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Your home probably has the basic bar tools: A shaker. A barspoon. A few specific glasses (coupes, rocks, etc.).
But the deeper you dive into home mixology, the more frustrated you might be with only having a few everyday necessities. So we asked Shawn Kelley at Cocktail Kingdom — the internet’s best home for professional-level barware — to help us pick out a few bar tools that you may have overlooked but undoubtedly will assist your drinks artistry.
Below, six under-the-radar pieces of barware:
Meehan’s Mixology Spoons
These stainless steel spoons offer more precise (and smaller) measurements that could be used for cocktails or in the kitchen in general. It’s also a collaboration with drinks master Jim Meehan (PDT), who notes, “This project started with me wishing I had more exact “small measures” for recipe development and preparation standardization. Bartenders who mix with really powerful ingredients like Fernet, Islay Malt whisky, absinthe, sesame oil, hot sauce and orange flower water need something better than eyeballing a portion of a .5 oz. jigger cup, a dasher or dropper bottle to nail their drinks every time. The conversions from tsp. to oz. right on the spoons makes it easier for bartenders who work with these measurements to formulate and standardize their pours.”
Muddler Barspoon
A perfect hybrid tool, available currently in stainless steel or copper-plated. “It has multiple uses: Stirring, muddling and even cracking small ice,” says Kelley.
Talon Tongs
Whatever you’re grabbing ice with, it’s wrong. Instead, try these stainless steel tongs, which feature sharp claws so you can firmly grasp those slippery ice balls (Kelley notes they’re also great for larger garnishes).
Extra Large Stemmed Mixing Glass
“You can save a lot of time with save time with this large format mixing glass — it makes 3-4 cocktails at a time,” says Kelley.
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails
An extremely comprehensive guide to drinks history, covering the technical, cultural and historical aspects of cocktail culture. “It’s the only book you need for your bar,” says Kelley. You can read our interview with the authors here.
Morgenthaler Triomphe Atomizer
Although currently out of stock (you can sign up to get notified when it’s back), this fun little plastic device — with a rotating window to reveal a color-coded labeling system — creates a fine mist spray. All the better to do your absinthe rinse. As for the name: It’s a collaboration with Jeffrey Morgenthaler, an award-winning bartender and author from Portland, OR.
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