16 Mixers Every Home Bar Should Have Stocked At All Times

For those who enjoy a nice drink, stocking the home bar with such essential spirits as tequila, whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum is an absolute must. The best bartending tools and glassware are also vital, all in an effort to make each and every drink a show-stopper. But with the possible exception of those who take their whiskey neat, additional ingredients are required if you truly want to mix up the perfect cocktail. 

Unless you're operating a real bar, you likely don't have the space to stock every single juice, bitter, or flavored tonic out there. But there are a few mixers that should always be on hand, a few extras just in case friends pop over for an unexpected night in. Below is a compilation of the most mandatory mixers, those that should be kept on hand to make favorite cocktails at any time, whether it's a perfect martini, frozen margarita, or refreshing mojito. 

Citrus juices are an most important mixer because so many drinks — from margaritas to mojitos and screwdrivers to sours — use one form of citrus juice or another, some even combining two or three. The four basic citrus fruits are lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits. But each one has several varieties to choose from, and each will have a different impact on the final cocktail.

While you should always have lemon and lime juice, Brynn Smith, the Creative Bar Director of Bar Next Door in Los Angeles, also recommends grapefruit juice as well. "People love a Paloma, they love a salty dog," the bartender says. "I think fresh grapefruit is a great one to have."

Whatever citrus you choose, don't ever grab those little green or yellow plastic fruits from the grocery store. Fresh juice is always the best choice, as you'll know how ripe the fruit is and when the juice was extracted. Those plastic lemons and limes could have been sitting on the store shelf for weeks. Just remember that if you end up squeezing too much and have extra juice left over, the best way to store it is in the fridge.

Another bright red juice is used for more savory cocktails. Where cranberry is considered more of a fall and winter juice, tomato screams summer. It's bright and tart with a distinctly herbal essence, so you'll often see it in popular brunch staples like the bloody mary and michelada. 

But it doesn't just make a delicious savory cocktail; tomato juice is good for you, thanks to all those antioxidants. This is also why tomato cocktails are often used as hangover cures. Not only are you getting a little hair of the dog that bit you, but you're replenishing your body with the nutrients and vitamins it lost the night before.

While tomato juice is always made with tomatoes, some brands, like V8, mix other vegetables like carrots and celery in for a more balanced flavor. Unfortunately, some brands try and make the drink more palatable by adding lots of salt. Those are the bottles to stay away from. After all, if you're mixing up drinks, you want to decide what goes in each one, not have it decided for you. 

Ginger beer and ginger ale are sometimes confused, and while both are great mixers, ginger beer is the better choice as it tends to have more bite, so it can stand up to some of the stronger liquors. But spice isn't the only difference between ginger ale and ginger beer. The flavor is a big factor as well. Ginger ale isn't just significantly sweeter, the flavor tends to be more subtle, and if you're making something like a Moscow Mule or a Dark & Stormy, you want that burst of ginger to really come through. 

While there are several ginger beers on the market, there are two that Smith always has in her bar: Fever Tree and Q Mixers, the latter being her favorite. 

"I think Q Mixers does the best job at it," she says. "They put this dash of cayenne pepper in there, so there's this heat, that's, like, so subtle, but the flavor of ginger too, so it's a nice mix." 

If you've ever ordered a vodka soda and gotten a distinctly bitter jolt upon tasting it, you've received a vodka tonic instead. Yes, all it takes is one sip to appreciate the difference between the two clear mixers. Unlike soda (which is practically flavorless), tonic is made with quinine, which gives it a distinct, bitter zing. (It also prevents malaria, which is why some believe the classic gin and tonic was invented in the first place.)

That bitter bite blends well with most liquors — from tequila to vodka — and creates a simple cocktail without all the extra mixers. Yes, a little squeeze of lemon or lime is often added to cut the bitterness, but it's not necessary. In fact, tonic has so much flavor on its own, you could enjoy the bubbly elixir over ice by itself and have a lovely mocktail. If you do choose that route, go with a flavored tonic instead. While there are several tonic water brands to choose from, Fever Tree is the tops, thanks to its elderflower and cucumber options.

Blending ice and using it to make alcoholic slushies is a great way to beat the heat, but nothing's better on a sweltering day than a cool, creamy cocktail. Boozy milkshakes are great, but so are tall drinks in curvy glasses with beautiful garnishes. 

If you want a tropical cocktail, coconut is the way to go. But unless you're going to make your own coconut milk, buy a can or two of cream of coconut to keep on hand.

Not to be confused with coconut cream, cream of coconut is its sweeter, thicker cousin usually reserved for desserts or tropical cocktails. It's also a great vegan alternative that delivers both sweetness and creaminess to cocktails without using cow's milk. This is the stuff you want to pull out when you're hosting a tropical party where piña coladas, Bushwackers, and Painkillers will be served. Even though you could achieve that same silky texture and tropical feel by using coconut cream or coconut milk, the sweetness that comes with cream of coconut means you can leave the simple syrup on the shelf and just add juices and spirits to create a show-stopping tiki cocktail worthy of the Hawaiian islands.

Clearly, the espresso martini is having a moment. It's the drink everyone seems to want, whether they're enjoying a night out on the town or a romantic evening at home. But coffee cocktails have been around for decades. How many times have you asked for the dessert menu and noticed a Mexican or Irish coffee listed? These days, you can even find them on brunch menus as an alternative to the more common mimosa or bloody mary. If you're going to whip up coffee cocktails at home, obviously, you need to have coffee in the pantry. 

When mixing up an espresso martini or Irish coffee, Smith says not to use the standard drip coffee you drink first thing in the morning. "When you're making coffee in a cocktail make sure to have a concentrated amount," she explains. "Espresso or, like, a cold brew concentrate behind the bar are good to have."

Grenadine is that bright, cherry red syrup most commonly used to make the grandmother of all mocktails, the Shirley Temple — as well as the Roy Rogers. The perfect addition to these fizzy drinks everyone grew up with, the sweet yet slightly tart mixer is also a necessary ingredient in several adult cocktails, from the tequila sunrise to the hurricane. 

Even though you can find bottles in most grocery and liquor stores, these store-bought versions typically contain large amounts of corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial flavorings.  So, Smith recommends brewing your own. 

Consisting of just a few ingredients (pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange blossom water) this syrup is easy to create at home. But you don't have to stick with the basics. Smith thinks "it's fun to use the leftover syrup from Luxardo cherries" as well. Just like simple syrup, homemade grenadine will also stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a month.

The other liquor on this list, bitters is the one ingredient you absolutely shouldn't skip when stocking your home bar. After all, a dash or two can make or break a drink. Originally created as a medicinal tonic for assisting in treatment of various ailments, bitters are made up of several botanicals that are soaked in pure alcohol to create intense flavors. Depending on what herbs or spices are employed, the bitters could add a sweet, spicy, earthy, or floral note to a drink. In short, bitters are a way to add tons of flavor without adding an extra ounce or two of liquid. 

There are so many different flavored bitters available today that you could make the exact same cocktail three times, changing only the bitters, and each would be a completely unique experience. While you could stock dozens of bitters, Brynn Smith says no bar should be without the "holy trinity": Angostura, orange, and Peychaud's. Just having those three bottles behind your home bar makes most classic cocktails a possibility, and makes you look like a pro.