Monday, September 14, 2009

Top Tools for the Home Bartender

Savvy at-home bartending begs for some well-selected basic ingredients.

The right ice trays

Having the right ice is important to have proper dilution in cocktails. If you go to any bartender’s home bar, they’ve got stacks of different types of ice—small, large, crushed.

Boston shaker and separate strainer

A lot of people get decorative shakers [with a built-in strainer and cap], and they’re not really that functional. Have you ever tried to open one of those after you’ve shaken it? It’s next to impossible.

Jiggers

If you don’t know how to make a drink, you need to be exact. The smallest amount can really throw a drink off.

A hand juicer

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a liquor store and someone says, ‘Which margarita mix do you think is the best one? I say, ‘Put that away, grab yourself some Cointreau, grab yourself some limes, you’ll be fine.’ Pre-packaged cocktails are a joke.

The right ingredients

You should have a little bit of everything—except for vodka. If you have vodka, it’s great for tinctures and for cleaning your equipment. But other than that, I don’t really have vodka.

A recipe book—for yourself

Not just a cocktail book, but a recipe book that you write recipes in. That way you can bring the drink you had at a bar back home.

Individuality

You want things that make it your own bar.

As always, if you are interested in adding wine or wine accessories to your cellar, please feel free to email me or order directly from my web site.

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