What do you need to set up a bar at home

A.� If you're into making cocktails at home, fresh fruit, juice and ice are the most important ingredients. Having the right equipment is essential, and depending on how seriously you take it, a large selection of alcoholic ingredients.

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A large number of cocktail recipes include a simple syrup. You can buy Sirop de Gomme, but simple syrup is basically sugar and water. Take equal parts of sugar and water and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear, remove from heat, allow to cool and place in a bottle in the fridge.

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Lots of recipes include home-flavoured spirits. This� can be anything from chocolate and sweet infusions to savoury and fruit. Vodka can be used for all mixes and it can be sweetened with simple syrup. Gins work best with fruits, while tequila is good at picking up savoury flavours like jalapeno or citrus peel. Strongly flavoured herbs and pods need only a few days steeping; chillies need about a week, while citrus zest can take as long as a month. Check the flavour regularly.

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Q.� What sort of equipment do I need

A.� Start with a shaker, mixing glass, blender, strainer, measure and corkscrew. You'll also need ice tongs, spoons for stirring amd measuring, cotctail and swizzle sticks, straws, an ice bucket, a grater for nutmeg, and some sharp knives. You'll also need to buy a variety of glasses - cocktail glasses are usually V-shaped, a Martini glass, tumbler, large hi-ball glass, a Collins, a wine glass and a champagne flute.

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Q.� Which spirits will I need

A.� A good bartender's checklist will include gin and vodka, best kept in the fridge, white and gold rum, tequila, bourbon, cognac, blended whisky, dry and sweet Vermouth, Cointreau, Campari, Maraschino liqueur,Pernod, Drambuie, green Chartreuse, yellow Chartreuse, Kahlua, Champagne, Angostura bitters, peychaud bitters and orange bitters (usually available from good food halls). Other ingredients which will be required include Tobasco or Worcestershire Sauce, fresh limes, oranges and lemons, fresh fruit juice, fresh mint, Maraschino cherries, caster sugar, coarse salt, grenadine (made from pomegranates), lime cordial, and a selection of mixers such as soda water, tonic water, giner ale, lemonade.

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Q.� What is a Collins

A.� Collinses are a variant on fizzes, which were supposedly first made as a hangover cure at the RAC Club in London.

A Collins contains 1oz lemon juice, 1tsp caster sugar, 2oz spirit, dash Angostura bitters, and soda.

Place the first three ingredients in a tall glass topped up with ice and stir gently. Top with soda.

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Tom Collins = gin

Colonle Collins = bourbon

Pierre Collins = Cognac

Joe Collins = vodka

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By Katharine MacColl