Essential Tools for Your Home Bar
Want to craft cocktails like a pro from the comfort of your home? Like with any project, to be successful, you need the right tools for the job, and luckily, cocktail tools are easy to purchase on the internet once you know exactly what you'll need. Found yourself looking at bar tools in the aisles of the big box liquor stores or scrolling through Amazon and can't figure out whether you need a cobbler, a Boston, or a French shaker? Or if your cocktail shaker should be weighted, why are cocktail spoons braided, and does a special spoon even matter? And for the love of all things holy, why can't you just use a measuring cup instead of that little jigger thing? What is a jigger even?
Shopping for your home bar can be confusing, but one thing is for sure, if the cocktails you make at home don't taste like they do when made at your favorite cocktail bar, even though you followed the recipe precisely, usually, that's because you're lacking the right tools. Here is an essential guide to understanding the purpose of each tool and how to set up your home bar for success.
Bar Techniques
Shaking & Stirring
Before we discuss which tools matter, it's important to understand why you shake or stir a cocktail and why measuring is so important. Shaking or stirring a cocktail affects its flavor, texture, and temperature.
Shaking a cocktail
When shaking a cocktail, you incorporate air into the drink, which creates a frothy or velvety texture. You also add dilution as the ice in the cocktail breaks down while chilling the liquid inside the tin. The rule of when to shake a cocktail is when the ingredients contain citrus juice, cream, egg whites, or other opaque ingredients like cream liqueurs. Margaritas and daiquiris are cocktails that should be shaken. Cocktails should be shaken for about 12-14 seconds.
Stirring a cocktail
Stirred cocktails usually consist of all alcohol that is not opaque, like a Manhattan, Negroni, or Martini. Stirring a cocktail can mix and chill the ingredients with minimal dilution. If the cocktail is served over ice, you can stir it for a shorter period. If it is served up (without ice), stir a bit longer to ensure the drink is sufficiently chilled. Cocktails should be stirred for about 30-45 seconds.
All of these factors affect the flavor and texture of a cocktail, so even if you have the right ingredients and have measured precisely if you stir a cocktail that should have been shaken, you might find the resulting cocktail doesn't pass muster.
6 basic bar tools
They all matter, but most professionals who mix cocktails will tell you that the basic tools are critical to crafting cocktails properly: a cocktail shaker, strainer, jigger, mixing glass, bar spoon, and peeler.
Shaker
Boston shaker photo courtesy of A Bar Above
The cocktail shaker, in the form most similar to what we know today, has been around since the 1800s. The two types of cocktail shakers to focus on are the Cobbler and the Boston. The Boston shaker has double tin parts without a built-in strainer. This is the type you see used by bar professionals most of the time. It's important to note that glass should never be used to shake a cocktail and should never be attached to a tin shaker. Should the glass become chipped during the process of shaking, glass fragments could end up in the drink, and you may not be able to see them. These double tin shakers have a larger capacity and more room for the liquid to move. The cobbler shaker has a built-in strainer that many people find efficient and easier to use, and it is often preferred for home bartending. I recommend the Boston shaker, its capacity can’t be beat so go with what the pros prefer!
Mixing Glass
Extra Large Mixing Glass photo courtesy of Viski
If you're not shaking a cocktail, you will be stirring it and need the correct type of glass. You might ask yourself, "Why do I need a special glass to stir a cocktail?" The reasons are simple: cocktail mixing glasses are shaped to allow for ice and liquid to remain inside the glass while you're stirring the cocktail, and their weighted bottom ensures that the glass won't tip over when you are stirring. You may have seen bartenders stir and shake separate cocktails simultaneously. They can do that because they don't have to hold onto the mixing glass, which is made of thicker glass and insulates the liquid, and the bottom is weighted. Another excellent reason to purchase a mixing glass is to make more than one drink at a time.
You can find mixing glasses up to 33 ounces, which is ideal for mixing multiple drinks at one time. There are several sizes and styles to choose from. I prefer mixing glass with deep etching or texture so that it is less slippery when washing.
Buswell 4 Prong Cocktail Strainer and Coco Strainer Mesh Cone
Whether you are shaking your cocktails with a Boston-style shaker or mixing a cocktail, you will always need a cocktail strainer. As the ice breaks down while being shaken inside the tin or the glass, it will continue to dilute quickly if it ends up in your cocktail, so you always want to strain out the “dirty” ice. There are several types of cocktail strainers. The Hawthorne has a wire coil like strainer that catches ice and other solid ingredients while allowing the liquid to pass through.
The julep strainer is a perforated, spoon-shaped strainer that fits over a mixing glass or shaker tin, but because they don’t fit snugly onto a shaker or mixing glass, they can be more challenging to use. And there is the fine strainer, a small, cone-shaped, wire mesh screen that filters out small particles from cocktails. My recommendation is to have a 4 prong hawthorne strainer and a fine strainer in your essential kit.
Bar Spoon set
Bar spoons
Along with your mixing glass, you will need a spoon to stir with. A regular tablespoon will be too short and you might find your fist inside the glass, which isn’t ideal. You can use a chopstick or a long iced teaspoon, but there’s nothing like a braided bar spoon to get the job done. Ideally, you want to use the spoon to twist and stir simultaneously. You twist the spoon with your fingers to do this. You can learn how to master the twist and stir from excellent YouTube videos. The braided handle makes it easier to hold on to the spoon while stirring and is also great for adding bubbles to a drink. Pouring carbonated drinks down the handle of the spoon into a drink allows for a smooth and controlled pour, minimizing the fizz. You can also use this method to layer drinks when a recipe calls for a float like in a NY Sour cocktail or a Baby Guinness shot.
Cocktail Jiggers
Stepped jigger
Last but not least, there are many types of cocktail jiggers on the market and much discussion and debate about why bartenders prefer one style or another. What is not up for debate is precise measuring. You may have witnessed bartenders pouring liquor and a mixer in a glass simultaneously without measuring. For mixed drinks, this is common practice; bartenders are usually well-trained to measure the correct amount of liquid in each glass by counting or by sight. This practice becomes second nature. Eyeballing is fine for mixed drinks but, for cocktails you’ll want to relate the necessity for measuring to baking. If you eyeball the baking soda, sugar, or flour and your measurements are off, this can significantly affect the result; it’s the same with cocktails. Sure, you can use a measuring cup when making more than one cocktail, but you might find it challenging for cocktails that call for small measurements of certain ingredients. Yes, you can measure ounces to tablespoons, but can you pour from liquor bottles into teaspoons? Jiggers are inexpensive and super handy. Go with the stepped jigger which has multiple clearly marked measurements on the outside, allowing for quick and accurate pouring. This style of jigger is popular for home bartending.
A great way to stock your bar with the proper tools is to purchase a cocktail tool set, like the Essential Cocktail Set from Cocktail Kingdom. It includes everything you need to make your favorite cocktails at home with professional grade tools.
Make sure you have a vegetable peeler for garnishing and grab a silicone ice tray set to craft the perfect cubes for your glorious cocktails.
Now that you know essential cocktail tools, it’s time to shake, stir, and pour your way into the exciting world of home bartending. Whether hosting an intimate gathering or enjoying a quiet evening, having the right tools at your disposal will make every drink a work of art. So roll up your sleeves and get mixing—your next signature cocktail awaits!