THE 2020 BAR ESSENTIALS GUIDE

What makes a good home bar, great? Just a little planning and a few essentials with a generous dose of candor and creativity.

A bar that can host any occasion is one that exudes an unmistakable warmth- cheering in folks with invitations to new spirited journeys and unforgettable conversations.


With weeks bookended with impromptu gatherings and festive cheer, one finds themselves hosts to all sorts of bar side kindles. To ferry you through all that’s in store in the coming decade I have put together an all essentials home bar reckoner so you can cheer in 2020 with bar flair and great cocktails.


If you are still working on last-minute gifts this season, home bar gifts can make for memorable additions to the recipient’s bar repertoire. Pick from our 50+ strong bouquet of small-batch fine spirits full of craft and stories to indulge in this season and pair it with a bar kit, leather apron, quirky bitters, and unusual ingredients to cheer in the good times.


Good luck and here’s wishing you a fine start to the new decade. 


Keshav Prakash
Founder, The Vault

Get a cocktail recipe book or put together your favorite recipes.

My go-to classic cocktails have grown over the years but here are the three that every bar owner and keeper  should have 

up their sleeve, along with the classic G&T’s.


Negroni – Gin, Campari, Vermouth

Old Fashioned – Whisky, Sugar Cubes, Bitters, Twist of Citrus

Margarita – Tequila (Teased with some Mezcal), Cointreau, Lime Juice

Tip: My cocktail recipe book, pick for the year is The Aviary Book

Invest in a bar kit

A good cocktail can be a happy coincidence but a great cocktail is an alchemy and you need all the tools to fuel masterful creations. Shakers, jigger, strainers, muddlers, bar spoons and of course the glassware to frame your art. Bar kits are the start of great bar times.

Tip: My Bar Kit recommendation for the year is Cocktail Kingdom Barware.

Amazon and Ikea in India have great budget options as well

Stock up on essential liqueurs and mixers that add that unmistakable flourish to your creations.

Trust me you’ll be glad you did this because bar alchemy begins with the bar man’s potions.

Here are my most trusted liqueurs – the pièce de résistance to my bar craft.

 

Vermouth (Mancino vermouth)
Cointreau
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (Cherry liqueur)
Campari
Bitters

Tip: Mail order Bitters to an overseas address on your travels.

Ice. Always prepare ahead with ice.

No bar side jamboree is quite set off without the clink of ice that instantly elevates the drink.
I always make sure to have a backup, for the backup ice and it’s never failed me all these years.

Tip: Stock up on silicone ice trays on Amazon

Make sure to have a fine spirit for every taste.

A Rum, Gin, Whisky, and Tequila make my bar any season, every reason. Open to interpretation and incredible on their own, the essential spirits in your home bar curation can reflect not just what you love, but what your guests would too.

 

If you are seeking a dram to discover or a curated fine-spirits experience simply call upon our concierge to curate an experience for you.

 

CONTACT OUR CONCIERGE

 

 

 

PHONE: 91 22 24314319

 EMAIL: concierge@vaultfinespirits.com

TIMINGS: Monday to Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturdays 11am to 3pm.

 

www.vaultfinespirits.com