Why Fall Is the Best Time to Upgrade Your Home Bar

There’s something about fall that makes staying in feel a lot more appealing. The nights get cooler, football takes over the weekends, friends start coming over more often, and suddenly having a few good bottles at home feels way more useful than it did in July.

You don’t need a huge bar cart or twenty different bottles to build a great home bar either. In fact, a smaller setup with a few versatile spirits is usually better than a shelf full of random bottles you never touch.

Bourbon is a great place to start. It works neat, on the rocks, in an Old Fashioned, with cola, with ginger ale, or even mixed with apple cider in the fall. If you only keep one whiskey at home, a solid bourbon gives you a lot of options.

Tequila is another bottle worth having around year-round. Blanco tequila is perfect for margaritas, ranch waters, and Palomas, while reposado tequila brings a little more oak and warmth if you prefer sipping it or making a richer cocktail. A good tequila can cover everything from casual football drinks to dinner parties.

Vodka might not be the most exciting bottle on the shelf, but it’s probably one of the most useful. It works with soda, cranberry, lemonade, ginger beer, tonic, and plenty of other mixers. If you’re hosting a group where everyone drinks something different, vodka is an easy one to keep around.

Gin is worth adding if you like lighter, more botanical drinks. A simple gin and tonic is hard to beat, and gin also works well with citrus, sparkling water, herbs, and seasonal ingredients. It might not feel like an obvious fall bottle, but a gin cocktail with rosemary, grapefruit, or cranberry can fit the season really well.

Then there’s rum. Dark or aged rum is especially good once the weather cools down. Those vanilla, caramel, spice, and molasses flavors work in everything from simple rum and cola to more seasonal drinks with apple, cinnamon, or ginger.

Once you’ve got the basics, the next step is adding a few supporting bottles. Orange liqueur is useful for margaritas and other cocktails. Sweet vermouth gives you Manhattans. Bitters take up almost no room and can completely change a drink. A bottle of sparkling wine is also nice to have on hand when friends stop over or you want to make a simple spritz.

Mixers don’t need to get complicated either. Keep club soda, tonic water, ginger beer, cola, and a few fresh lemons and limes around and you can make a surprising number of drinks without planning ahead.

Fall is also a great time to finally replace that bottle that has somehow been sitting in the back of the cabinet for five years. Your home bar should be filled with things you actually enjoy drinking, not bottles you feel obligated to keep.

Start small, choose good basics, and build from there. You’ll be surprised how many cocktails you can make with just a handful of bottles.

Stop by Boone’s Wine & Spirits and we can help you put together a home bar that actually fits what you like to drink. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just need a few upgrades for football season and the holidays, fall is the perfect time to stock up!