5 bottles, 5 tools, 5 recipes: Add Champagne and your bar is ready for New Year's Eve

Whether you're kicking back on the couch to watch the New Year's Eve ball drop on TV or having friends and family over for a more lively celebration, there's a good chance the booze will flow . A "well-stocked bar" might sound intimidating, but you don't have to go to extreme lengths to throw a successful cocktail party. If you want a fancy drink, you go out. If you want a simple, but solid drink for your New Year's guests, all you need are 5 bottles, 5 pieces of equipment, 5 recipes and a little bubbly.

The spirited staples

First on your list should be vodka, which remains the most consumed spirit in the U.S. Why? It acts as a blank canvas, indiscriminately showcasing whatever flavors you want to mix with it, making it an easy go-to liquor in any drinking situation. For the same reasons, it also can transcend the barriers between semi-fancy drinks like the Tito's sparkler recipe, back page, and simple mixes like vodka soda. Austin has plenty of local vodkas to choose from, making it an even better option for holiday imbibing.

Like vodka, rum also can act as a chameleon spirit — one you can gussy up to the nines as in the delightful punch recipe, at right, or simply stir with simple syrup for a Rum Old Fashioned.

For another clear spirit that provides an excellent alternative option to your standard party drinks, get a little wild and feature a Pisco from Latin America.

Pisco is a subtle grape-based brandy whose flavor lands somewhere between a tequila and a vodka. The sparkling wine cocktail recipe from Pisco Portón is a delicate and sophisticated New Year's Eve option.

The French elderflower liqueur St. Germain isn't typically consumed neat as a base spirit, but it can add an element of delicate sweetness to cocktails.

The signature Hummingbird cocktail (St. Germain, sparkling wine and club soda, with a lemon twist and served in a Collins glass) functions as a fantastic brunch cocktail. When dressed up with a strawberry garnish and minus the club soda, you have a classy and romantic New Year's Eve toast.

Finally, because winter is prime season for dark spirits (thanks to the warmth of vanilla, oak and other baking spice flavors inherent in oak aged spirits), whiskey should be essential for a holiday gathering. If you aren't going to use whiskey in the mulled cider recipe below, try a Manhattan, Old Fashioned or one of my favorites — mix it with some grapefruit juice and simple syrup with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Helpful tools

Mixing cocktails is a precise art. Like baking, the slightest variation from a dictated recipe will change the final taste of the drink, and usually not for the best. For this reason, a jigger is one of the most important tools needed to make excellent cocktails. Measure everything for optimal results.

If you're not following a recipe, start out with small proportions and adjust the drink to your taste. Remember, you can always add more sweetener if needed, but you can't subtract sweetener without adding more booze.

Use a cocktail shaker for drinks that include juice. Citrus juice doesn't like to naturally blend together with spirits, so to get a smooth final product, incorporate all the ingredients together with a good shake over ice before straining and serving.

On the flip side, stir, with a stirring spoon, cocktails that are spirits only (no juice). This will create a flawlessly clear, velvety looking drink that has a wonderfully satin mouthfeel. There's nothing worse than a frothy Manhattan or Martini, which should be the kings and queens of sexy cocktails.

After your drink is stirred or shaken, strain everything into a chilled glass to serve. Strain even if you don't think it is necessary.

No one likes particles of fruit, mint or ice floating around in their drinks, which distracts from the overall drinking experience. A Hawthorne strainer fits neatly in most shakers, making the process elementary.

Finally, when peeling citrus fruits to use as garnishes, use a wide vegetable peeler for thick peel garnishes, and a smaller fruit one for twists. Try to capture the least amount of white pith in the twist or peel because pith will add a chalky, bitter element that you don't want in or around the drink.