What do you need to build a zero-proof home bar from scratch?
Setting up a zero-proof home bar requires different purchasing logic than an alcoholic bar. Spirits bottles are expensive but versatile — one bottle of Seedlip Spice covers dozens of drinks. The investment in quality tools (a proper shaker, a mixing glass, a Hawthorne strainer) pays dividends in every drink you make.
NA spirit bases (choose 2-3): a botanical/herbal base (Seedlip Spice 94 or Garden 108 — €28-32), a gin-style spirit (Lyre's Dry London Spirit — €30), and optionally an agave-style or rum-style spirit (Lyre's Agave Blanco, Monday Gin — €28-35). These three cover gin & tonics, Negroni builds, sours and most other templates.
Modifiers and mixers: quality tonic water (Fever-Tree, 1724 — stock 6 bottles), ginger beer (Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, fiery style — 6 bottles), quality soda water (fine bubbles — not cheap own-brand), Crodino or Monday Aperitivo for Spritz builds.
Syrups and tinctures: simple syrup (make your own in 5 minutes), ginger syrup (make your own), hibiscus syrup (make or buy), a quality bitters alternative like Angostura Aromatic Bitters Alcohol-Free (some editions) or Hella Bitters Non-Alcoholic. These small bottles of concentrated flavor are worth their weight.
Equipment: cobbler shaker or Boston shaker (€15-35), mixing glass (€20-40), bar spoon (€8-12), Hawthorne strainer (€10-15), jigger/measure (€8-12), citrus press (€10-20). The single most important tool is the jigger — precision in ratios is the foundation of good cocktails.
Glassware: coupe or martini glass (for shaken/strained cocktails), copa de balón (for G&T and aromatic long drinks), rocks glass/lowball (for stirred builds and Spritz), highball glass (for long drinks). Four types covers all zero-proof cocktail categories.
| Category | Budget option | Premium option | Cost range |
|---|---|---|---|
| NA spirits (2-3 bottles) | Seedlip Spice + Crodino | Seedlip + Lyre's + Monday Gin | €55–95 |
| Syrups | Homemade simple + ginger | Homemade + premium hibiscus + orgeat | €5–20 |
| Tonic/soda/ginger beer | Generic quality brand | Fever-Tree range | €15–30 |
| Equipment | Cobbler shaker + jigger | Boston shaker + mixing glass + full kit | €30–80 |
| Glassware | Coupe + highball | 4-type set | €20–60 |
zeroproof.one publishes zero-proof home bar buying guides updated seasonally — with the best NA spirits available in Belgium and across Europe, at every price point.