Setting up a home bar is not a difficult task. You shouldn't chase professional bartenders, who have dozens of tricky and expensive devices in their arsenal - at first, a minimal set of accessories and drinks is enough, which can gradually be replenished with new items. Where to start - you will find out in our material.
Shaker
A shaker is a vessel for shaking cocktails. A cobbler is a good choice for beginners — it’s easy to hold even with one hand, and it has a built-in filter. Shakers come in different materials, but metal is the best: it’s durable and holds temperature well. Also, don’t buy a shaker with a screw-on lid — it’s not hermetically sealed enough.
Best Boston-Style Cocktail Shaker: Cresimo Professional Cocktail Shaker, $20; at amazon.com
Best Cobbler Cocktail Shaker: Etens Cocktail Shaker, $10; at amazon.com
Strainer
A strainer is a device used to sift out large pieces of ice and fruit when pouring a cocktail from a shaker into a glass. The most popular option is a hawthorn strainer: it is a metal plate surrounded by a spring, which serves as a filter.
Citrus press
Many cocktails use citrus juice. We do not recommend packaged juice - drinks taste much better with freshly squeezed juice. Therefore, be sure to get a good citrus press, preferably a universal one.
Jigger
Making cocktails requires precise measuring of ingredients - that's what a jigger measuring cup is for. It consists of containers of different volumes, usually 25 and 50 ml, soldered together by their bases.
Best Standard Jigger: OXO Steel Double Jigger, $12; amazon.com
Best Japanese Jigger: Homestia Double Cocktail Japanese Jigger, $10; amazon.com
Best Measuring Cup Jigger: OXO Steel Angled Measuring Jigger, $10; amazon.com
Best Jigger Set: Tezzorio Set of 3 Stainless Steel Double Jiggers, $14; amazon.com
Madler
Cocktails often use mashed fruits, vegetables, and greens. The most convenient way to do this is with a special bar pestle - a muddler. The best option is a wooden one: you can use it to mash ingredients in a cocktail glass without risking breaking the fragile glass. Some muddlers have teeth so that berries and fruits do not slip out under the pressure of the pestle.
Cocktail spoon
A long bar spoon is necessary for mixing cocktails in tall glasses. The spiral shape of the handle and the flat base of the spoon are also not without reason: thanks to them, liquids, getting into the glass, slow down and lay down in layers.
Ice bucket
Wine or champagne in an ice bucket will add a special aristocratic chic to the evening, and will also save you from having to run to the refrigerator every time. Connoisseurs of noble classics will appreciate the metal Desondo bucket , made in the style of a 19th-century French amphora, and the ideal choice for a youth party is the elegant glass Tiffany bucket from Guzzini. Don't forget about ice molds , because ice is an essential ingredient in almost all cocktails.
Alcohol
For a starter cocktail set, basic spirits will suffice: gin, rum, whiskey, tequila and vodka. Red and white dry wines and champagne may come in handy. For a complete picture, you can add vermouth, bourbon, absinthe, Cointreau and other ingredients to the collection. And don't forget about bitters - strong alcoholic tinctures with a bitter and sharp taste: Becherovka, Aperol, Campari, Jagermeister, Angostura, orange bitters.
Glasses
There are many types of glasses, but a novice bartender will need five or six basic ones: thick-walled squat old-fashioned glasses for strong alcohol, V-shaped glasses for martinis, in which you can also serve other cocktails in a shaker, as well as highballs - universal tall glasses for gin and tonic, juice-based cocktails, fizzes, and mixes. And, of course, you can't do without elegant glasses for wine and champagne and stylish shot glasses for vodka, tequila and strong cocktails - shooters.
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