And who better to show you how to stock your home bar than Ardy’s – one of old Poona’s earliest aerated water manufacturers that have been making soda water since 1884.

Let Ardy’s show you how it’s done, and with just a few essentials, you’ll be able to mix cocktails and mocktails to impress not just yourself, but also your friends!

Essentials of a Home Bar

Make some of the best mixed drinks and cocktails from the comfort of your own home, with just a handful of ingredients. With Ardy’s guide to stocking the home bar, you’ll find it’s simpler than you think, and can be a lot of fun.

When you’re learning to mix drinks at home, keep in mind that having a few core items in your bar cabinet is worth more than owning a range of spirits and mixers, or fancy equipment.

Liquors

Start with what you like to drink. Once you master a few cocktails with your chosen alcohol as the base, expand your bar selection to include other types of alcohol. Here are some staples that will allow you to make most classic cocktails:

• Gin
• Rum
• Vodka
• Whiskey
• Tequila

Mixers

Most cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks usually require a mixer or two. A good selection of mixers is therefore crucial for a bar cabinet. Ardy’s is your one-stop shop for mixers and soft drinks including:

Ardy’s Tonic Water

The fresh, crisp taste of the tonic water makes it a suitable mixing option not just for gin and vodka drinks, but also for non-alcoholic beverages.

Ardy’s Soda Water

Ardy’s Strong Soda lends itself well to pairings with all kinds of alcohol, especially whiskey and vodka.

Ardy’s Flavoured Sodas

Ardy’s offers a range of fizzy drinks that serve as excellent mixers for both cocktails as well as non-alcoholic beverages. The sodas come in a variety of flavours to suit all kinds of palates, both Western and Indian.

The citrusy tanginess of Ardy’s Lemonade, Orangeade, and Pineapple, and the fruity flavours of Ardy’s Green Apple, and Peach Melba, are perfect for summer cocktails and mocktails.

Ardy’s Raspberry and Ice Cream Soda are two special flavors you won’t find anywhere else. If you grew up in the ‘80s or earlier, you’ll remember these staples from Parsee weddings and the Irani chai shops. Ardy’s Indi-cola, on the other hand, is a newer take on the classic cola.

If you prefer stronger, Indian flavours, and a combination of sweet and savoury, try Ardy’s Chaatka Jeera Masala Soda, Nimbu Soda, Masala Kala Khatta, and Ardy’s Teekha Ginger – excellent by themselves, or in some fiery cocktails, and especially after meals.

You can order Ardy’s soft drinks and mixers here. (Add link).

Garnishes

Garnishes are an excellent way to spruce up the presentation and taste of your drinks and cocktails. The garnish you choose will depend on the kind of drink you’re mixing, for example, olives with gin and tonic, or a wedge of lime with a tequila-based cocktail. Stock your bar with a few of these:

• Olives
• Limes & Lemons
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Fruits like cherry, apple, orange, or pineapple
• Mint & Basil
• Coarse salt

And don’t forget ice!

Ardy’s Cocktail and Mocktail Recipes

Once you’ve stocked up on some of these staples, you can indulge your inner mixologist by getting creative with these easy cocktail recipes from Ardy’s.

1. Whiskey-A-Go-Go

Ingredients :

• 60ml Whiskey
• 200ml Ardy’s Indi cola (1 bottle)
• 100ml Ardy’s Tonic Water (1/2 bottle)
• Ardy’s Strong Soda, a splash
• Lime, cut in half
• Ice

Steps :

• Fill an old-fashioned whiskey tumbler with ice.
• Pour in the whiskey.
• Squeeze half a lime into it and stir.
• Add a bottle-full of Ardy’s Indi Cola, and half a bottle of Ardy’s Tonic Water.
• Add a splash of Ardy’s Strong Soda to balance the sweetness.
• Stir and serve.

2. GLT

Ingredients :

• 60ml Gin
• 200ml Ardy’s Tonic Water (1 bottle)
• 200ml Ardy’s Lemonade (1 bottle)
• 1 Lime, squeezed
• 15ml Blue Curacao
• 4 ice cubes

Steps :

• Drizzle Blue Curacao on the sides of a tall salt-rimmed glass.
• Add 4 cubes of Ice.
• Add the gin and squeeze a full lime into it.
• Pour in Ardy’s Tonic Water carefully without disturbing the Blue curacao lining the glass.
• Add 100ml Ardy’s Lemonade.
• Serve with a stirrer, and garnished with a slice of lime.

