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And yet, you may often fall back on a chintzy cooler and ignore the cocktail element of parties entirely because you consider stocking and tending a bar to be daunting, time consuming, and costly. But what bartenders and accomplished home entertainers will tell you is that any upfront efforts to set up a party-worthy home bar pay off when your guests arrive. And once you’re armed with advice from one of Portland, Oregon’s top bartenders, Kelley Swenson of June restaurant, raising the cocktail bar will be that much easier.

Your Essential Tool Kit

A basic bar setup requires just a few tools—and they don’t need to be fancy to get the job done. They do, however, need to be functional. Arm yourself with the essentials first: a good jigger to help you measure ingredients properly and a sound shaker to mix them together with ease. A traditional jigger or a user-friendly model designed to operate like a measuring cup makes accurate measuring possible. When selecting a shaker, Swenson recommends reaching for the multipurpose Boston shaker he uses at June.

Before you start tending bar, you’ll also need to round up a good strainer, a cocktail spoon, a juicer, and a muddler. These tools are available at kitchen stores or through cocktail enthusiast Web sites like www.cocktailkingdom.com, but you can also repurpose kitchen tools you already own to eliminate the need to shop. For example, the handle of a wooden spoon can function as a muddler for home use.

Finally, assess your glassware situation and streamline shopping trips by focusing on just two types of glasses. “Find an up-style glass that you like and get enough of them for your particular event,” says Swenson. “Then get a rocks glass. You want to have both styles on hand.”

The Heart of the Bar

Stocking a bar with the foundation spirits—vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, and tequila (see sidebar)—allows you to make a range of cocktails without investing in a dozen bottles. Round out your spirit selection with mixers like sweet and dry vermouth, triple sec or Cointreau, quality soda water or tonic, and fresh citrus fruits. Then you can purchase more esoteric spirits and mixers as needed to create signature drinks for different parties.

Lastly, don’t forget to stock up on that essential but oft-overlooked cocktail ingredient: ice. Professional bartenders and caterers typically purchase a seven pound bag of ice for each 750 milliliter bottle of liquor they expect to use. “You get about twelve drinks per bottle. So if you are planning a party for twelve and plan to make at least two drinks per person, you’ll need fourteen pounds of ice,” says Swenson. “Then maybe throw another bag of ice on top of that just to make sure [you’re supplied].”

Party Time

A bar filled with foundation spirits allows home bartenders to make a range of cocktails. But that doesn’t mean offering a full bar is the best route to enjoyable home entertaining. “If you pick three or four specialty drinks per night and you want to keep an open bar going, the chances of your having any fun are pretty slim,” says Swenson.

Instead, focus your attention on perfecting a few classics like a Manhattan or a Collins and find one unique recipe that suits the occasion to serve with them. Limiting the cocktail menu to three or four drinks reduces your workload and allows you to prep for the party by pre-batching cocktails and arranging garnishes like cherries and twists in advance. Then when your guests arrive, all you have to do is shake, strain, and serve.