Bar Necessities — The Reading Room https://barnecessities.app/reading/ Short pieces on how cocktails actually work — the templates, the methods, and what the glass is for. en-us Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Six drinks, and how to read the rest https://barnecessities.app/reading/six-templates/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/six-templates/ Almost every cocktail ever poured is a variation on one of six ideas — and the two centuries of history that produced them. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The base spirit, and the four the catalog leans on https://barnecessities.app/reading/spirits/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/spirits/ Almost every drink is built on one base spirit. The catalog draws on twenty and leans hard on four — gin, whiskey, rum, vodka. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT What a dash actually does https://barnecessities.app/reading/bitters/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/bitters/ Measured in dashes, not ounces, and in less than a fifth of the catalog — but leave the dash out of a drink that wants it and something tastes missing. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Shaken or stirred, and how to know when to pick each one https://barnecessities.app/reading/shake-or-stir/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/shake-or-stir/ Whether you shake a drink or stir it isn’t a matter of taste. The drink dictates — and telegraphs it through its ingredient list. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The ingredient that does its work and disappears https://barnecessities.app/reading/ice/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/ice/ Ice is in every cold drink, doing two jobs — chilling it and watering it to the right strength. In half the catalog it’s strained away; in the other half it stays, in a few forms. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why the glass matters, and how it fits its drink https://barnecessities.app/reading/glassware/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/glassware/ Cocktail glasses aren’t just about style — each one is also doing a job. The four families, and what each is for. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT What the different cuts do https://barnecessities.app/reading/garnish/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/garnish/ A garnish is the final ingredient, not just a decoration. Nearly every drink carries one, and more than two-thirds are citrus — cut a specific way, for a specific reason. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Start with a bundle, not a bottle https://barnecessities.app/reading/first-bottles/ https://barnecessities.app/reading/first-bottles/ The fastest way to a bar that makes real drinks isn’t a long list of spirits — it’s a bundle of the right versatile ingredients. The few ingredients behind one drink you love will help you make two or three more. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT