. Mahina & Sun’s not only creates clear ice but has invented coconut water Ice. It’s incredible for not only the evolution of its texture and flavor in the cocktail as it melts but also its next-day benefits. Infusing ice with creative ingredients puts any whiskey, tequila, or any spirit on a journey.”
Bitters
Samantha Nieves-Rivera, event manager at Mad Room Hospitality in Miami
“I think there are a few underrated home bar ingredients, but I’d have to say bitters are the most underestimated. While some may see them merely as decorative pieces at their home bar or only good enough for an old fashion, they possess the power to elevate any cocktail. From margaritas to sweet rum punches, bitters add depth and complexity, transforming ordinary drinks into extraordinary experiences.”
Fruit
Jim Lunchick, mixologist at Merriman’s Waimea in Waimea, Hawaii
“The most underrated home bar ingredient is fruit. Are you using freshly squeezed, high-quality limes? I cringe whenever I see a bottle of premade margarita mix. And using dry, inferior fresh limes isn’t a whole lot better. The fruit you are selecting for your cocktails should be picked out with as much attention as your choice of spirits. In fact, the seasonality of the fruit should be a factor in deciding what drinks you are going to make at home in the first place. Do the mangoes at the store look and feel amazing? Then your mango colada will be amazing too. Is it fresh blackberry season? Muddle them into your old fashioned and celebrate.”
Simple Syrup
Justin Lawrence, head bartender at Vasili’s in Naperville, Illinois
“I think the most underrated home bar ingredient would have to be simple syrup. It’s not only used in so many popular cocktails but there are also so many cool ways to concoct your own at home. Even something as small as using demerara instead of regular white sugar is a huge difference maker. You can take that a step further and start adding different flavor profiles to suit your needs. I’ve recently been obsessed with making my own cucumber jalapeno syrup that I like to use in my tequila smash recipe. I use a 1:1 ratio and throw in tons of sliced cucumbers and jalapenos. I finish it off with a few bottles of Aegean tonic to bring the flavor of cucumber forward. You can try a technique like this with different flavors to fit your needs and it’s a fairly low-maintenance task.”
Salt
Kodi Satra, beverage manager at Tattersall Distilling in River Falls, Wisconsin
“Salt. We put salt in almost everything when it comes to food, but most people don’t think to do so in cocktails. It makes fruit pop in syrups, cancels bitterness/bite in spirit-forward cocktails, and overall, just makes for better flavor. We use Tamari in our old fashioned syrup which is a gluten-free soy sauce, along with demerara sugar and chicory. It helps all the individual flavors to pop. We put kosher salt in almost every syrup we use behind our bar for the same reasons. We’re always balancing sweetness/acidity/salt similarly to when cooking.”
Tomatoes
Kelvin Thairu, head bartender at Hero Bar in Nairobi, Kenya
“My take would be tomatoes either ripe or unripe. There are a couple of ways I use to extract flavors from a tomato, be it ripe, green, or even almost going bad. For fresh and green tomatoes, I can blend and extract clear water through filtering with cheesecloth and filter paper. I can as well mix with vinegar and sugar to make a shrub that will stay long without going bad, and it’s always very refreshing and good for sours. For the almost going bad, I do lacto-fermentation which works best with tequila or mezcal.”
Tea
Panji Wisrawan, head mixologist Apéritif Bar in Ubud, Bali
“Tea is the most underrated home bar ingredient, it’s always there in every house, easy to get, and offers layers of flavor in the cocktail making with its tannins and complexity. It can be a great mixer or infused with your favorite spirits. Or mix it into any punch or milk punch.”
Homemade cocktail aromatics
Petr Balcarovsky, lead bartender of The Apparatus Room in Detroit
“You can elevate your home bar experience with this underrated secret ingredient: homemade cocktail aromatics. These wonders have the power to transform your ordinary cocktail into a masterpiece that will leave your guests in awe. Not only does the aromatic spray take the flavors of your cocktail to new heights, but it also adds a touch of sophistication and elegance to your presentation. Imagine the conversations that will spark when your guests witness the final flourish of the aromatic spray. You can take your mixology skills to the next level with combinations of citrus oils and herbs to elevate your spring cocktail ideas, which will impress your friends and family with cocktails that are not just drinks but an experience to remember.”
Citrus
Simon Sebbah, beverage director at Grand Tour Hospitality in New York City
“I would say citrus overall (orange, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, etc.) is one of the most underrated home bar ingredients. It is very versatile when it comes to making drinks at home and allows you to have many different choices depending on the mood for you and your guests.”
Fats
Kyle Bobkowski, beverage manager at Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City
“Butter, oil, and fats in a home bar are very underrated and underutilized ingredients. Cooking some bacon for breakfast? Reserve the rendered fat pour it into some whiskey and freeze it and you have an automatically rich and savory liquid for an old fashioned or Manhattan. Have some extra coconut oil from a curry you were making but don’t know what else to use it for? Pour it into some rum or tequila, let it sit cold overnight and you’ll make some complex and dazzling coconut daiquiris or margaritas without using overly and artificially sweet coconut-flavored rums or other flavored spirits. I cook often at home and I’m always trying to upcycle or re-use ingredients in my cooking that would otherwise go to waste. An olive-oil-infused dirty martini is also a showstopper and olive oil is usually a fixture in kitchens and easy to infuse.”
Citric Acid
Daniel King, head bartender at Evelyn’s at Hutton Hotel in Nashville
“At the risk of sounding like a nerd, citric acid has found a very comfortable place in my pantry at home. Its foremost use is as a preservative for extending the life of fresh juices and syrups, which I don’t use nearly as quickly at home as we do in a commercial bar. It’s great for helping to extract oils from citrus peels when making oleo and works wonders in a homemade sugar or salt rim to add a little pucker.”