Decide what you want your liquor cabinet to look like. Despite the name "cabinet," the place where you store your drink ingredients can be open, closed or in a larger structure, like a bar. A small liquor cabinet can simply be a kitchen cabinet, and a large bar can be purchased or specially made.
Consider where you want to store the liquor. If you have children, you may want to choose a cabinet that is up high or one that locks. If you want it to be on display, you may choose to display it in the living room rather than in the kitchen.
Consider choosing one of the following popular liquor cabinets: Choose an easily accessible cabinet in your home, or install a cabinet in your living room. You can find small cabinet compartments at Ikea or other box stores. Make sure it is well anchored into a stud in the wall, and not drilled into sheet rock. If so, it will fall with too much weight. With this method, you can choose a cabinet of any style and color and customize the size to the amount of bottles you plan to store. Instead of a closed liquor cabinet, buy a small island or cart on wheels. Park it in your living room and place a tray on the top for your specialty glasses. Set a shaker to the side and stack your frequently used bottles on the bottom of the cart. This is best if you have a few favorite drinks or if you want a classy or antique looking liquor cabinet. Set up a tiki bar. You can find bamboo or wicker furniture, including full bar structures for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Most bars come with cabinets behind the bar as well as a surface to store glasses, swizzle sticks and shakers. Place stools in front of the bar so that you have somewhere to enjoy your drinks close to your liquor cabinet. You can also choose a bar of almost any theme, such as cafe, sports or travel.
Take stock of your favorite alcoholic drinks. Make a list of all the drinks you know how to mix. Then, put a star by the 2 to 5 drinks that you have most often.
Make a list of all the alcohol needed to make those 2 to 5 drinks. For example, you may choose whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, vermouth, brandy or tequila, or any mixture of these liquors that are commonly found in mixed drinks. Buy this short list of liquors as a base for your cabinet. Liquors are a grain, vegetable or other food that has been distilled into a spirit. They usually have no added sugar, so they are used as the base for drinks that also feature mixers or liqueurs.
Buy 1 or 2 specialty liquors or liqueurs. Common choices are Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, amaretto or Kahlua. Only buy these liqueurs if you use them in a mixed drink, or if you enjoy them as an aperitif or a digestif.
Liqueurs are spirits with added sugar or flavorings. As well as being used as an addition to many mixed drinks, some popular liqueurs are served alone or on ice before or after dinner. An aperitif is a liqueur served before dinner and a digestif is a liqueur served after dinner.
Buy a bottle of bitters, if you plan to mix drinks. Bitters are a concentrated liqueur that are often added to mixed drinks, such as Manhattans, Sazerac and some martinis. You can buy flavored bitters, such as orange, lime, mint, lemon and even chocolate to add to specialty drinks.
Gather your mixers. It is a good idea to keep 1 unopened bottle of your commonly used mixers in your liquor cabinet. For example, keep a small bottle of tonic water, seltzer, cranberry juice or lime juice.
Make or buy a bottle of simple syrup. You can buy sealed bottles of simple syrup in most liquor stores. Make simple syrup at home by combining water and superfine sugar in a ratio of 1 to 1 in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until it is completely dissolved. Bottle it and store it in the refrigerator. You can also increase the ratio of sugar to water to create a thicker, richer syrup.
Stock your glasses. Most cocktails have a specialty glass in which they are served. Order them online, find them in stores, or buy a small collection of any 8 oz. sized glasses instead.
Buy a shaker, shot glass, muddler and/or stirrer. Keep anything in your cabinet that helps you make your cocktails. You will need to clean them well after use and before placing them back in our liquor cabinet.
Add napkins, toothpicks and any other things you like to serve with your cocktails. Condiments, such as cherries or olives will need to be stored in the refrigerator and accessed before serving.
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