It’s not just clothes that need curating – here are the must-have bottles for a versatile collection.
You’ve heard of a capsule wardrobe, right? It’s a carefully curated collection of high-quality, versatile pieces that can be swapped and subbed to create multiple outfits. But what about a capsule wardrobe for booze? We’re talking about the most reliable bottles – the staples that form the base of countless great drinks and never let you down.
So, what better time to take stock of your supplies? Maybe you need to assess your old bottles (some spirits last longer than others), or maybe you keep meaning to fill in the gaps. Whatever the case, we’ve put together a list of everything you need for your capsule bar cart (or cupboard), because here’s to mixing better cocktails in 2026.
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1. Vodka
Okay, so you can’t have booze staples without vodka. You need one good-quality, solid vodka that can shine in the likes of a Martini, Cosmo and Bloody Mary. The type of vodka you can sip neat or on the rocks, and that shines in a simple mix with fresh lime and soda. You can’t go wrong with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is produced at Texas’s oldest, legal distillery. It’s made from 100% corn, which brings a natural sweetness, along with a little kick of black pepper for a reliable, smooth, velvety all rounder.
If your new year’s resolution is to drink more Australian, then we reckon you’ll love the Archie Rose True Cut Vodka. It’s cold-distilled from local wheat and apple, orange peel, native river mint, lemon myrtle and triple filtered water. You can expect notes of apple skin and orange zest, marmalade and lemonade (and it’s even been crowned Australia's Best Vodka at the Vodka Masters Asia).
2. Gin
There is a wide world of gin out there – London dry, Old Tom, sloe, Plymouth, Navy Strength, the list goes on. And there’s a case to be made for each one. But if you can only have one gin, then make it a really great London dry like Tanqueray. It’s distilled four times, and when it comes to flavours, think juniper (obvs), pepper, coriander, angelica and licorice. We love Tanqueray in a classic G&T, and in all the great gin cocktails like the Classic Martini, Negroni and Gimlet.
If there’s room in your budget and on your bar cart for a second gin, we reckon it’s time to introduce some exciting flavours – floral, flavoured, spiced, you get it. We love Malfy’s Gin Rosa – it’s pale rose in colour with fresh Sicilian pink grapefruit, rhubarb, anise and juniper. You’ll want to mix it in your Gin and Tonic and other cocktails like the Clover Club, but, trust us, it’s perfect sipped on the rocks, too.
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3. Whisk(e)y
The whisk(e)y world can be complex. There’s a lot to learn, including the difference between whiskey from whisky, but for your whisk(e)y capsule, we highly recommend one bourbon and one Scotch style that you can mix and sip. For the bourbon, we’re going with Angel’s Envy for its notes of vanilla, toasted oak and ripe dark fruits. Angel’s Envy is aged for four to six years in American white oak barrels, before being finished for six months in port wine casks that come from Portugal’s Douro Valley, which brings smoothness, richness and complexity. Old Fashioned, anyone?
When it comes to Scotch or Scotch styles, we can’t go past Starward’s Two-fold Double Grain Australian Whisky. Two-fold is a wheat and single-malt whisky that is blended together and aged in Australian red wine barrels. You can expect notes of bright red fruits, oak spice and vanilla. Sip it neat or mix it into a Whiskey Sour, Godfather, Rusty Nail or our own Whisky Mont Blanc.
4. Tequila
We’ve run through tequila styles before, but if you need a refresher, you’re looking at blanco, resposado and añejo. When stocking your liquor cabinet, you want to start with a blanco or silver tequila – something you can mix, but also sip. It only feels right that we call on Altos Plata – a tequila created for bartenders, by bartenders (and, ahem, home bartenders). It’s bright and fresh with citrus and cooked agave, and it’s ready to be sipped or shaken in your Marg, Marg Soda, Paloma, Batanga and Ranch Water.
If you can squeeze in another tequila, go with a reposado (AKA rested tequila). It’s aged for two months to a year, which brings a beautiful caramel colour and oaky notes, while retaining that brightness we know and love in a blanco. Pick up a bottle of Don Julio Reposado – aged for eight months in American white-oak barrels, it’s soft with flavours of dark chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. Serve it neat, on the rocks or swap it into your favourite tequila-based cocktails. Hot tip: making an Espresso Martini? Sub the vodka for reposado and thank us later.
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5. Rum
Rum is a quiet achiever in the bar cart and, like most spirits, there’s more than one style – white, gold, dark, spiced – but, don’t worry, we’ve made you a cheat sheet. The key here is to figure out whether you prefer light or dark rum (and which one you’ll use more often), so then, when you’re ready to expand your rum wardrobe, you can add in the other to broaden your horizons. Once you’re feeling like you’ve advanced your rum palate, you can add a spiced rum into the rotation.
For light rum, we’re going with the classic Bacardi Carta Blanca, which is known for its smooth notes of vanilla and almond, and it’s right at home in your Mojitos and Daiquiris. For those moving to spiced rum, go for Bumbu The Original – aged for 15 years, it has flavours of allspice, cinnamon, caramelised banana and smooth butterscotch. We especially love the Bumbu in a Bahama Mama cocktail.
6. Vermouth
There are a lot of ways to drink vermouth. Yes, it certainly belongs in your Martini, and if you are a big Martini fan, then you’ve probably got it front and centre on the bar cart already. But vermouth is more than a key ‘tini ingredient. You can serve it on the rocks, with tonic, in a Spritz and in a range of cocktails, so it’s kind of a non-negotiable for a capsule collection. If you’re a seasoned vermouth drinker, you’ll know what we’re talking about when we say Noilly Prat – the Original French Dry is perhaps the most famous vermouth. It’s made from 18 different herbs and spices (Colonel Sanders, who?), including chamomile, elderflower, Moroccan coriander and bitter oranges sourced from Tunisia.
For those searching for a sweet vermouth, look no further than Maidenii. This Aussie example was designed to be the perfect sweet vermouth, but also the perfect addition to a classic Negroni (one that doesn’t overpower the gin). Maidenii Sweet uses botanicals like strawberry gum, wattle seed, river mint, grapefruit zest and angelica root.
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7. Liqueurs
Liqueurs are a complex beast coming in loads of different styles, so when doing your re-up, think about the types of cocktails you make the most – or plan to make – and then build your collection from there. If you’re not sure, you can’t go wrong with a triple sec (hello Margs) or a bitter red liqueur (who wants a Campari IPA Spritz?).
For a triple sec, go with Luxardo. It’s distilled from three citrus fruits, with the hero being curaçao, along with oranges and mandarins. Then comes the second distillation, with dried orange flowers, pennyroyal (part of the mint family) and a few others, then it goes through filtration and dilution before the sugar is added. For aperitivo hour you’ll need a reliable bitter red liqueur, and it’s Campari for us. It’s herbal and bittersweet with notes of citrus, a little orange peel and chinotto. You can mix Campari with orange juice, soda, add it to your favourite Spritz or stir it into an Americano or Bicicletta.
