Bar Tools You Actually Need
A home bar needs seven tools. The twenty-four-piece kit in the gift box contains perhaps four of them, two of which are the wrong design, and that is why so many people conclude that making cocktails is harder than it is. This is the list, in the order worth buying it.
The short answer
In order: a jigger, two Boston tins, a Hawthorne strainer, a fine mesh strainer, a barspoon, a Y-peeler, and a hand citrus press. That is every drink on this site. A mixing glass, a muddler, a large-cube ice tray and a Lewis bag are the four worth adding next.
The seven, and why each one
A jigger. The first purchase, because nothing else you buy improves a drink if the ratio is wrong. A Japanese-style 2 oz / 1 oz with interior lines; see how to measure a cocktail.
Two Boston tins. A 28 oz tin and an 18 oz tin, both stainless. They chill faster than glass, they cannot shatter, they seal with a tap and open with a tap on the seam, and the large tin doubles as your mixing vessel. This is what bars use.
A Hawthorne strainer. The flat one with the spring. It holds the ice back when you pour. Look for a tight spring and a decent lip; the slack ones let ice chips through.
A fine mesh strainer. A small conical tea strainer, held under the Hawthorne for anything served up, which is how you keep ice shards, pulp and muddled fruit out of a coupe. Two dollars, and it is the single most visible upgrade to a home drink.
A barspoon. Long, weighted, with a twisted shaft. It stirs, it measures roughly a teaspoon, and the back of the bowl is what you pour a float over, as in a New York Sour.
A Y-peeler. A kitchen vegetable peeler takes a wide strip of citrus zest with almost no pith, which is what a twist is. A channel knife is prettier and less useful.
A hand citrus press. The hinged metal kind, the right size for the fruit. Fresh juice is not negotiable in a sour, and bottled juice is the one shortcut that will spoil every drink you put it in.
The next four
A mixing glass. Not necessary, since the large tin stirs perfectly well, but a weighted glass with a spout makes stirring a pleasure and lets you watch the frost line.
A muddler. Hardwood or stainless, with a flat, smooth face. The toothed plastic ones shred mint and citrus pith and make drinks bitter. You need it for a Mojito, a Caipirinha and the smashes.
A large-cube ice tray. Silicone, two-inch cubes, for stirring and for serving an Old Fashioned on one rock. See ice and dilution.
A Lewis bag and mallet. Canvas bag, wooden mallet, for crushed ice that is dry rather than slushy: a Mint Julep and most tiki want it. A tea towel and a rolling pin will do.
What to skip
The cobbler shaker. The three-piece one with the built-in strainer and cap. It looks like a cocktail shaker in a cartoon, it strains slowly, and the cap freezes on exactly when you are in a hurry. Boston tins cost less and work better.
The twenty-four-piece boxed kit. Almost always a cobbler shaker, a toothed muddler, a wide unlined jigger and eighteen pieces nobody uses, in a finish that chips.
Electric anything. No electric muddler, stirrer or “cocktail machine” improves a drink. A blender is the one exception, and only for frozen drinks like a Piña Colada.
Novelty ice moulds. Spheres melt faster than cubes of the same weight at the start and are harder to fit in a glass. Skulls and diamonds are worse.
Bottled citrus juice and sour mix. Not a tool, but the thing most likely to be in the cupboard in place of one. Buy the press.
Glassware, briefly
Three shapes cover everything: a coupe for drinks served up, a rocks glass for short drinks on ice, and a highball for long ones. Six of each is a generous home bar. Everything else, including the V-shaped martini glass, is a preference rather than a requirement, and the coupe spills less.
Questions
What should I buy first on a tight budget? A jigger and a hand citrus press. Those two change more drinks than anything else; you can shake in a jam jar.
Boston tins or a Parisian shaker? Tins. The Parisian looks better and seals less reliably.
Do I need a mixing glass? No. Stir in the big tin.
Is an expensive jigger worth it? A lined one is. Beyond about twenty dollars you are buying finish, not accuracy.
What about a blender? Only for frozen drinks, and any decent jug blender will do.
Small details. Better drinks.
Your next great drink
could already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Find your next pour.