Stocking the Holiday Bar
Because you’ll be entertaining more, you’ll want to stock up your bar for the holidays. The following lists include items you’ll need for mixing drinks at this festive time of year. Personalize your bar by noting the kinds of drinks you and your guests prefer and choosing some fun seasonal garnishes—browse through the recipes in this book for ideas! Buy enough supplies so that you’ll be prepared for drop-in visitors and last-minute get-togethers.
Holiday Mixers & Ingredients 
Following you’ll find two lists—Essentials and Extras—to help you prepare for the holiday rush. The Essentials give you the basics you need to make a wide variety of cocktails, while the Extras prepare you to whip up any of the recipes in this book.
- Angostura bitters
- CITRUS: grapefruit, lemons, limes, and oranges, for juicing
- Clamato
- Club soda or seltzer
- Cocoa
- Coffee
- Crème de cassis
- FRUIT JUICES: apple cider, apricot nectar, cranberry, lemonade, orange, and pineapple
- Ginger ale
- Ginger beer
- Grenadine
- Heavy whipping cream, half-and-half, and whole milk
- ICE: crushed, spherical, cubes, a single large cube
- SUGAR: brown, dark brown, confectioners’, and superfine
- Vanilla extract
- Almonds, whole and blanched
- Apple cider vinegar
- Black pepper, freshly ground
- Black tea
- Butter
- Cardamom pods
- Celery stalks
- Cheese
- Creamed horseradish
- Crème de coconut
- Dill pickles
- Eggs
- Figs and fig jam
- FRUIT JUICES: blueberry, pomegranate, and white cranberry
- Lemonade, sparkling and still
- Malted milk powder
- Maple syrup
- Mexican hot chocolate
- Pearl onions
- Pepperoncini
- Quince paste
- Salt
- Sparkling apple cider
- Sparkling lemon water (La Croix or similar)
- Stuffed olives
- Sugar cubes
- Tabasco
- Worcestershire sauce
Holiday Liquors 
There are many brands of liquor, and you will typically find the more you spend, the smoother and better the taste. That’s not to say that a less expensive alcohol will ruin a drink—do your own taste tests to decide for yourself. Consider purchasing larger bottles to get a better deal on a tastier brand. And don’t worry about spoilage, since bottled spirits have an infinite shelf life.
- Brandy
- Champagne
- CREAM LIQUEURS: Irish cream, such as Baileys; coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa
- Gin
- Orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec
- Red wine
- Rum, both light and dark
- SCHNAPPS: butterscotch, peppermint, and sour apple
- Tequila
- Vermouth, both sweet and dry
- Vodka
- Advocaat
- Aquavit
- Bombay Sapphire gin
- Calvados
- Campari
- Cognac
- CORDIALS: crème de cacao, amaretto, crème de menthe, Chambord, Grand Marnier, ouzo
- Currant vodka
- Elderflower liqueur
- Irish whiskey
- Lambic beer
- Lillet
- Muscat dessert wine
- Peach liqueur
- Pear eau de vie
- Pimm’s
Holiday Garnishes 
From lemon twists to mini candy canes and cinnamon sticks, garnishes create the mood of a drink. Most of these take just seconds to prepare, while others are more elaborate. They all add holiday flavor and festivity. Here is a list to get you thinking—and remember that some garnishes can alter the flavor of the drink, so be sure to test your own creations before serving them to a crowd.
- Candied ginger
- Cinnamon sticks
- CITRUS WEDGES: lemon, lime, orange, and tangerine
- Cocoa
- Cucumbers
- EDIBLE HERBS & FLOWERS: lemon balm, rose petals, rosemary, tarragon, basil, mint, lavender, marigolds, nasturtiums, begonias, and violets
- Frozen blueberries
- Gold leaf
- Grapes
- Maraschino cherries
- Mini candy canes
- Nutmeg
- Olives
- Pears
- Pomegranate seeds
- Sliced almonds
