Belly on up – it’s home bartending season

With Memorial Day weekend a few weeks off, the summer entertaining season is nearly upon us. And for the backyard party host, that means cocktails and maybe adding a few new tricks to the drink-mixing repertoire.

If that description fits you, there are a number of shows and channels on YouTube and other video sites that can offer a few tips and ideas. Because no one is as important to a party as a good bartender.

“Home Bar 101” (www.youtube.com/watch?v_ m4iv6oWjQw): Before you mix, you must have the right tools. On this channel from digital brand Epicurious, New York-based mixologist Eben Freeman walks viewers through the finer points of assembling a well-appointed home bar, from gadgets and equipment to glassware, liquor and mixers. There is even a video on why the ice you choose matters.

“GQ Cocktails” (video.gq.com / series / gqcocktails): There are a few basic cocktails that every man should know how to mix, according to this series hosted by Tom Macy, who shows how to prepare such popular libations as the mojito, the old fashioned, the mai tai and daiquiris of various types. There are also suggestions for drinks for different holidays.

“Mamrie Hart” (www.youtube.com / user / You Deserve A Drink): The “Dirty 30” actress and comedian likes to drink and here she creates original adult beverages “in honor of celebrities, You Tuber friends and pop culture disasters” while making bad jokes and playing the occasional drinking game.

“Small Screen Drinks” (www.youtube.com/ channel / UCArqex7-NK9TIUpTd5_-rmw): Hundreds of slickly produced videos about drinks, bartending and mixology grace this YouTube channel as pros such as Charlotte Voisey, Jamie Boudreau and Kathy Casey demonstrate how it’s done.

“Bar-Times” (www.youtube.com / channel / UCMNI_wdyMJeWxrbxkiZVoVQ): Bar culture is at the heart of this series of Japanese videos that cover everything from ice carving and bar tools to how-tos and even competitions. Look for recipes for gimlets, sours, daiquiris and gin and tonics to be on the drink list.

“How to Drink” (www.youtube.com / channel / UCioZY1p0bZ4Xt-yodw8_cBQ / featured): Greg (no last name given), a self-described home hobbyist and drink enthusiast, is host and creator of this series of videos that he says is “about how to make drinks and how to drink them,” with selections such as champagne cocktail, eggnog, whiskey sour, Tom Collins and a Thanksgiving Cobbler.

“Common Man Cocktails” (www.youtube.com/ channel / UCm4_NTvhixXU3YFetu8z-aA): Novices and pros alike will find something to interest them on this channel, which aims to inspire the home enthusiast, give new ideas to pros and provide a little information on cocktail history and design, all without pretension and the presence of threepiece suits.