Drinki

The shortlist

The 12 bottles I would keep in a home bar

Not the biggest shelf — the one where every bottle is doing a job. Twelve things, chosen so that removing any one of them costs you a drink you would actually miss.

Total cocktails possible

11 cocktails

from these 12 things, with nothing else on the shelf · 3 of 7 styles · 20 more are one ingredient away

Build my own shelf

The list

  1. Gin

    The most useful bottle on the shelf here by a distance — it is the base of more of these recipes than anything else.

    Unlocks here: Dry Martini, Negroni, White Lady, Gimlet, Corpse Reviver #2, Tom Collins

  2. Bourbon

    Sweet enough to drink stirred and sturdy enough for a sour, which is two jobs from one bottle.

    Unlocks here: Boulevardier, Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour

  3. White rum

    The lightest base spirit, and the only one that disappears properly under lime and sugar.

    Unlocks here: Daiquiri

  4. Sweet vermouth

    Turns a spirit into a cocktail on its own. Keep it in the fridge and replace it every couple of months.

    Unlocks here: Americano, Boulevardier, Negroni

  5. Dry vermouth

    Bought for one drink and worth it for that drink. Also fridge-only.

    Unlocks here: Dry Martini, Corpse Reviver #2

  6. Campari

    The bitter half of an entire family of drinks, and there is nothing else quite like it.

    Unlocks here: Americano, Boulevardier, Negroni

  7. Triple sec

    The orange note in a whole category of sours, and it keeps indefinitely.

    Unlocks here: White Lady, Corpse Reviver #2

  8. Angostura bitters

    Used in dashes, so one bottle lasts years. Without it an Old Fashioned is just sweet whiskey.

    Unlocks here: Old Fashioned

  9. Lemons

    Fresh, not bottled. The acid half of most sours, and the difference is not subtle.

    Unlocks here: Whiskey Sour, White Lady, Corpse Reviver #2, Tom Collins

  10. Limes

    Sharper and more aromatic than lemon, and not interchangeable with it in the drinks that call for it.

    Unlocks here: Daiquiri, Gimlet

  11. Sugar syrup

    Do not buy it. Equal parts sugar and hot water, stirred until clear, keeps a month in the fridge.

    Unlocks here: Daiquiri, Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Gimlet, Tom Collins

  12. Soda water

    Small bottles rather than one big one — the lengthener that turns short drinks into long ones.

    Unlocks here: Americano, Tom Collins

What is deliberately not here

A shortlist is only honest if it says what it left out and what that costs. These figures are worked out from the recipes, not guessed.

Who chose this

Charlie Tyler — Editor, Drinki
Compiled and checked against every recipe on the site.

Drinki’s own pick. Nobody has paid for a place on this list, no brand or bartender has endorsed it, and no specific products are recommended here.

Counts last checked .

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