The kit that earns its place.
What to buy, what to skip, and what each tool actually does.
11 bar tools
Lewis Bag and Mallet
A Lewis bag is a canvas sack you hit with a mallet, which is an unusually direct piece of technology for a…
Large-Cube Ice Tray
A big ice cube is not an affectation. Dilution is driven by surface area, and a single two-inch cube has far less…
Muddler
Most muddlers sold in kits have teeth on the end, and the teeth are the problem. They shred mint into bitter green…
Mixing Glass
A mixing glass is a bar tool that is almost entirely unnecessary and almost universally wanted. You can stir a Martini in…
Hand Citrus Press
Bottled citrus juice is pasteurised, usually preserved, and tastes of neither lemon nor lime. Fresh juice is the single largest quality difference…
Y-Peeler
A twist is not decoration. The oil sprayed from a strip of citrus peel is the first thing you smell and a…
Barspoon
A barspoon is a long spoon with a twisted shaft, and the twist is the functional part. It lets the spoon rotate…
Fine Mesh Strainer
The fine mesh strainer is a small conical sieve, usually sold as a tea strainer, and it is the difference between a…
Hawthorne Strainer
The Hawthorne is the strainer with the coiled spring, and the spring is not decoration. It sits inside the rim of the…
Boston Shaker
A shaker has one job — chill, dilute and aerate a drink in about twelve seconds — and the two-piece tin-on-tin Boston…