10 Costco Finds That Can Help You Build Your Own Home Bar

Building your own bar sounds like the dream. The drinks are cheaper, you control the music and the sports, and everybody knows your name. What could go wrong? Nothing, really. Just keep in mind that good research can go a long way. Sourcing some good Costco home bar finds before kick-starting the work will take your idyllic watering hole to the next level. Yup, it's time to stop pretending we can cobble together a few mixers and colored umbrellas and call it a bar. 

Now, here's the good part — you don't actually need to do any of the research yourself, because we've done it all for you. Capturing that authentic bar vibe means thinking beyond the basics to cover everything from liquor to mixers, salted peanuts, and highball glasses. Perhaps even throw in some fancy tools, like an ice maker or a decanter, if you drink red wine. Just keep that old cocktail recipe book at the ready. Our list of Costco finds to build the ultimate home bar will have you raising a glass or three before you can say "Cheers." 

What's more convenient (and cheaper) than a shed that doubles up as a bar? A beverage center that's right there in your kitchen. You can incorporate this GE 4.1 cu. ft. Built-In or Free-Standing Beverage Center within your kitchen setup or give it its own corner in your living room. The more important question is how much booze can you store here? The answer is 31 bottles or 109 cans, which is very respectable for a home bar. At $1,200, it's not cheap, and you'd be forgiven for agreeing with many Redditors in thinking you can simply buy a second fridge and make do with that. It won't be quite so stylish, though, will it?

If you're low on budget, the Danby 3.1 cu. ft. Beverage Center swaps the oak shelves for adjustable shelves, which are useful but not necessarily pretty. Then again, it retails for $319.99, so you'll be saving almost a grand. A word to the wise: If you're thinking of using either of these for your wines, as well, don't. Wines are stored at different temperatures than beer and other liquors, so you'll be serving amateur vibes rather than pro home bar. If impressions are more important than the price tag, this Vinotemp 51-Bottle Wine Cooler retails for around $800.

One of the first steps to building your own home bar is making sure you've got the right tools. It's going to be difficult to prepare the ultimate margarita if all you've got is liquor and a couple of limes. Enter this Rabbit 9-Piece Bar Tool Set. Granted, it's not exactly a steal at $149.99, but it will instantly let your guests know that this isn't amateur hour.

The tool set not only looks good but also includes everything you need to prep the fanciest beverages. There's a strainer, a 23-ounce mixing glass, a wood muddler, a bar spoon, a dual-sided jigger to measure your shots and get that perfect balance, a citrus knife, and a channel knife to help you get that garnish on point. This Costco home bar set even comes with a prep board so you don't need to use your old chopping board, and a storage base to put it away with a flourish.

A set of six stemless wine glasses that look stunning, cost only $34.99, and can easily double up as cocktail glasses. The Mikasa Ruby Wine Glasses set the perfect stage for your sniff, swirl, and sip session and offer very good value. The one snag is that they're only available online, and a few customers have complained of finding broken glasses on delivery. That said, they all got refunded, so it's not much of a gamble.

Be aware that the glasses are strictly hand-wash only, so if you're not fond of sessions at the kitchen sink after your guests depart, they may not be for you. If the words "dishwasher-friendly" get you excited, the Costco bar section also stocks a set of Luminarc 12-Piece Stemless Wine Glasses for $18.99. They do lack that vibrant red hue, so it may be a matter of choosing convenience and a lower price over looks in this case.

Fancy cocktails are all very well and good, but they can be a real pain to prepare. If you're entertaining, the last thing you want is to spend your evening mixing, shaking, paring, and serving. Say hello to this little friend, which allows you to serve bar-level cocktails at the touch of a button for $299.99. That's not all. With the Bartesian Premium Cocktail Machine, you also get six capsule packets thrown in, so you can sample and decide which is your fave.

On to the real question: How does it work, and is it easy to operate? No one wants a dead piece of equipment they don't know how to use sitting on their home bar. Happily, this machine keeps things beautifully simple, making it one of the best cocktail-making hacks we've encountered. There are four compartments to pour vodka, rum, gin, and tequila. Simply add your preferred capsule, push the button, and the machine does the rest. The capsule range includes all the most popular cocktails, such as espresso martini, Amaretto Sour, Sidecar, and many more.

Whether you're serving scotch on the rocks or a classic gin and tonic, few things are worse than a lukewarm drink. A reliable source of ice is a must, and if you're gathering more than two people, it's unlikely that your regular kitchen fridge will hack it. So, you can either schlepp it to the store for a sackful of ice every time you have guests over, or you can sit back and let your home ice maker do the job.

