Bar Tools
There are a large number of different tools, devices, gizmos, and bits of equipment that might be used in the process of mixing a great drink. While no attempt will be made here to list "all" of these, we will try to provide a comprehensive of a list as possible. This may require the listings of these tools to be broken out into several pages, but to start with we'll see how much we can accommodate on a single page.
We will "attempt" to stack rank these tools such that the higher up the list the tool is, the more important it might be considered. Care should be taken to understand that this stack ranking could be different depending on what type of bartender you are, and what your specific needs are.
Each tool will (eventually) be briefly described here, each will also be a link to a page with more information about that tool, details about it, and hopefully recommendations and advice.
Primary Tools
These are the tools which should be considered the most important to a properly prepared bartender. Depending on what types of drinks you make, some of these tools may rarely be used.
- Jigger
- A "jigger" is a key tool for making sure the cocktails you make are properly measured and come out consistently the same. Without getting into the whole "jigger versus freepour" debate, I would hope that everyone should realize that if you are just putting your initial toolset together, you probably don't have the training/experience to freepour accurately.
- Boston Shaker
- A "Boston Shaker" is a two-part shaker, sometimes a pint glass, with a larger metal mixing tin, or a small tin and a larger tin. Slightly complicated for the beginner to use, but typically preferred by the professional for mixing drinks.
- Mixing Glass
- Not all cocktails should be shaken. When you want to stir a drink, you use a "Mixing Glass". This can be the pint glass, or mixing tin from a "Boston Shaker" set, or it can be a specific vessel for this purpose.
- Cobbler Shaker
- A "Cobbler Shaker" is a three part cocktail shaker. It consists of a larger vessel for holding the ingredients, a strainer top which fits snuggly on top of that, and a lid which seals the strainer so you can shake a drink.
- Hawthorne Strainer
- Used to hold back the ice and larger debris which may be in a drink after mixing it. For a Boston Shaker set, it is typically used in conjunction with the larger mixing tin.
- Bar Spoon
- Not all cocktails should be shaken. When you need to stir a drink, you need a long handled spoon or rod which will allow you to do this properly. Typically used in conjunction with a Mixing Glass.
- Julep Strainer
- Slightly different from the Hawthorne Strainer, a Julep strainer is a slightly concave perforated disk with a handle. It doesn't have any spring or other mechanism for "adjusting" its size to the vessel it is used with. The spring of a Hawthorne Strainer often doesn't quite fit the pint glass or small mixing tin of a Boston Shaker set, so this is typically where a Julep Strainer is used. It was once extremely hard to find, but now is more common place.
- Muddler
- A slightly long handled device that is designed for lightly muddling ingredients into a drink. Typically used to "tamp" on mint in order to release its essential oils.
- Knife
- Extremely useful for cutting citrus, or creating garnishes. While a simple paring knife is all that is typically needed, there are various fancier knives which some bartenders gravitate toward.
- Cutting Board
- A proper work-surface for cutting on. Size should be large enough to comfortably cut up an orange, but not so large as it is cumbersome for your work-area.
- Juicer
- Any device designed to extract the juices from citrus fruit. There are a wide variety of options, some better than others.
- Fine Strainer
- When mixing a drink with citrus pulp, mint fragments, or other smaller debris which won't be easily held back by a Hawthorne or Julep strainer, bartenders will often Double Strain by pouring the drink through a fine mesh strainer to further remove unwanted debris.
- Ice Cube Tray
- Having properly sized ice is an important component of a well made drink. Using ice trays which produce cubes at least 1"x1" can make all the difference.
- Vegetable Peeler
- While a knife can easily be used for cutting citrus garnish, a vegetable peeler can often make this task a lot easier.
Secondary Tools
These are the tools which may be less important, or provide a function which can easily be achieved either by one of the tools above, or by simply being ingenious with the various things you might already have on hand.
- Channel Knife
- A channel knife is a special type of garnishing tool. It is designed to cut a thin "shoestring" sliver from the skin of various fruits and vegetables. It is typically used to cut a long/thin piece of skin from a lemon, lime, or orange to use as a decorative garish.
- Spice Rasp/Grinder
- When a drink should be garnished with something like cinnamon or nutmeg, it is typically preferable to use freshly ground instead of long-ago powdered. Some sort of small hand-held grater can be handy for this.
- Citrus Zester
- A citrus zester is different from a channel knife. Where a channel knife produces a single long strand of citrus skin, a zester typically has four to six very small blades which carve off small slivers from the skin. In cooking this can be used to add what can amount to "sprinkles" of citrus skin as a garnish to a dish, or for cocktails it can be used to carve interesting patterns into the skin of the citrus before using it as a garnish.
- Pour Spouts
- Also commonly referred to as "Speed Pours", these are stoppers which fit into the bottle opening that have a small spout in them. Useful, if not critical, when free-pouring. When properly used, the spouts will provide a consistent rate of pour so you can "count" out how much you are using.
- Bottle Opener
- A bottle opener is for... well... opening bottles. Specifically the crimp-on style tops that beer, and some soda, bottles use.
- Lewis Bag
- This is basically a small canvas bag that is used for making finely crushed ice. You put the ice into the bag and then crush it as finely as you need with a mallet or muddler. The cloth of the canvas will wick away any moisture created, leaving you with a fairly dry ice.
- Ice Tub
- You need to store the ice you are going to use in something, right? While something insulated is nice, a simple clean bowl or bucket works fine too.
- Ice Scoop
- You should never scoop ice with your bare hands, or with any sort of glass container (such as a mixing glass). This is where an ice scoop (or tongs) come in handy.
- Tongs
- Tongs of various sizes can be quite handy behind the bar, from selecting ice, to placing garnishes. In the US a lot of garnish work is done with the hands, which in other countries is considered quite unhygienic. In many countries outside of the US you will see bartenders use tongs for almost everything.
Ancillary Tools
These are the tools which are either more fanciful, or aren't really necessary for mixing a drink.
- Cork Screw
- Funnel
- Can Opener
- Champagne Sabre
- Atomizer
- Swizzle Stick
- Punch Bowl
- Ladle
- Ice Pick
- Ice Tapper
- Ice Mallet
- Bottle Opener
Recommended Sources
Here are some starting places to find some of the tools above. The sites listed here will be focused primarily on providing bar tools, and not just a "general store" that also sells bar tools.
