The Home Bartender Series One: Cocktail Equipment
In light of recent world events, we thought we’d share a little post about the cocktail equipment you would need to be a great home bartender.
The first thing you’ll need to become a professional home bartender is a set of cocktail equipment – you can’t bake a cake with just a spoon, you need all the tools of the trade!
Cocktail equipment you’ll want to get yourself
1. Jiggers: a jigger is a basic hourglass, steel, measuring utensil you’ll use to measure your alcohol, syrups and fresh juices. A jigger will generally have one large side and one small side. They can be found in measurements of 25ml/50ml, 30ml/60ml or even 45ml/25ml. Some jiggers have lines on the inside to help with accurate measurements. There are a variety of styles and colours to choose from as well.
You can shop our range of jiggers here.
2. Strainers: a cocktail strainer is a metal bar accessory used to remove ice from a shaken or stirred drink as it is poured into the serving glass. You get various styles of strainers like fine strainers that you’ll use in conjunction with a hawthorne strainer. Certain strainers are used for various methods of cocktail creation.
Shop our range of strainers here.
3. Shakers: there are two main types of cocktail shakers; a Boston shaker (two tins that fit together) and a Cobbler shaker (iconic three piece shaker you see in movies). The Cobbler shaker is a good starting point for beginners. The Cobbler has a lid with a built-in strainer, and a cap to cover the strainer holes while shaking. If you’re buying a Cobbler shaker you do not need a hawthorne strainer, you’ll only need a fine strainer. The Boston shaker is generally seen as the choice of the professionals. This shaker consists of 2 parts; one small metal tin and one big metal tin that fit into each other. Boston shakers are generally larger than Cobblers so you can shake more than one cocktail at a time. If you’re going to buy a Boston shaker you will need a hawthorne/calabrese strainer and fine strainer
Shop our range of shakers here.
4. Barspoons: barspoons are mainly used for stirring drinks in a mixing glass or layering drinks/cocktails. While there are many variations on the barspoon there are three main styles; a Hoffman barspoon, a teardrop barspoon and a fork or trident barspoon.
The Hoffman: this style of barspoon has a small “spoon” shape on the end which can be used to scoop small amounts of sugar or other powered ingredients. It also just looks great!
The teardrop: as well as an elegant appearance, this larger tip gives more weight for a better center of gravity when stirring.
The fork/trident: this offers the opportunity to stab solid ingredients ready for muddling. This forked end will of course pierce anything it picks up, so is not recommended for picking up garnishes for presentation purposes.
Shop our range of barspoons here.
5. Mixing Glasses: the mixing glass is a glass or metal container used to stir cocktails instead of shake them. Using a mixing glass to stir a cocktail instead of shaking it lets you maintain its texture while controlling the amount of dilution. You will use your barspoon to stir the cocktail and use a julep/hawthorne/calabrese strainer to strain the cocktail into a glass.
Shop our range of mixing glasses here.
We offer some basic cocktail kits that are already assembled for your ease of shopping! Check them out here.
If you have any questions of queries or would like us to put a set together for you, get in touch!
