“Essential” Tools for Your Home Bar
Why is essential in quotes? For the real novice, the items I list below may not be obvious to have in the house. For this post, and if you have made it to this site, I am going to assume you have the real basics — a cocktail shaker, bottle opener, wine opener, etc.
Ok, after that list, if you are still reading this, here are some things I feel are essential and also will be helpful as you up your cocktail game and have all the tools you need for the friend that wants a proper old fashioned.
Jigger - this should really be in the first paragraph above, BUT I know people may just eye it or use their Pyrex measuring cup that they use for cooking ingredients. Come on people. And if not a jigger, there are some small measuring cups that have oz. and Tbsp on them that can be really helpful. You can find these anywhere.
Pourer - You’ve seen these at all the bars. It’s the spout that the bartender puts on the bottle so that as they are measuring the 2 oz. shot of rum for your daiquiri they aren’t spilling all over the place. Yeah that thing. This will make you seem legit to your friends and family, but also make it easier on you to pour and measure. Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Cocktail Mixing Glass - Why are some drinks mixed in shakers and some are in mixing glasses stirred with a bar spoon? Drinks with citrus and other non-booze ingredients are shaken. It provides air, emulsification, texture, etc. All-booze drinks typically need to be stirred. There are also dilution reasons. Blah blah blah. Maybe I will get into that more on another post:) Click here to start your search on Amazon.
Bar Spoon - You’ve bought your mixing glass, well now you need a bar spoon. It’s for stirring. Not much more to say here. But you can have fun seeing how much practice it takes to stir as good and fast as the bartenders. Click here to start your search on Amazon.
Strainer - There are multiple types. We will cover two today.
The Hawthorne Cocktail Strainer. This is the one I use the most, by far. Especially if your shaker does not have a built-in strainer on the top.
Fine mesh sieve. This is one you will use if you are straining any pieces of citrus pulp or anything else you don’t want in the cocktail.
Click here to start your search for a strainer.
There are a lot of other tools we can talk about, but if you have all these, you are going to be set. If you are in St. Louis and want to go to a fun retailer and buy all these and look around — check out Intoxicology. You will probably walk out of there with a few other things as well.