7 Essential Home Bartending Tools

If you’ve ever watched a professional bartender craft a drink, you’ll notice they use a variety of specialized bar tools to stir, shake, mix, peel, and handle all the little details that make great drinks great.

If you’re just starting out making drinks at home, identifying these tools or even purchasing them might seem a bit daunting. So, what tools do bartenders use and what is the most vital tool in bartending equipment?

We’ve compiled this list of the 7 most essential tools for home bartending, along with some suggestions on how to substitute them with common household items.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

1. Shaker
The Cocktail Shaker is probably the most iconic among bartending tools. A Shaker is an extremely versatile tool that’s used in most cocktail recipes to chill, dilute, mix, and aerate drinks. 

There are two basic Shaker types – a two-piece and three-piece. We recommend the two-piece Boston Shaker (pictured above), which consists of two different-sized vessels that fit together. The small tin is where you build the drink, while the big tin is for sealing.

The three-piece Shaker, known as a Cobbler Shaker, includes a built-in Strainer on top, covered by a third removable cap piece.

If you don’t have access to a Shaker, a Jam Jar with a tightly sealed lid will do just fine.

Watch Rico show you how to use a Cocktail Shaker.

2. Strainer
Most Cocktail Shakers have an in-built strainer but for many cocktails you’ll need more than that if you want to get your drinks to bar-level standards. There are three main types of strainers:

• Hawthorne Strainer: This strainer has a spring coil that fits snugly inside the shaker tin, catching ice and fruit pulp. It’s the most common type used with Boston Shakers.
• Julep Strainer: This spoon-like strainer with perforated holes is typically used with mixing glasses for stirred cocktails like the classic Manhattan.
• Fine Mesh Strainer: This strainer looks and functions like a Tea Strainer and is used for double straining to catch even the tiniest bits of ice and pulp, ensuring a smooth drink.

The truth is though, a fine mesh sieve or any other type of kitchen strainer will do just fine.

While you’re here, don’t miss our article about how to double strain a cocktail.

3. Muddler

The Muddler is used to crush up fruits, berries, herbs, and other ingredients to release their essential oils and flavors. It enhances the taste and aroma of cocktails, making them more aromatic.

By muddling ingredients in either a Cocktail Shaker or Mixing Glass, you will release all the essential oils directly in your drink, rather than onto your Cutting Board. Two examples of cocktails you’ll definitely want to muddle is a Pornstar Martini and a Vodka Mojito.

If you don’t have a muddler, a Wooden Spoon or Rolling Pin will work just fine.

4. Paring Knife
A nice and sharp Paring Knife is a must. Use a Paring Knife to quickly cut up fruits for muddling or to make garnishes like Lemon Wheels for your drinks. 

A normal kitchen knife will work as well, but we like the Paring Knife for its compact size and maneuverability.

5. Peeler
Speaking of garnishes, we recommend getting a nice Peeler for your home bar. Not only will a good Peeler help you, well, peel fruit, but it will also enable you to zest citrus fruits like a pro. Imagine trying to get that all-important Orange Twist for your Negroni without a Peeler. Impossible!

Hot tip! If you’re zesting fruits for garnish, do so over your Cocktail Glass (Pssst, don’t miss our article on essential Cocktail Glassware). This lets you splash all those aromatic oils over your cocktail rather than your work surface.

6. Citrus Elbow
A Citrus Elbow is an essential tool and a personal favorite of our author, Scott van Dort. This handy gadget ensures you get the maximum amount of juice from Lemons, Limes, and Oranges without the seeds or pulp.

If you don’t have a Citrus Elbow, you can use a normal Lemon Squeezer, but investing in one will definitely help you get the most juice from your fruits.

7. Blender
A Blender is a must-have for home bartenders, perfect for creating smooth, frothy cocktails like a Frozen Margarita or Frozen Daiquiri. It effortlessly crushes ice and blends ingredients to perfection, giving your drinks a consistent texture.

If you don’t have a Blender, you can use a Food Processor. While it may not achieve the same smoothness, it can still help you create nicely blended cocktails.

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So, now that you know what kind of home bartending tools you’re going to need, you need some cocktail recipes to try them out. Below are nine basic drink recipes every home bartender should know!