Build your own
For her
For celebrations
For him
Liquor Library
How to Stock a Home Cocktail Cabinet With Three Bottles
How to stock a home cocktail cabinet: start with a vodka, a gin and a rum, add two mixers, learn a daiquiri, then grow it one bottle at a time.
A home cocktail cabinet starts with three bottles: a vodka, a gin and a rum. Add tonic, soda and ginger beer and you can make a vodka soda, a G&T, a Moscow mule, a mojito and a daiquiri.
Buy one bottle of each, learn one recipe well, then grow the cabinet one bottle at a time.
Vodka: Absolut
The easiest spirit to mix.
Smooth and well balanced with a clean, crisp taste, so it goes with almost anything.
- Makes
- Moscow mule, vodka soda
- Mix with
- Ginger beer, soda, cranberry
- Per nip
- About $1.83
Gin: Gordon's
For G&Ts and the classics.
A traditional London dry with juniper, citrus and a dry finish, made for gin and tonic.
- Makes
- G&T, martini, Tom Collins
- Mix with
- Tonic, soda, lemon
- Per nip
- About $1.74
Rum: Havana Club
For daiquiris and anything tropical.
A Cuban rum blending aged rums, with honey, vanilla and soft spice. Smooth enough to sip and good in a daiquiri.
- Makes
- Daiquiri, mojito, Cuba libre
- Mix with
- Lime, mint, cola
- Per nip
- About $1.74
How do you make a daiquiri?
Three ingredients, one shake.
- Add the rum, lime and sugar syrup to a shaker or a jar with a lid.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for ten seconds.
- Strain into a chilled glass.
What should you add next?
Grow the cabinet one bottle at a time.
- A whiskyFor an old fashioned or a highball.
- A tequilaFor margaritas and palomas.
- A coffee liqueurFor an espresso martini.
- Good mixersSmall bottles of tonic, soda and ginger beer.
What do you need to start?
Vodka, gin, rum and a ginger beer.
The Classic gift box
Starting a cabinet for someone?
Pick one of the bottles above and we box it with treats, wrapped and delivered NZ wide.
- Includes
- Chocolate, savoury nibble, something sweet
- You choose
- The bottle
Quick answers
What spirits should I have at home?
Start with vodka, gin and rum. Then add a whisky and a tequila.
What mixers do I need?
Tonic, soda and ginger beer cover most drinks.
What is the easiest cocktail to make?
A daiquiri: rum, lime and sugar, shaken with ice.
Up next
All guidesBest Sparkling Wine for a Celebration: Brut, Sparkling and Champagne
How to choose sparkling wine for a celebration: a French brut for a crowd, a step up for a toast and a Champagne for the big moment, plus serving tips.
Read next
