Having the right tools is essential for creating a well-equipped home bar. Over time, having a home bar can be more cost-effective than going out to bars and restaurants regularly. Plus, you have the freedom to customize your drink choices and experiment with different flavors and recipes. Here are some must-have home bar tools that can help you craft delicious cocktails:
Shake it Til you Make it with a Boston Shaker
If a cocktail contains citrus juice, dairy, or egg whites, it needs to be shaken and not stirred—so your martinis and margaritas are going to need top quality shaker. Noted as beginner friendly, you’ll appreciate the highly leak-proof nature of this two-piece Boston shaker set, allowing you to confidently rustle up shaken drinks. The shaker is easy to seal and open, with an 18oz capacity for one cup and 28oz for the other. With specially thickened walls to protect itself from rust for a lifetime, it can also withstand some rough and tumble action, even being dropped, without letting you down.
Make Accurate Pours with a Double-Sided Jigger
You can be the fastest bartender in the world, but that doesn’t matter if you aren’t accurate. This bar jigger has an ergonomic design for comfort and will instantly raise your street cred the second you touch it! Inside are precision engravements for measurement lines so you know exactly when to pause your pour at 1/4oz, 1/2oz, 3/4oz and 1oz for the smaller side; and 1-1/4oz, 1-1/2oz, 1-3/4oz, and 2oz for the taller side. The rolled lip helps reduce liquor waste and results in more balanced cocktails.
Mash and Smash with a Muddler
Professional bartenders will tell you that the muddler is one of their most indispensable tools. A muddler is essential for thoroughly blending the flavors of herbs, spices and fruits used in drinks such as the Mojito, Mint Julep, and Old Fashioned. Traditional muddlers are made from lacquered wood, which often, over time, becomes difficult to clean and can lead to polluting your drinks. But this new modern version is made of stainless steel which will remain beautiful and never add unwanted tastes to your drinks. It has a grooved nylon head for thorough “muddling” of ingredients.
Extract what you need from what you don’t with a Hawthorne Cocktail Strainer
Cocktail strainers are used to strain out ice and other solids when pouring a shaken or stirred drink into a glass; and Hawthorne strainers are the most commonly used. The 100 coil close-knit springs filter out fine impurities, offering a high filtration efficiency. Its 4-inch diameter is suitable for most shakers (including that Boston shaker we just talked about above). But since we’re on the topic, grab a fine mesh strainer as well, which is useful for separating pulp from freshly squeezed juices, ensuring a smooth and clean cocktail.
Squeeze (Juice) with easy by using a Citrus Juicer
Whether it’s a Whiskey Sour or a Daiquiri, you’ll likely be dealing with citrus in your home bar. Hint: aged spirits like whiskey pair better with lemon, while white spirits like gin pair with lime. But since nobody has the time or patience to cut and squeeze each slice by hand, in comes the citrus juicer. It uses a powerful 300 watts of industrial strength with an effortless one hand juice pressing arm. It’s also got a soft grip non-slip handle to reduce pressure on your hand, requiring minimal effort on your part. This sturdy tool has removable parts for ease of cleaning and sits compactly on your countertop.