Home Bar Essentials for COVID-19 Quarantine

Lines at the markets are long these days. You’ve got to stand in queue to find a parking spot, to get into the store, and to make your purchases, all the while trying not to touch anyone or God forbid your own face. It’s quite an ordeal! In our experience, people are polite and calm but we’ve also read reports that some customers are acting very poorly and unkind.

The best way to shop these days is to go in with a solid list and a clear plan. Get only what you need and then get out. No dilly-dallying. These two lists are great to have just in general and wouldn’t vary much at all even if there wasn’t a coronavirus pandemic. The biggest difference would just be the suggestion to buy pre-squeezed lime and lemon juice instead of making multiple trips to the store for fresh produce. Fresh citrus is always best but the Santa Cruz® or Odwalla® brands are really home runs in this situation.

Be sure to read our “Hot Tips” at the end for a final bit of home bar prep wisdom.

Basic List:
1 bottle Vodka (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle Tequila (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle Bourbon or Whiskey (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle triple sec or Cointreau
6 bottles white wine
6 bottles red wine
1 large bottle Santa Cruz 100% organic lemon juice
1 large bottle Santa Cruz 100% organic lime juice
1 carton granulated sugar
1 bottle classic bitters
1 four-pack cranberry juice
1 twelve-pack club soda, Perrier, Pellegrino, or La Croix
12 limes
6 lemons
3 oranges

Suggested drinks you can make with this list:
Whiskey sour, screwdriver, Margarita, old fashioned, Cape Cod, cosmopolitan, vodka gimlet, bourbon side car

Advanced List:
2 bottles Vodka (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle Tequila blanco (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle Tequila reposado (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle Tequila añejo (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle sipping tequila such as Don Julio 1942 or Clasé Azul
2 bottles Bourbon or Whiskey (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle gin (handle or 1.75 mL)
1 bottle white rum
1 bottle dark rum (350 mL)
1 bottle mezcal
1 bottle sweet vermouth
1 bottle dry vermouth (350 mL)
1 bottle Aperol
1 bottle Campari
1 bottle triple sec or Cointreau
1 bottle Grand Marnier or Gran Gala
1 case white wine
1 case red wine
6 bottles rosé
6 bubbly splits
1 large bottle Santa Cruz 100% organic lemon juice
1 large bottle Santa Cruz 100% organic lime juice
1 carton granulated sugar
1 bottle classic bitters
1 bottle grenadine
2 four-packs cranberry juice
1 carton grapefruit juice
1 carton orange juice
1 six-pack pineapple juice
2 twelve-packs club soda, Perrier, Pellegrino, or La Croix
1 twelve-pack Coke
1 twelve-pac Diet Coke
12 limes
6 lemons
3 oranges

Suggested drinks you can make with this list:
Manhattan, Aperol spritz, Negroni, planter’s punch, tequila sunrise, whiskey sour, Cuba Libra - and hundreds more!

Hot Tip #1: Extending the Life of Juice
Once you’ve opened that jar or carton of juice, the count down to the expiration begins (although in most cases there is quite a bit of wiggle room). Because none of us can entertain right now with social distancing requirements in place, the chances of going through an entire bottle of lime juice “within XX days” are thin. To ration it, pour small amounts into ice cube trays and use when needed. Can’t spare the ice cube trays? Use zip lock bags or mason jars. Whenever possible, opt for multiple smaller containers rather than one large one such as little pineapple cans, cranberry juice bottles, and fresh orange juice. Frozen cans of juice from concentrate is also a good option as backup.

Hot Tip #1: Freezing Fresh Fruit
Drinking an old fashioned without an orange wheel or peel is almost more depressing than not drinking it at all. Since most of us are trying not to go to the store any more than we have to, cutting and freezing your fruit is a great solution. Sure, a thawed orange wheel or lime wedge is a bit a wilted looking and can incur some color damage, but the flavor is intact and will breath life into your cocktail at a time when we need as much normalcy around us as possible.

Have questions, tips, or comments? Find us on Twitter @GirlWalksIn2Bar & Instagram @GirlWalksIn2Bar.