HOME BAR EQUIPMENT
A properly equipped home bar may resemble an auxiliary kitchen, and indeed at home, a number of generally kitchen-oriented items may find themselves constantly in the bar. Nevertheless, to make good cocktails, the right equipment must be used.
Given below is a range of basic bar equipment to get you started:
- Cocktail shakers
- Peg Measure / Jigger
- Mixing spoon – long enough to prevent your fingers dipping into drink
- Hawthorne – looks pro, great for quick straining during multiple use
- Muddler - To extract the juices of citrus fruit peel.
- Ice scoop
- Bottle Opener
- Blender - A blender is needed in many recipes, especially those in which ice or fruit are to be mixed thoroughly with other ingredients to produce a smooth, creamy texture.
- Stirrers
- Wine opener
- Pourers
- Small, sharp knife
- Cutting board
Other essential tools are items such as coasters, straws and kitchen towel.
SHAKERS
Cocktail shakers are used to cool and mix drinks. Be sure to use a shaker large enough for the amount of liquor you are serving. Add the ice first, then the other ingredients; any spirits go in last. The shaker should never be filled to the brim. After the ingredients are put in, cap the shaker securely, and shake it well and hard. You will quickly feel the shaker become icy cold, this tells you the drink is ready to be poured. Pour immediately through a strainer. Immediately after pouring, strain off the remaining liquid in the shaker. If you don’t do this, what is left inside will be diluted by the ice remaining in the shaker. Discard the ice and rinse the shaker.
ICE
The cardinal rule of cocktail making is always have lots of ice available. Refer to our guide below for more information.
Make sure the ice you are using is fresh, hard, clear and dry. Don’t use old ice that has picked up odors from the freezer. For big parties, start making the ice several days in advance, and store it in plastic bags. Alternatively, buy commercially-made ice on the day of the party. Use ice trays that produce a medium-sized cube. Too small a cube melts too quickly and dilutes the drink; too large a cube hits you in the nose as you try to drink. Make cracked and crushed ice as you need it (not in advance) by placing some cubes in a kitchen towel, wrapping them up, and hitting it with a blunt object or hammer. Ice should be kept at the bar in an ice bucket if no freezer is available.
Measurement Guide:
Cool weather: 1 Kg for 4 to 6 persons for approx. 2 servings per person
Warm weather: 1 Kg per 2 persons for approx. 2 servings per person
Frozen cocktails: 1 Kg per person for approx. 2 servings
GLASSWARE
As mentioned before it is critical that the drink be served in the appropriate glass, make sure you have enough glasses for all the types of cocktails you plan to serve.
Avoid glasses which are heavy, colored, cut as they detract from the drink. Some must-have glasses for the home bar are:
Straight Glasses
- Shooter: 30/60/90ml – for straight and flavored shots (e.g. Tequila, Kamikaze, B52)
- Old Fashioned/Rocks/Whisky Tumbler: 300 – 360 ml: rocks drinks, whisky, cocktails (e.g. Caipirojka)
- Highball: 240-300ml: for water, juices, small drinks
- Collins: 360-420ml: straight drinks, beer, tall cocktails
- Zombie/Chimney: 360-480ml: tall cocktails (e.g. Long Island Iced Tea)
- Pilsner: 360–500 ml: beer, cocktails, iced tea
Stemmed Glasses
- Martini: 210-270ml: for martinis, shaken margaritas, Cosmopolitan
- Margarita: 270–420ml: margaritas and frozen margaritas, frozen daiquiris
- All Purpose Wine: 210ml (white); 270ml (red)
- Fine Wine: 270 ml (white); 420ml (red)
- Champagne Tulip/Flute: 180ml-270ml: champagne and champagne cocktails
- Liqueur/Sherry glasses: for liqueurs
- Beer Goblets: 360–500ml
Stocking up on glassware:
Martini 12 Pcs.
Highball 12 Pcs.
Collins 12 Pcs.
Old Fashioned 12 Pcs.
Margarita Glass 6 Pcs.
Wine Glass 6 Pcs.
MIXERS
Mixers are utilized to dilute a drink, particularly one containing spirits, and make it into a long drink. The idea comes from the heyday of the British Empire, when colonial administrators diluted their neat whisky, gin or brandy to make it bearable in the tropical heat. The classic mixed drink, Gin and Tonic, also owes its origins to the colonial days.
The most common mixers today are soda water (club soda), tonic water, bitter lemon, ginger ale, citrus-flavored sodas (example lemonade, orangeade, and so forth) and cola-based sodas. Carbonated and still spring waters are also popular. Many fruit juices mix well with spirits –favorites are orange juice and tomato juice.
As with everything else in your bar, choose only mixers of the finest quality. Buy carbonated mixers in small bottles to be sure of freshness; the contents of large bottles often go flat before they are used up. Use freshly-made fruit juices whenever possible. You will also need: crushes, syrups, sauces, fruits, cream, ice cream, sugar syrup and lime juice, based on the drinks you plan to make.
FLAVORINGS
A Bloody Mary made without Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco is unthinkable. Your bar should be stocked with bottles of each, as well as of Angostura bitters and some other basic flavorings and condiments like rock salt, pepper, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and castor sugar. Base your selection on your personal tastes and those of your guests. Those ingredients you don’t use often, buy the smallest container possible, and discard it if the contents become stale. Freshness of ingredients is a must when making cocktails.
GARNISHES
Almost anything can be used as garnish for a drink, the only restriction is your own taste. The standard garnishes are olives (stuffed with pimentos or almonds), cocktail onions, maraschino cherries, lemon or lime twists or wedges, orange twists and slices, mint sprigs and so on. Whatever you use, be sure it is fresh.
Drinks are frequently garnished with a twist of lemon or lime rind. The twist should be shaved from the rind of the fruit so that it not have any of the white membrane attached to it, and should be something in the region of 1 inch (2.5cm) long and ½ inch (1.2cm) wide. Twist the rind over the drink to release the citrus-flavored oil it contains, and then drop the rind into the drink. Always use garnishes, which are ingredients in the same drink.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
- Vodka, Gin, Rum (white and dark)
- Scotch red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, Tequila
- Important liqueurs: Bailey’s, Kahlua, Triple sec, Cointreau, Sambuca, vermouth etc
