ESSENTIAL HOME BAR TOOLS
Setting up a well-equipped Home Bar required a few essential tools to help you mix and serve the best drink at home.
1. JIGGER
A jigger, alcohol jigger or bar jigger is an hourglass-shaped bartender measuring tool used to ensure that they pour accurate amounts of alcohol into every drink. Usually made of metal (and sometimes plastic), jiggers contain different measuring amounts – one on either side of the hourglass (2oz, 1.5oz, 1oz, .75oz, .50oz and .25oz) and different shapes (Japanese jigger, Bell jigger, Single jigger)
2. SHAKER
The cocktail shakers are used to quickly and efficiently blend cocktails, they are typically made of stainless steel and classified into three different types:
Cobbler Shaker: also known as the Three-Piece Shaker, this includes a large metal shaking tin, a tightly fitting lid and a smaller cap that covers a strainer that’s integrated into the lid. Offering a completely integrated design that includes a strainer, it is a good choice for most beginners. Advantages: integrated strainer, simple and good for novice. Disadvantages: gets stuck, slower to use and more parts to clean.
Boston Shaker: is a two-piece device that is simple and effective. Typically there is one larger tin that is accompanied by another smaller mixing vessel which can be made of glass or metal. The glass is often just a pint glass, while the metal alternative is often referred to as a “cheater tin.” Advantages: faster and easy to clean. Disadvantages: requires skills, glass can break.
Parisian Shaker: is a two-piece shaker and basically like the cobbler shaker but without the built-in strainer. I think the main benefit of the style is that it is more stylish than the others shakers. Advantages: stylish, simple, good for the novice and easy to clean. Disadvantages: difficult to find and more expensive.
3. STRAINER
The cocktail strainer is a bartending tool used to remove solid materials from the liquid in the making of a drink. Also known as a bar strainer, it is typically used after a drink has been shaken or stirred to remove the ice, fruit or other solids that shouldn’t find their way into the resulting cocktail. There are three primary types of cocktails strainers, each bar strainer has its own application:
Hawthorne Strainer: a flat, perforated piece of metal which is lined with a flexible spring that catches ice and other solids. It is the most popular type of cocktail strainer in both home and professional bartending. Advantages: better fit for mixing tins, can adapt to different sizes and inexpensive. Disadvantages: difficult to clean, esily damaged
Julep Strainer: the original cocktail strainer, with a bowl-shaped cup perforated with small hole and has a long handle designed to be easily held over a mixing glass. Advantages: better fit for mixing glass, durable and easy to clean. Disadvantages: can be slow
Fine Mesh Strainer: no matter if you use a Hawthorne Strainer or a Julep Strainer, sometimes you need a little extra help and that’s where a fine mesh strainer comes in handy. Small shards of ice, bits of fruit and other solids can find their way past these strainers, so an additional filter is necessary.
4. MIXING GLASS
the mixing glass is a glass or metal container used to quickly chill cocktail drinks without diluting them, primarily by stirring with ice using a spoon and straining with a strainer.
5. BAR SPOON
A bar spoon is a specialized spoon designed to simplify the mixing process when assembling a cocktail, when stirring is necessary, a specialized bartender’s spoon makes the process much easier. The bar spoons are used in different ways: cocktail stirring, measuring ingredients, layering drinks, garnishing drinks, muddling. There are Three Different Types of Bar Spoon:
The American: inexpensive, can be identified by its simple design, a twisted handle and the red plastic cap placed on the end.
The European: a sturdier implement with a bit more style, this spoon typically has a hammer or disk placed on the end, many bartenders use them for everything from muddling to layering liquors.
The Japanese: A sturdier option with a more elongated design, this bar spoon has a slimmer profile and in my opinion just looks cool. The end of handle can be finished in several different ways including a teardrop design or a fork for grabbing olives or other garnishes.
6. KNIFE
A bar knife is a small paring knife, which may have a sharp or serrated edge for detailed cutting and slicing cocktail fruit and garnishes. Bar knives often incorporate other features such as a citrus peeler or a forked edge for picking up ingredients.
7. JUICER
A juicer extracts juice from fruit. Although simple in concept, juicers come in many different shapes and sizes which all can vary based on the intended use. For making cocktails, manual juicers are most frequently used to juice citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges). My favorites are:
Countertop: citrus reamer is a tabletop version with an integrated collection bowl. Typically made from tempered glass or plastic, this juicer often produces juice with less pulp.
Citrus Squeezer: uses a levered construction with a hinged bowl with handles to more easily extract the juice. These are relatively compact, easy to use and clean.
8. MUDDLER
A cocktail muddler is a tool like a pestle that releases the essence from fresh ingredients, adding dimension to your drinks and infusing them with the right balance of flavors. Muddling is a method of lightly mashing fruit, herbs, and spices for cocktails. The two most common types of drink muddlers that bartenders use are wood muddlers and steel muddlers. Deciding between the two comes down to personal preference and what you're looking to get out of your muddler.
9. CORKSCREWS
A corkscrew is a fundamental piece of barware that every home bar should have. Traditionally corkscrews are known as tools for drawing corks from bottles, but they can be much more. Clearly an essential bar tool for those that enjoy wine, corkscrews can include integrated blades, bottle openers and other features that make serving cocktails easier.
10. BITTERS BOTTLES
Not only a way to upgrade the aesthetic appeal of your bar, bitters bottles are an essential item for when it comes to making drinks, too. Typically made from glass, they are used when adding bitters to cocktails. They are designed to help you control the quantity of ingredients you add to your drinks, so you don’t mix in too much. They give greater control and look great on your home bar, too.
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