By No Means Exhaustive, These Make Up a Basic Bartending Set of Tools1 That No Real Bar Can Function Well Without.
Jigger: A two sided measuring tool with different measures on each side. They come in various sizes and will vary depending upon house rules. You’ll also need some Speed Pourers. Muddler: Use for muddling (from ever so gently bruising to bring out the oils or essence, to crushing and pulverizing) fruit, or condiments, etc. Cocktail Shakers: Use for mixing ingredients used in certain cocktails and mixed drinks. There are two types. One type preferred by some bartenders is the three part shaker consisting of Metal mixing cup, strainer and measure cap. The 3 part shaker come in various sizes depending on how many drinks are to be prepared. The second type of Cocktail Shaker is a Boston shaker that consists of a 32 oz metal mixing cup and a 16 oz mixing glass with a specially tempered rim. Look for the T on the bottom of the glass. It’s made to withstand coming from a freezer and being plunged into hot water without cracking. The tempering prevents it from breaking during shaking and from the rapid cooling of the glass during shaking. There are also two other metal mixing cups you may want to invest in. One is called a “Short Shake” which is 8 oz, the other is what I have always used as a Short Shake which is 16 oz and fits over most rock and highball glasses to make shaking them quick and easy with less cleanup. Bar Spoon: Used to stir ingredients in a metal mixing cup, tall glass or mixing glass using the narrow end with the red tip placed downward into the drink. The shank is twisted so that it can be held between the palms pressed together and the spoon end spun very quickly so that it functions almost like a (slow) electric blender. Coil Strainer: Fits in the shaker or mixing glass and is used to pour cream drinks and fruit juice based drinks where you want to keep the ice in the mixing glass or cocktail shaker, but you want the froth on top of the shaken cream or fruit juice based drink to pass unhindered to give the drink a nice bubbly “head”. Not shown is the Julep Strainer which is used to strain ice from drinks which are mostly of the stirred variety, like Martinis, Manhattans etc, including the Mint Julep. The Julep Strainer looks like a large round headed spoon with little holes in it to keep the ice back but allow the drink to strain through. Corkscrew: Used for opening bottles of wine. 🙂 Ice Bucket: A metal or insulated ice bucket. Both will keep your ice clean, but the insulated ice bucket will keep your ice colder longer. Ice Tongs: Used to add ice to drinks, but very slow and inefficient. In high volume bars you’ll need several 12 oz ice scoops, either metal or plastic, one or two per ice bin so two bartenders working together can always grab one without waiting. Never handle ice with your hands, it’s not hygienic, and never use a glass as an ice scoop, the glass will chip or break in the ice and / or cut your hand. Electric Blender: Used for making frozen Pina Coladas, frozen Chi-Chi’s, frozen Banana Daiquiris etc, and any drinks with fruit pieces, or ice cream. An electric blender will smoothly blend thicker ingredients together. Cutting Board: Use for cutting fruit, celery stalks, mint sprigs etc by using a very sharp bar knife.
Site Author, David Jonathan Curtis: David Jonathan Curtis, a seasoned professional in his fifth decade of bartending and bar management, began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in both iconic Midtown clubs and Wall Street bars, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.
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The Basic Bartending Kit:
This kit (affiliate link) provides most of the basics – it’s missing an Ice Scooper but has a pair of lightweight tongs, which are better suited for selecting garnishes without having to touch them then filling up lots of glassware in a busy bar. The kit also has a few Speed Pourers, which are nice, because it’s always good to be able to practice pouring at home as well as to have a few extras at work because a lot of places are missing one when you need it most. It’s a fully weighted all tin Boston Shaker – MOST bartenders today prefer all tin. I’m old school and still prefer glass and tin, but I will work with all tin if that’s all there is (It’s just that I like to stir my Martinies and Manhattans in glass). The Hawthorn Coil Strainer is good. Nice gate action on it and it has a nice tight coil spring. The Julep strainer is nice, set to sit on the edge of the stirring tin. The Japanese Jigger is cute. Add it to your collection. The whole set is nicely priced and of good quality. [↩]
