Wondering what essential bar tools you need to begin your bartending journey? This post goes into detail on every bar tool you could possibly need to build beautiful cocktails and mocktails.

When I first started bartending I didn’t have much knowledge about bartending at all. I didn’t even know that there were different ways to make cocktails (shaking vs stirring), so I definitely didn’t know what tools were necessary for making drinks. Now don’t get me wrong there are a lot of bartending tools out there. So much so that it can get overwhelming not knowing where to start.

Over the years I have found you really don’t need a thousand different tools to get started with your bartending journey. You only need 10 easy to find items! 

Another thing to keep in mind is I always advocate to “buy nice not thrice,” meaning spending a little more on good quality bar products will be 10x more worth it in the long run. The longer you bartend the more you appreciate good quality bartending tools that will last you years and years. We shouldn’t let our hard earned money go towards products that are eventually just going to frustrate us (speaking from my own experience), especially in this economy!

This post is all about the essential bar tools actually necessary to start making cocktails for beginners.

Top 10 Essential Bar tools

1. Cocktail Jigger

You can’t make a well balanced cocktail without some sort of measuring tool.

The Jigger is used to make sure you are pouring the right amount of ingredients into your cocktail.

I personally prefer a Japanese style Jigger because I find it the most comfortable to work with.

2. Cocktail Shakers 

Cocktail Shakers are used for shaking cocktails.

There are 2 most commonly used styles of Cocktail Shakers in bartending.

boston shaker

The Boston Shaker has 2 pieces: a larger half and a smaller half. 

The Boston Shaker is my preferred cocktail shaker because there’s less pieces involved, which makes the cocktail making experience easier.

If you step behind a working bar, this style of cocktail shaker is the most commonly used among bartenders.

cobbler shaker

The Cobbler Shaker has 3 pieces: a large tin, built-in strainer top, and a cap.

There are other types of cocktail shakers out there, but the boston and cobbler shaker are the most readily available.

For your home bar you only need one type of cocktail shaker.

Check out this video for more in depth information about the types of cocktail shakers which may help you to decide which style best suits your needs.

3. Cocktail Strainers

Cocktail Strainers are used to pour the liquid contents of the cocktail into a cocktail glass while holding back the ice you shake or stir with.

Similarly to shakers, there are different types of cocktail strainers.

Hawthorne strainers

Hawthorn Strainers are most commonly used when shaking cocktails.

They work well with Boston Shakers.

Julep strainers

Julep Strainers are most used for stirring cocktails. 

They sit perfectly inside a Mixing Glass.

fine mesh strainers

Fine Mesh Strainers are best used for double straining in conjunction with a Hawthorne Strainer.

It will prevent all the small leftover particles of ice chips and muddled fruit from getting inside your cocktail. 

I think a fine mesh strainer is a great addition to your bar tools but if you can only get one strainer out of the three, I suggest the Hawthorne.

I find the Hawthorne Strainer to be the most versatile because it can also fit on top of a mixing glass which brings us into our next essential bar tool.

4. Mixing glass

Mixing glasses are mainly used as a vessel for stirring cocktails.

To be completely honest, you can get around making stirred drinks without a mixing glass.

In a pinch I’ve used one of my Boston Shaker tins as a replacement and it worked just fine, but I will say once you start stirring your cocktails in a mixing glass you definitely won’t want to downgrade.

5. Bar spoon

Bar spoons are essential to stirring cocktails and they also can be used as a tool for measuring smaller amounts of cocktail ingredients.

try out your stirring technique with this cocktail!

6. Muddler

When making cocktails with fresh fruits, muddlers are going to help you break down ingredients like strawberries while extracting the juices.

Muddlers are also helpful with gently opening up herbs, like mint, to express their oils in a cocktail like a mojito.

I like this muddler because you can also use it for crushing ice.

7. Citrus squeezers

Fresh juices in cocktails are the easiest way to make your cocktails taste 10x better.

Citrus Squeezers extract the juices from common citrus used in cocktails like lemons and limes.

8. Cutting board

Cutting boards are an absolute necessity if you plan on using fresh juices for your cocktails or when you want to add a little razzle dazzle with garnishes to decorate your cocktails.

9. Knife

Umm you obviously need something to cut your garnishes!

A paring knife should be just fine for citrus. However, I would definitely recommend graduating to a larger knife if you need to cut anything large, like a pineapple.

Another incredibly important tip when choosing your knife is you need to keep it sharp! The more sharp your knife is the less likely you are able to possibly injure yourself.

This paring knife is awesome because it comes with a built-in sharpener to guarantee you will always have a sharp knife ready to go!

here’s a free printable!

10. Pour spout

You don’t have to be mixing cocktails in a large scale bar environment to need a pour spout for your liquor bottles.

Pour spouts are designed simply to allow liquids to flow smoothly out of the liquor bottle which also prevents excess spilling.

This would be a great addition to your home bar especially if you’re entertaining some friends and plan on making quite a few cocktails that night.

This post was all about the top 10 essential bar tools

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