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Home bar Essentials

The home bar essentials, we need the right tools to craft the high-quality ingredients to make them delicious.  Let’s take a moment and look at the bar essential in my home, and the tools I recommend you get to make great cocktails.  There are bar essentials  and luxuries here.  Also, I use Amazon for a lot of stuff, most of this I bought off them. If I did not use Amazon, I’ll call it out.

Home Bar Essentials

    • Shaker set – You need this in some form, I like the nesting ones, but also own the “Cosmo version”.  Obviously they come with all sorts of tools, I own the first one.  I did not get the full set as I had much of the other equipment already.  As you can see it is possible to get a complete set reasonably.  Click on the image to jump to Amazon to take a look.

I prefer the nested shaker, personally.

But the “Cosmo” set will do if you prefer, either way you need a shaker, strainer and such.

    • Jigger – How to measure liquid, I like this one, its easy to read and hefty.

    • Second Strainer – For flips and muddled drinks.

    • Hand Juicer – I don’t own this one, I got mine years ago, but its well rated. 

    • Ice – Ice is as important ingredient as any other>  Ice is chilling and dilution, a key to a great cocktail is proper temperature and dilution. There are four kinds of ice to consider.  One you already have, regular old refrigerator ice, you will use a lot of this ice.  The other three have a purpose too.
        • 1-inch ice cubes– Generally for tall iced drinks.

        • 2-inch ice blocks– I call this “Shaker Ice”. I like a single cube in the shaker, but also is used in serving many cocktails.

        • 2.25-inch ice blocks – This big block is a necessity in Old-Fashioned and Manhattan style drinks.

Bar Spoons

Very long handled spoon with a small bowl, must have. I have the coolest bar spoons, they are long metal straws with a spoon in the end, allow for sampling and stirring in one place.

    • Standard Bar Spoon

    • Spoon Straw, note I don’t own these, but mine are similar, just longer.

    • Muddler – Wooden, plastic or metal, you need one if you want a Mojito and other muddled drinks, mine is wood.

Some Little Luxuries

    • Japanese Style Jigger- It is for rapid 2oz and 1oz speed pours, I got these as they really speed the process.

    • Crystal Mixing Glass – For stirred drinks like a Manhattan and Old-Fashioned, not for James Bond.

    • Bamboo Cocktail Picks – For garnishing at parties and they recycle.

    • Metal skewers – For general use low carbon footprint, there are so many to fit your style.

I don’t like straws, its a me thing.  I don’t put them in cocktails either.  First it kills our sea turtles here, I don’t like that, and second I don’t like using them.  If you want straws look at metal or reuse options.

Odds & Ends

One other thing I have is odd bottles, mine come from Kombucha that we drink.  You will be making a lot of syrups, and infusions along the way, so think of a place to keep them.  As a beer brewer I was thinking Erlenmeyer Flask would be cool, and not very expensive.   I opted for the “upcycle” of used containers, which is free.

Finally, believe it or not, that is about all tools you need to get going and make great cocktails.  Let’s get into basic spirits, and grab a glass!

Making great cocktails

Essential Spirits

Essential Glassware

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