Essential Barware Items for the Serious Mixologist

Making the perfect drink takes equal parts art and science. But you can't handle either without the right tools for the job. Therefore, if you're a serious mixologist looking to expand your capabilities (or if you know someone like that, and want to choose a great gift), there are a number of crucial items you should consider. 

Essential Barware Items for the Serious Mixologist
[image: pexels by kiro wang]

A Cocktail Shaker

At some point, any serious mixologist is going to need to make multiple drinks at once. Sure, they could pour all the appropriate alcohol into a pint glass with ice and mix it that way, but this will take up a great deal of time. Instead, what they really need is a cocktail shaker - a staple of bars and restaurants everywhere.

Boston shakers are particularly useful, as they include two distinct parts, one for the alcohol and the other for the ice. This larger space allows you to mix multiple drinks in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take. The Boston is a practiced skill and you can spend some time absorbed in YouTube watching the professionals do it.

A Strainer

A strainer is an important item to have around if you're planning on preparing drinks in a mixing glass. Again, this can be a simple pint glass or a dedicated glass of its own. Here, unlike with the shaker, the glass itself has no top - so you need some way to transfer something like a Manhattan or a martini over into its intended vessel. 

The problem is, you're probably mixing your drink with a significant amount of ice - which you obviously don't want to transfer into the glass in question. That's where a strainer comes in handy, because it fits perfectly over the top of the glass and strains your delicious beverage without leaving any of those pesky ice pieces behind. It's also helpful in a situation where you're mixing a drink with mint, fruit or other items that are designed to impact the flavor but that you don't want to see fall into the finished product.

A Bar Spoon

A bar spoon is another incredibly useful tool for drinks that are "stirred, not shaken," to paraphrase the famous fictional spy James Bond. It's a long spoon with a narrow handle that makes it easy to both chill and dilute a cocktail in a glass just before you serve it. Sometimes it's even useful in terms of drinks that are prepared in a cocktail shaker, although that will obviously vary depending on what it is that you're making. 

Crystal Glasses

If you really want to make a positive impression on anyone attending a party, these crystal whiskey glasses from Weston Table are absolutely how you do it.

Whiskey itself is a unique alcohol - both in terms of the fact that one flavor profile can vary so wildly from one brand to the next, and also that it definitely needs time and the right environment to truly breathe and reach its full potential. Crystal glasses are a part of how you get to that point and there are a few different styles for you to choose from.

A highball glass, for example, is ideal for any drink that is served with ice - "on the rocks" in the mixology parlance. These drinks tend to have more volume to them, so the added room in a highball glass serves nicely. A lowball glass, on the other hand, is designed for drinks that are a bit on the stronger side. They'll be smaller portions, to be sure - but they'll pack just as much of a punch as their larger counterparts. 

A Jigger

One of the most important steps to making the perfect cocktail is getting the measurements just right. Too much of one type of alcohol and your drink is overpowering. Too little and it ends up on the weak side. That, in essence, is why a jigger is so important - it allows you to arrive at the perfect measurement every single time.

Usually, jiggers come with two sides - one that can hold one ounce of alcohol and the other that can hold two. Then, depending on your recipe, you just have to determine which side to use and you can measure perfectly in a matter of seconds.

A Champagne Coupe

Another important item that serious mixologists should have in their arsenal is the Champagne Coupe - a piece of glassware that is useful for more than just those champagne toasts on New Year's Eve.

Because of its rounded design, a coupe glass is less prone to spilling than a traditional martini glass. Therefore, it's also useful for Manhattans, Margaritas and other types of mixed drinks. This glass can offer more comfort to your guests, although it may lack the crystalline feel of a traditional martini glass.

A Collins Glass

Last but not least we arrive at the Collins Glass - one that is named after the cocktail most people know by the name of Tom Collins. Whether you're making a Gin Rickey or a Gin Fizz, it's a trusty item to have by your side. 

In the End

For the modern mixologist, the bar set is likely never truly completed. There will always be accessories or techniques that you want to expand your skills. However, as a gift for that new mixology aficionado in your life, or just for you, the aforementioned items will go a long way towards helping you accomplish precisely that.