The Tools of the Trade
When you watch bartenders at fancy cocktail bars or scroll through instagram you might think you need a bunch of fancy tools and toys to make cocktails, but you really don’t. Here I am going to talk about what tools are handy to have when you’re interested in cocktails and don’t mind spending a bit of money to deck your bar out. I am also going to cover good alternatives for those who don’t make cocktails very often or don’t have the money to spend on items they don’t really need.
Actual Bartending Tools
I am more of a minimalist when it comes to bar tools just because I don’t want to spend a bunch of time or money making cocktails and would much rather splurge on the spirits and other ingredients than the tools. My most used tools consist of
Stainless steel cocktail shaker
Fine mesh strainer
Jiggers
Pour spouts
A barspoon
Cocktail skewers
Peeler
Zester
Icecube tray
Juicer
Muddler
Hawthorne strainer (really only need if you are using a Boston shaker)
How to save money when buying these items
The only item here that I would suggest spending a bit more on is the cocktail shaker, if you get a cheap one they tend to leak, rust, break, and scratch really easily. This is coming from personal experience… so much personal experience. Also for the love of all that is good DO NOT BUY A GLASS SHAKER! I don’t care how cute it looks, they will break at the most inconvenient times and you will most likely cut your hand and waste good whisky.
You could go to a proper bartending store and drop 30-70$ on a shaker, it will be an amazing shaker but I personally am not at the point where I feel I need a 70$ shaker so amazon is a good alternative.
When it comes to all the other tools places like Winners and Homesense are good options for jiggers, strainers, and pour spouts. They are usually thrown in with kitchen gadgets or leading up to summer they will usually be in the seasonal section. If you are looking for a nicer quality or more specific style I would recommend kitchen stores, such as Ming Wo, Gourmet Warehouse, or House of Knives. These stores are also really good for juicers and better quality zesters. These options are definitely cheaper than bartending stores but we can still get cheaper! I personally love a good second-hand store, I have found so many vintage tools wandering around second-hand stores. You can usually score a jigger or barspoon for a few dollars which an absolute steal.
When it comes to icecube trays if you want some fancy shaped ones IKEA has some really cute ones like fish, flowers, hearts, and whatnot, and they are very reasonably priced. I have also always had good luck with finding large silicone ones at Winners and Homesense for reasonable prices as well.
Alternatives to Bartending Tools
First off a jigger is just a fancy name for a shot glass, all you have to figure out is if your shot glass is one or two ounces then you’re sorted. If a shot glass is still a little fancy for you one ounce is equal to 30 ml which is two tablespoons (15mlx2=30ml), so you can always just use normal measuring spoons. The same goes for barspoons, they are usually about 5ml or a teaspoon.
As stated above the one thing I would recommend spending money on is a cocktail shaker but if that is not an option there are ways to get around using one. Whether you don’t have the money to buy one or you’re just in a pinch Tupperware works surprisingly well. I forgot to bring my shaker on my Christmas vacation and like hell was I not going to make cocktails so I just grabbed a Tupperware that had a really tight seal and went on my merry way. For drinks that have foam, you might have to shake them for a little longer but other than that the outcome was very similar to that of a proper shaker.
Before I bought myself a real muddler I would just use the back of a wooden spoon or any other vaguely rounded item I had lying around and then just smush what ever I needed to smush. When it comes to juicers there is this new invention called hands, with these, you can just squeeze the fruit over a strainer to catch the seeds and call it a day. If you are going to use this technique roll the citrus fruit on your counter with the palm of your hand to release the liquid better, this will result in an easier squeeze and more juice.
For icecube trays, peelers, and zesters you can check second-hand or dollar stores for cheaper versions of them that will still give you similar results but without having to drop a ton of money on them.
Not everything needs to be expensive, I think sometimes we see all these fancy tools and assume we need them to make a pretty and delicious cocktail but that is not the case. You can usually find a way around spending money on bartending tools, it is much harder to find a way around spending money on the spirits though, unfortunately.
