The most important thing about building a spirits cabinet that lets you make almost any cocktail is that it takes time—a lot of time. Each cocktail recipe requires 1-2 different types of spirits, liqueurs, syrups, bitters, and so on. After years of building, I can make about 80% of the recipes I see.
I’ve organized my collection into three clear categories:
- Work Bottles - Bottles I use frequently with high value-for-money
- Secondary Circle - Special liqueurs and syrups that upgrade specific cocktails
- Impression Bottles - Collectibles I use in cocktails, not just decoration
The Interactive Guide
You can explore all my bottles with an interactive cabinet view at /bottles-cabinet/. Click any bottle to read about its characteristics, price, and personal notes about how I use it in cocktails.
Recommended Resources
The Bar Book
The first book I read on cocktails—very readable and enjoyable. It explains the techniques, methods, and ideas behind making cocktails and contains recipes for classic cocktails.
Jeffrey Morgenthaler Blog
The blog of Jeffrey Morgenthaler who wrote The Bar Book. Contains recipes and musings. Updates rarely, but the recipes are solid gold.
Website: https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/
Cocktail Codex
The team from Death & Co bar analyzed thousands of cocktails and discovered that they all fall into 6 basic families. They teach how to play with each family’s base recipe to create almost any cocktail in the world.
Getting Started
A smart beginning starts with three work bottles:
- Gin (Tanqueray)
- Rum (Plantation 3 Étoiles)
- Whiskey (Buffalo Trace bourbon)
These give you access to countless classic cocktails.
Remember - building a great bar is a journey, not a destination. Each bottle you add opens access to countless new cocktails.