After days and weeks spent looking for a new home, cross-comparing removal company fees and packing your gear, it is finally time to move in and settle down. There is no better way to celebrate the successful completion of the house hunt than to throw a housewarming party and invite all your friends to break in the new place.

Naturally, you will need drinks, glasses and other bartending essentials for the occasion – and for future enjoyment as well, so make sure you stock up your spirits and organize the bar before first guests show up for the party. Lacking the know-how? Here are several useful tips on how to build a liquor haven in your new home.

From Kitchen to Bar: Miscellaneous Staples

Any experienced bartender can tell you: though prepping a perfect cocktail calls for extensive knowledge about liquor proportions and mixing procedures, it is the extras that add the final kick. For a refreshing concoction of spirits, grab ice, sugar, fresh lime, lemons and seasonal fruit from the kitchen and finish the mouth-watering heady combo with a pinch of aromatic herb leaves (mint, basil, lemon verbena and thyme are most common herbal cocktail ingredients).

Bar Tools: Bartending Fundamentals

To put on a true-blue liquor mixing show (remember Tom Cruise in Cocktail?), you will need some basic bartending gear such as a citrus reamer, cocktail shaker, muddler, jigger, bar spoon, paring knife and bottle opener. Of course, if you do not want to spend extra money on these bar accessories, you can improvise and use a long kitchen spoon instead of its bar counterpart or swap the jigger for standard kitchen measures – after all, it is quality liquor that matters most.

Tipping the Glassware: Different Glass types

With the liquor cabinet loaded, it is time to move onto glassware. Different liquors are served in different types of glasses, so you will need at least a set of martini glasses, tall champagne flutes and stemmed wine glasses in your cupboard if you are to impress the guests with your knowledge of the spirits and serving routines. As you level up your bar contents, consider adding shot glasses (for strong drinks) and slender highballs (for cocktails) to your glassware collection.

The Indispensable Essentials: Base Spirits

The list of basic ingredients for a home-based bar includes foundation liquors such as vodka, gin, full-bodied wine specials, whiskey, tequila and dark and light rum. Next, you will want to add a dash of spicy and get some flavorful cocktail ingredients such as bitters, vermouth (dry and sweet), cointreau and triple sec. With these liquors, you will be able to mix up most basic cocktails such as Cosmopolitans, Margaritas, Manhattans and Martinis.

A Zesty Flavor: Liqueurs, Aperitifs and Cordials

Now that you have the bar fundamentals, it is time to move on to aperitifs, cordials and liqueurs. Crème de Violette, Lillet, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Campari, Amaretto, Grand Marnier and Baileys are a must-have for a well-stocked bar, but you can add any other hooch you like to throw down now and again for diversity’s sake.

Mixer-uppers: Add the Bubbles

To round off your bar collection, grab a handful of mixers such as tonic water, club soda or seltzer, fizzy lemonade and sparkling beer or ale. Bubbly and refreshing, mixers will add the final touch to your liquor-master pantry and help you whip up delicious alcoholic combinations with just a tinge of fizz to ward off potential morning-after hangovers.

Building a bar at home is probably one of the most rewarding and enjoyable DIY projects for established liquor connoisseurs and cocktail enthusiasts. Even if you do not possess stunning mixology skills and experience, a well-stacked bar will certainly impress everyone you invite over for a round of drinks, and it will definitely help your guests get into the right mood during the housewarming party, so do not forget to get all the staples before it is time to rock out some whiskey on the rocks.