A Good Host Mixes Good Drinks
Part of being a great host for a party is being able to supply fun and interesting drinks for your visitors. Being a good bartender is actually easier than you think. Once you have a few key ingredients and the proper bartending tools, you will be mixing drinks that will have your guests begging you to tell them how you made it.
Things you will need to bartend at home!
In order to be able to mix drinks at home, you are going to need a few basic pieces of equipment. These pieces of equipment are pretty affordable and will make your life much easier when you go to make your drinks.
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail Strainer
Bar Mat
Shot Glasses
Collins Glasses
High Ball Glasses
A Cocktail Shaker is used for mixing up ingredients on ice, and likewise, the strainer is used to remove the liquid from the cocktail shaker while preventing pulp or thicker ingredients from entering your glass.
A bar mat is nice to have, because you place your shot glasses open side down on the mat after you pour drinks in order to prevent your counter top from getting extremely messy.
Shot glasses are used both for measuring ingredients when mixing a drink as well as for when your guests would like to do a shooter.
A Collins glass is a taller glass used for serving larger drinks and a high ball glass is a shorter glass typically used when serving smaller drinks such as a high ball.
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail Strainer
Bar Mat
Shot Glasses
Collins Glasses
High Ball Glasses
A Cocktail Shaker is used for mixing up ingredients on ice, and likewise, the strainer is used to remove the liquid from the cocktail shaker while preventing pulp or thicker ingredients from entering your glass.
A bar mat is nice to have, because you place your shot glasses open side down on the mat after you pour drinks in order to prevent your counter top from getting extremely messy.
Shot glasses are used both for measuring ingredients when mixing a drink as well as for when your guests would like to do a shooter.
A Collins glass is a taller glass used for serving larger drinks and a high ball glass is a shorter glass typically used when serving smaller drinks such as a high ball.
Common Ingredients
On top of having all the equipment necessary to mix drinks, there are a handful of basic ingredients you should probably keep around the house to mix drinks.
These ingredients include:
Sodas: Coke, 7up, tonic water, soda water, red bull
Mixes: Sweet n Sour, Grenadine, Lime Cordial, Simple Syrup
Garnishes: Lemon and lime wedges, Celery, Olives, Maraschino cherries
Rimmers - There are a ton of different flavored rimmers for different drinks, buy them as needed
Ice
These ingredients include:
Sodas: Coke, 7up, tonic water, soda water, red bull
Mixes: Sweet n Sour, Grenadine, Lime Cordial, Simple Syrup
Garnishes: Lemon and lime wedges, Celery, Olives, Maraschino cherries
Rimmers - There are a ton of different flavored rimmers for different drinks, buy them as needed
Ice
Fun Drink Recipes
These are some of my favorite drinks with links to the corresponding recipe. I have included both cocktails as well as some common shooters!
Mixed Drinks
Cosmopolitan Martini
Long Island Ice Tea
Green Dinosaur
Strawberry Daquiri
Fuzzy Navel
Vodka Slime
Caesar
Mojito
Citrus Peach Cocktail
Shooters
Jager Bomb
Broken Down Golf Cart
Bazooka Joe
Jell-O Shooters
Mixed Drinks
Cosmopolitan Martini
Long Island Ice Tea
Green Dinosaur
Strawberry Daquiri
Fuzzy Navel
Vodka Slime
Caesar
Mojito
Citrus Peach Cocktail
Shooters
Jager Bomb
Broken Down Golf Cart
Bazooka Joe
Jell-O Shooters
Bartending Guides
Here are some fantastic books that contain thousands of amazing drink mixing recipes.
Learn How to Bartend
Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 07/09/2009) 
The Professional Bartender's Training Manual and Recipe Guide
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
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