But what about the children and the teetotalers?!

Not to worry – here are some recipes for some non-alcoholic beverages that are sure to impress those who don’t, or can’t, drink alcohol.

1. Ardy’s Razzzzzzzberry

Ingredients :

• Ardy’s Raspberry 400ml (2 bottles)
• 1 Lime, squeezed
• a sprig of mint
• a Mason jar
• lots of crushed ice

Steps :

• Fill a Mason jar with lots of crushed ice.
• Pour the contents of two bottles of Ardy’s Raspberry into the Mason jar
• Crush some mint leaves in the palms of your hands and drop them in. Squeeze the juice of a whole lime into the jar.
• Garnish with a slice of lime.
• Serve with a straw.

2. Pink Lemonade

Ingredients :

• 200ml Ardy’s Lemonade (1 bottle)
• 100ml Ardy’s Raspberry (1/2 bottle)
• 1 Lime, squeezed
• a tall glass well-frosted
• Ice

Steps :

• Frost a tall glass by keeping it in the freezer for 10 mins.
• Once out of the freezer fill it with ice.
• Pour in one bottle of Ardy’s Lemonade.
• Add 100ml Ardy’s Raspberry till the lemonade turns delightfully pink.
• Add the juice of half a lime.
• Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Head on over to Ardy’s bartender (link to recipes) to learn how to make some more exciting tipples with Ardy’s soft drinks and mixers!

Get Your Mixers At Ardy’s

Stocking your home bar might seem like an overwhelming task, but it need not be. Start small, with just the basics, and build from there. Assess your bar cabinet regularly, and add to your stocks as you need.

It’s less about owning the most expensive liquors and more about finding what you like, having fun with the process while you do it, and, best of all, it doesn’t have to break your bank.

Place your order for Ardy’s soft drinks and mixers by calling 08975761331 –Speak to Mr. Gurav, who’ll see about having them delivered to you – the minimum order for deliveries is a crate!

Or you can order Ardy’s soft drinks and mixers at our online store. (link)

Ardy’s soft drinks are also available at the following retail shops and restaurants:

1. Camp & East Street Area:

• Cafe Yezdan, at the Sharbatwalla Chowk
• Dorabjee Hotel, on Dastur Meher Road
• Garden Café, on Dastur Meher Road
• J & M Café, opposite JJ Garden on Bootee Street
• Kailash Cold Drink, at Bhopla Chowk
• Blue Nile Hotel, opposite Nucleus Mall
• Supriya Hotel, opposite Nehru Memorial Hall on Ambedkar Road
• Hotel Baghban, opposite Victory Cinema on East Street
• Kings Café, on East Street

2. Mundhwa & Kharadi:

• Cafe Royal Tea, opposite the Passport Office on Mundhwa Road
• Cafe Royal Tea, on BT Kawade Road
• Cafe Royal Tea, opposite Zensar in Kharadi
• Irani Café, World Trade Center Kharadi

3. Wanowrie:

• Burger 69, on Salunkhe Vihar Road
• Cafe Good Day, on Kedari Road in Wanowrie
• Annapurna Café, on Kedari Road in Wanowrie

4. Koregaon Park:

• Burger 69, in Koregaon Park
• Burger Barn, on Lane 5 in Koregaon Park

5. Kalyani Nagar and Viman Nagar:

• Vohuman Café, at Poonawala Business Bay in Yerawada
• Irani Café, in Kalyaninagar
• Irani Café, in Viman Nagar

6. Deccan and Kothrud:

• Hotel Chaitanya at Chaturshingi
• Irani Café, Prabhat Road
• Maskawala, ahead of Nal Stop in Kothrud
• Maskawala, ahead of Nal Stop in Kothrud
• Maha Irani Café, in Kothrud

7. Baner & Aundh:

• Irani Café, Baner Road
• Patio, on ITI Road in Aundh
• Little Heart Café, on Indira college campus in Wakad