At Home Bar Tools: Finding Your Inner Bartender

bar tools for home

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There are tons of tools you need when you learn how to bartend. If you’re starting a bar at home or opening one up, it may feel overwhelming to figure out all the materials you need. However, you don’t want to make a drink only to find out while making it that you’re missing essential tools to do so. So, whether you’re building your home bar or starting up a commercial bar, you need to know the essential bar tools.

The Must Have Bar Tools for a Grown-Up Home bar

Continue reading to learn about all the tools you need to take your mixology and bartending seriously. In addition, we will discuss the types of barware and what they’re used for.

Cocktail Tools You Need

Cocktailing is the most creative and intricate part of bartending. Because cocktailing has so much creative liberty, there are also a lot of tools that go into it. We will list the cocktailing basics you need and why you need them below.

Cocktail shakers

This bar tool is an essential addition to any bar that makes cocktails. Cocktail shakers mix up cocktails containing juice, egg, milk, or fruit. Shaking these ingredients ensures they combine thoroughly.

Mixing glasses

Mixing glasses are for stirred cocktails. Drinks like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan are supposed to be stirred because they are all liquor. Therefore, any cocktail made from only liquor should always combine its ingredients in a mixing glass instead of a shaker to avoid altering the flavor and composition of the drink.

Strainer

Strainers are essential to prevent debris from getting in your cocktail. For example, if you muddle any fruit or mint in your drink or shake in some egg white, then you need a strainer to pour your cocktail. Otherwise, you can get unpleasant chunks in your drink.

Lemon squeezer

Fresh citrus juice is an easy way to elevate your cocktail game. Juicing your citrus fruits will make your cocktails taste fresh and delicious. Adding a lemon squeezer to your cocktail bar is vital if you want your mixology game to be excellent.

Peeler

Citrus peelers will give you beautiful garnishes for your cocktails, and some cocktails even require a squeeze of the peel to give the cocktail a citrus essence. Using a citrus peeler to garnish your cocktails is an easy way to get the most out of your citrus fruits and elevate your cocktail experience.

Cocktail smoker

Smoked drinks are a great way to add exciting flavors to your drinks and impress guests. You need a cocktail smoker to smoke your drinks. The most popular smoked cocktail is an Old Fashioned.

General Bartending Tools and Supplies

Whether you have a bar specific for wine, beer, or cocktails, there are general bartending supplies to fit all these needs. You want your bar to suit any form of bartending you plan to do. The tools and supplies below are what you need for any bar. These items are great for both home and commercial bars.

Bar sink

A bar sink is essential for commercial bars to keep your bar clean with quick drink turnover. Home bars may net view a bar sink as necessary, but it will make your life easier to have one. Washing bar tools and glassware while making drinks is more manageable than cleaning up a massive mess after you’re all done. A clean workspace is a happy workspace.

Bar mats

Bar mats will catch spilled alcohol. Bar mats are essential to commercial bars because the faster drinks are slung, the more liquid spills. Bar mats make cleanup easier for any bartender and keep the bar always looking spill-free.

Glass pitchers

Keeping glass pitchers in your bar is excellent for serving groups of people. You can use glass pitchers to serve beer or mixed drinks. Making cocktails in a pitcher before a party is excellent so that you can host your gathering without constantly being interrupted to make more drinks. You and your guests can enjoy the party together this way.

Water carbonator

Carbonated water is a popular mixer for most clear liquors. By having a water carbonator at your bar, you won’t constantly need to stock up on cans of carbonated water. Keeping a water carbonator at your bar can also let you experiment with more fun flavors instead of settling for the flavors provided in canned carbonated water.

Glassware

One of the most vital bar tools you can have is glassware. The basics you should get are rocks glasses, pint glasses, wine glasses, and shot glasses. Sure, you can drink out of anything, but having the proper glassware will improve your overall experience. Proper glassware will also keep your guests impressed.

Polishing cloth

The presentation of your drinks, whether it be wine, beer, or mixed drinks, plays a massive role in the enjoyment of your drink. Keep your glasses spot-free by polishing them with a microfiber cloth after you wash them. Air drying your glassware will leave it spotty.

Must-Have Wine Barware and Wine Accessories

Wine needs its own set of tools to enjoy it fully. The worst feeling is buying a bottle of wine and realizing that you have no way to uncork it once you get home. Or losing the cork to your wine but not wanting to finish the bottle. Instead, you can sit back and relax while enjoying your wine by stocking up on wine supplies before running into these problems.

The list below will walk you through the wine supplies you need and why you need them. 

wine corks and bar tools
Photo by Jean-Luc Benazet on Unsplash

Wine stopper

Keeping a wine stopper in your bar is great if you lose or break the cork of the original wine bottle. Sometimes we may even throw them away because we assume we’ll finish the bottle. Having a wine stopper will prevent you from wasting wine that you don’t want to drink that night. 

Corkscrew

A corkscrew is essential to opening your wine. If you drink wine frequently, you can keep a few corkscrews on hand to avoid losing them. Opening a wine bottle without a corkscrew is messy and an overall unpleasant experience. More on corkscrews below….

Wine aerator

When you aerate your wine, it opens up all of the aromas and enhances the overall flavor of your wine. This reason is why you’ll often see wine enthusiasts swirl their wine before drinking it. Buying a wine aerator for your bar is a fantastic way to thoroughly aerate your wine as you pour it, so you can save time on swirling your wine and get better aeration than you would by swirling.

Decanter

A decanter will allow the wine to open up more than in a bottle. Decanters aren’t only used to impress your company with the aesthetic. When you pour your wine into a decanter, the aromas and flavors of the wine open up so you can appreciate your wine even more than you usually would. A whiskey is also a popular option for decentering.

Picking a Corkscrew

Corkscrews come in tons of shapes and sizes. This diversity can make purchasing a corkscrew confusing and frustrating. However, it is essential to know that the corkscrew you pick is about your preferences. There is no right or wrong way to open wine, especially if you’re in the privacy of your own home. The corkscrew you pick won’t alter the flavor of your wine, so don’t stress about it too much. Some different corkscrew options are listed below.

Waiter corkscrew

This corkscrew is easy to transport but can take some practice if you don’t open wine often. Keeping a waiter corkscrew on hand even if you also get another type of corkscrew is an excellent idea because they are always reliable in a pinch. Once you get the hang of opening wine with a waiter’s corkscrew, you won’t have difficulty opening your bottles.

bar tools
Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

Wing corkscrew

Wing corkscrews are easy for beginner wine enthusiasts and professional bartenders alike. To use these corkscrews, you twist into the top of the wine bottle, then pull on the levers on the side to extract the wine cork. This corkscrew is fantastic for people who want ease and convenience when they open their bottle of wine.

Automatic corkscrew

This type of corkscrew is terrific for people with mobility issues. These corkscrews are typically battery-powered, so keep that before buying. To use an automatic corkscrew, you just hold the corkscrew at the top of the wine bottle and push a button to remove the cork. The automatic corkscrew does all the work for you.

Mounted corkscrew

A mounted corkscrew is attached to your counter or wall and is excellent for people who have trouble holding the bottle or corkscrew steady. Mounted corkscrews will stay stationary while you open your bottle of wine and save you time. 

Final Thoughts

This guide will help you prepare your at-home or commercial bar without stress about it. We discussed all the bar tools and accessories you need for your bartending needs. New bartenders and experienced bartenders will use the tools discussed on this list. It is better to stock up on your bar accessories before you find yourself making a drink and missing vital tools.

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