What are the staples for a home bar?

I am a teetotaler, but I want to keep bottles of hard liquor on hand for guests who do imbibe. What are the basic items I should have, along with brand names? I don't want to spend a fortune for name-brand liquor, but at the same time, I don't want to buy such cheap booze that it would offend.What are the staples for a home bar?
Ignore Sonia's post. She has obviously been swayed by marketing, not taste.



Grey Goose consistently scores incredibly low by professionals at blind tastings, and Bacardi Silver is literally the worst rum made today.



Basics would include:





Vodka- Smirnoff

Gin- Plymouth

Tequila- Cazadores (make sure whichever tequila you buy is 100% agave)

Rum- Myers Dark

Whiskey: Jim Beam is fine for bourbon, Dewars is acceptable blended scotch
To make fantastic, creative cocktails, there's no need to stock your bar with 12 brands of expensive vodka and a rainbow's worth of brightly colored liqueurs. A half-dozen base spirits and a few mixers will not only allow you to turn out a surprising number of cocktail classics but also give you enough to tinker with to come up with some cool drinks of your own. Martha Stewart recommends the following, but you can adjust to your needs.

Cognac

For sidecars, brandy milk punches, crustas, daisies, and smashes.

White Rum

For daiquiris and mojitos.

Gin

For martinis, gin and tonics, Tom Collinses, etc.

Bourbon

For Manhattans, old fashioneds, and whiskey sours.

Vodka

Vodka is the workhorse of the liquor cabinet, used in basic drinks such as vodka tonics, screwdrivers, and the vodka martini.

Tequila

For margaritas, sunrises, and palomas. The best tequilas are made from 100 percent agave; check the label.

The Mixers

Cointreau

A bar essential -- clean, full of natural orange flavor, and not too sweet.

Red Vermouth

For Manhattans.

White Vermouth

Essential for truly sublime martinis.

Bitters

Bitters are used not to make the drink taste bitter but to help other flavors blend.What are the staples for a home bar?
Any thing in a glass bottle won't offend someone. You should keep a bottle each of whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum. As well as have on hand standard mixers like coke, sour mix, cranberry juice, orange juice, tonic water, soda water, etc.



Hope this helps.
Well, I guess it depends on your guests. The things we always have handy are Jack Daniels whiskey, Vodka (smirnoff, usually), Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Patron silver and Bacardi rumWhat are the staples for a home bar?
grey goose for vodka for sure, it's a little pricey but it's not cheap either... jack daniel's, or crown as well, and bacardi is safe for rum
Putting together a home bar can be a fun and challenging task. What to stock? What to keep off your list? Do you have to have every conceivable bottle of spirit available?

Your liquor stock really depends on what you plan to serve. Assuming that you will want to make the most common cocktails, this is a basic list. The liquor store would love to see you coming if you were to completely stock your bar. I suggest that you start with some basics and add to your stock as you experiment with different drinks. Check the recipe collection for drinks you might want to make for additional selections. Brands are your choice and they depend on your taste and budget.

Booze:
Bourbon
Brandy
Canadian Whiskey
Gin
Rum
Scotch
Tequila
Vodka
Whiskey
Amaretto
Bailey's
Creme de Cocoa
Dark or Spiced Rum
Grand Marnier
Kahlua
Peach Schnapps
Sweet Vermouth
Triple Sec


Stocking mixers is like stocking your alcohol. It really depends on what you plan to serve. The list below will prepare you for most any cocktail.

Mixers:
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice
Pineapple Juice
Grapefruit Juice
Tomato Juice
Sour Mix
Bloody Mary Mix
Pina Colada Mix
Bitters
Lime Juice
Grenadine
Simple Syrup
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
Strawberries
Bananas
Club soda
Tonic
Cola
7 - up
Ginger Ale
Diet Cola
Half %26amp; Half
Milk
Ice Cream
Coffee
Water

Sour mix can be powdered, bottled or in concentrate form. Bloody Mary mix is not necessary if you aren't making a lot of them. Pina Colada mix can be made yourself with pineapple juice and a cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez. I use one large can of pineapple to two cans of coconut.

Use fresh fruit for your garnishes. Again, it depends on what you plan to make, but this will prepare you for most cocktails. You can use your imagination and add fresh fruits, candies, sprinkles, or even tiny umbrellas to give your own touch to your concoctions.

Garnishes:
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Celery
Olives
Maraschino Cherries
Cocktail Onions
Whipped Cream
Coarse Salt
Sugar
Powdered Chocolate
Nutmeg


Equipment:
In a pinch, you could probably make most of these drinks with a glass and a chopstick, but there are a few pieces of equipment which will make your mixing easier and classier. You should obtain the following items:

Basic equipment:
Tumblers [short, fat glasses, also known as "rocks" glasses]
Tall glasses [tall, thin glasses, also known as "highball" or "collins" glasses]
Shot glasses [for measuring and/or serving]
Measuring glass
Cocktail or Martini glasses
Margarita Glasses [optional -- they look like rounded martini glasses]
Stirrers [fancy glass wands, long-handled bar spoons, plastic forks, etc.]
Corkscrew [none of these drinks include wine, but you really should have one of these]
Cocktail Shaker
Strainer [it's a round thing with coils all around one side]
Blender [only used for a few drinks]
Ice bucket and ice tongs