Tending bar at home

Staring down a bar’s carefully curated cocktail menu, the idea of mixing up anything even remotely comparable at home can seem intimidating. But Velveteen Rabbit owners Christina and Pamela Dylag, creators of one of those carefully curated menus, say setting up a home bar and familiarizing yourself with the basics of cocktail creation doesn’t have to be difficult, or entail a huge investment.

The Dylag sisters have five tips for rookies looking to up their at-home drinking game.

Do your reading. “That’s how we started,” Pamela says. The sisters began with “The Craft of the Cocktail” by Dale DeGroff and “The PDT Cocktail Book” by Jim Meehan.

Explore Las Vegas’ liquor stores such as Total Wine & More, Lee’s Discount Liquor, and more boutique places such as Khoury’s Fine Wine and Spirits and Top Shelf Wine and Spirits. Staff recommendations are often a good place to start. The availability of various spirits has grown immensely since Christina and Pamela opened Velveteen Rabbit. “It’s fun, because you get to explore a lot of different spirits,” Pamela says.

Next time you’re out, talk to your bartender. “Ask them, ‘I’m not too familiar with bourbons, what’s a good introductory bourbon that I can try?’” Christina suggests.

Buy a couple key tools, but don’t worry about picking up anything fancy. “Whenever I make drinks at home, I’m pretty makeshift about it,” Pamela says. For most cocktails, a strainer, a Boston shaker and a jigger, to make measuring easier, will do.

Take their class, of course. The three classic cocktails are meant to be easy to re-create at home with minimal ingredients. For those who really want to do a deep dive, the comprehensive online course BarSmarts will round out your education.