The Frigidaire Self-Cleaning Bullet Ice Maker retails for $75.99 and can make up to 26 pounds of ice a day. Reviewers on YouTube love how easy it is to use, and you can pick from two ice cube sizes. And according to Costco reviewers, it works fast, so you can get away with last-minute invites, too. The one recurring complaint is that the ice cubes melt if you leave them in the tray for too long, but we all know the solution to that.

If it's that honest bar vibe you're after, you're going to need at least one approachable scotch on hand for a well-rounded home bar. The Glenlivet 12-Year Single Malt fits the bill beautifully and aromatically, with an equally accessible price point of $40.09. Crafted in Scotland for that seriously authentic taste, The Glenlivet is described as "one of the world's most popular malts" on its official website, with a smooth and gentle finish that makes it a good choice even if you're only just starting to dip your toes into the world of scotch.

The limited-edition scotch was born to mark the 200th anniversary of the brand, so it was always going to be special. It works well with many scotch-based cocktails, like the Rusty Nail, or even a simple and comforting hot toddy, so it's also an excellent addition to your cocktail menu. Finally, it has landed enough accolades to appeal even to the strictest scotch snobs, even winning gold at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) Tasting Awards in 2024.

It's no secret: Alcohol makes you crave salty food, and science agrees with us. Think about the number of salted peanuts you're likely to down with a pint, compared to other times when you're not drinking. This means one thing: You're going to want to wash down those home-crafted cocktails with something salty, and Costco has just the thing. The Damn Man bar cart snacks variety pack comes with a selection of munchies that will keep the drinks and conversation flowing.

The nostalgic vibe is real, with all the bar classics present. There are cinnamon butter almonds, honey roasted almonds, salted cashews, corn crunchies, pistachios, and several bar mixes for that authentic vibe. You don't even need to worry about how to serve them. Each snack variety comes in a cute, resealable vintage case for style and convenience in one fell swoop. Not that we're suggesting that there's likely to be any leftovers, mind you.

If you're really taking your project to the next level, you need to make sure that you have all the essentials for a home bar. Besides actual alcohol and wine, start thinking of a good selection of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol mixers. It's always a good idea to start with the very basics, such as tonic water. You're going to need it for anything from your basic G&T to a more exotic Sunset Vibes cocktail. Ginger beer is another good bet, and Costco offers an excellent 12-pack of Fever Tree. You'll use this for cocktails like the Moscow Mule or the rum-based Dark 'n Stormy.

If you want to take things a step further, a bottle of Aperol is an excellent addition, especially if you and your guests are fond of a refreshing spritz. Juice will also undoubtedly find its place in any self-respecting bar. This 24-count variety pack of Welch's 100% Juice retails for $19.99. Costco also has a good offer on Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, with 12 packs of 15.2-ounce bottles selling for $14.99. For a truly bang-up job, you can expand your list of mixers to include colas, tomato juice, and Worcestershire sauce — and you'll find all of these at Costco.

The Rabbit Wine Decanter is made of Borosilicate glass and comes with an inbuilt strainer to remove any impurities and sediment from the wine. It can handle that aged vintage that's been waiting for a special occasion without disappointing you. If this is your first rodeo decanting wine, we've got you covered. There are very few dos and don'ts for decanting wine, and the most important one is also the most obvious: Make sure your decanter is perfectly clean. 

If you pour your red wine from a decanter, you instantly make it look more expensive. This particular piece of trivia needs nothing more than human intuition to back it. That said, we've got the science to prove that a good decanter is not just about appearances or about showing your guests that you know what you're doing. The process actually enhances the flavor, giving the wine space to breathe while improving its flavor.

For our last Costco find, we've decided to go big or go home. If you've got the space and the budget, the Suncast Cabana Entertainment Shed will make a nice starting point for your small corner of boozy heaven. At $1,899.99, it's not exactly a steal, but it's currently the cheapest option you'll find at Costco, given that other similar sheds can retail for as much as $5,999.99.

It certainly contains all the necessary features for a home bar away from home, as it were. For the price, you get two barstools, adjustable shelving for all those lovely bottles, an internal storage shelf, and an interior countertop that doubles up as your prep area. Assembly instructions are included. Just make sure to set it up in a sheltered spot, as some customers have found Costco's bar sheds to be rather flimsy. That said, this model comes with a steel frame for maximum strength to withstand heavier snow loads.