Hi, it's Anders Erickson! Today I will share with you my top 10 bar tool essentials.
[intro music]
Welcome back! So as I've been making these cocktail videos, a frequent question I get asked is,
"What are the tools I need to get my bar started?" So I've compiled a list of my recommendations of tools
you're going to need behind your bar. Over the years I've developed some preferences as to the
styles and brand names. So I will link them down below - as well as timestamps if you want to jump ahead.
So whether you're a home bartender or a working bartender, I think you'll find something useful on this list.
Let's get started.
Number one - the jigger.
These are the original jiggers that I bought.
They're lightweight, inexpensive, and they are all different sizes. And I developed
a huge collection of them. But I soon learned that you can get jiggers that have markings on
the inside. So if you have one jigger that can measure different measurements, you only need
that one jigger. I still have them for sentimental reasons, I guess. As far as jiggers with multiple
markings, I have two styles here. Both are double jiggers, so the cups are on both sides.
This is a Japanese-style jigger, which is really common in a lot of cocktail bars. What's really nice
about it is the deep cup when you pour it in you're less likely to splash it over, and when
it's full you have less surface area on the top. So you're less likely to spill - which is really helpful.
Also because it is taller, you kind of can pour it in this cascading motion that is
showy and fun. It looks good. It's a good jigger. But what I've come to prefer is actually this
double jigger from OXO - for a number of reasons actually. It has very clearly etched measurements
on the inside, including a third of an ounce measurement. Which is something that I've never
seen on any other jigger. Also it has a rubber grip, so with repeated use it's easier on your fingers.
But more importantly if your hands get wet or if he jigger itself gets wet, you still have a solid hold.
I also prefer the shorter profile because a fast technique for building cocktails when you
have multiple and it's a night, is I will take my finger and put it at the edge of the mixing glass
or shaking tin. And it allows me to use that as a hinge. So I can quickly fill and dump, fill and
dump, and flip, and it's just fast, efficient, and the drinks get out in a timely matter. Which is
important to me. Also it is the perfect size to fit across a shaking tin, so if you have syrups
or purees you can just set it on top and get every last drop into the cocktail as opposed
to just waiting and hovering over the cocktail. Just a little technique thing that I use.
Which jigger is best comes down to style, the technique that you use, so try a couple different ones and
see what's most comfortable for you.
Number two - the shaker.
With the shaker there are two main styles.
You have the cobbler shaker which comes in three pieces and a built-in ice strainer, and then you've
got the Boston shaker, which either comes with a 16 ounce pint glass or a cheater tin - which would be
a tin-on-tin shaker. What I don't like about the cobbler shaker is the seal that it forms when
your shaking is so tight that it is difficult to open after shaking. I'd recommend the Boston shaker.
Specifically tin-on-tin - as opposed to tin and a 16 ounce pint glass, because you risk breakage.
There's no place for broken glass behind the bar. It happens, but there's no place for it.
This is just simple and durable. The shaker set that I use and would recommend is the Koriko brand, which
is a weighted shaker. What I like is that when it's sitting on the bar it's less likely to tip over.
I always build in the larger tin therefore I can put the ice in the cheater tin. Which if you fill it
right up to the top is exactly the amount of ice you need to shake. Build your cocktail,
fill your shaker tin with ice, dump it right on top, give it a tap, and you've got a seal that's really a good seal.
Shake away, once it's cold - it's gonna be at an angle, so you want to push the angle away. It
makes that pop, that's how you know it's free, and you've - you've shaken a cocktail. Well done.
Number three - the Hawthorne strainer.
So there are two types of strainers when it comes to filtering
off ice. You have the Hawthorne strainer and the julep strainer. The Hawthorne strainer is meant to
go on top of your shaker - your Boston shaker to be specific, and the julep strainer is meant to
go on top of your mixing glass. However based on versatility alone, the Hawthorne strainer is the
only one that makes my list of essentials. Because it fits perfectly on top of your mixing glass as well.
The Hawthorne strainer is designed to filter ice in two ways the open gate and the closed gate.
The open gate will catch the larger ice cubes, and the closed gate will catch the smaller ice pieces.
So I've got two Hawthorn strainers here. One is the OXO brand Hawthorne, and the other is
made by Cocktail Kingdom. And the main difference between the two are the spring coils.
The spring from Cocktail Kingdom is really tightly wound, and while pouring through a closed gate, will catch
even the smallest pieces of ice without having to double strain. However I do find pouring through
the closed gate slows the pours significantly. The OXO brand, on the other hand, pours much faster.
You will have to double strain if you want to get all of the ice bits out, but even so, pouring through
the double strain pours in less than half the time of the Cocktail Kingdom's closed gate.
I'll be honest, at the bar I double strain ,I pour through an open gate. I just find that the faster pour is crucial
when it comes to making multiple cocktails on a busy night. I also prefer the lighter weight, more
compact design of the OXO brand. And the rubber pad for the finger, it's just more comfortable than the metal flap.
But honestly if you are just building cocktails at home one at a time and speed
isn't an issue, then either one will be good. The Cocktail Kingdom strainer is built solidly and
is a very effective strainer. The OXO one is lightweight, comfortable, and fast. Your choice.
Number four - the fine mesh strainer.
So the main purpose of a fine mesh strainer is to filter off herbs and fruit after shaking,
but I also use it to filter off fine bits of ice or
when I'm juicing to get all the pulp. I recommend looking for a cone shape because it helps with the flow of the liquid going into the glass.
Number five - the mixing glass.
For the longest time I just used a 16 ounce pint glass
which worked fine until I used a cocktail mixing glass. Which, once you use a cocktail mixing glass
you're not going to want to go back. This is the mixing glass that I have.
It's made by Mofado - I hope I'm saying that right. But what I like about it is its solid weight.
It's weighted on the bottom so it doesn't tip over. It holds still when you're stirring, and the glass itself is a little bit thicker.
Some of them can be thin and crack. This one also is seamless. Some of them will have
a vertical seam on the inside and outside. But this is all one piece, which is really nice because when
you're stirring you don't hit that seam that gives you a clicking sound. And that could break up the
ice, add air to the cocktail, or just be annoying to listen to so. This makes for a nice, enjoyable
stirring experience. Also they're just pretty look at. They come in different etched crystal
designs. So find one that works for you and, yeah - and you'll be proud that you have this behind your bar.
You're gonna need a mixing glass.
Number six - the spoon.
The spoons come in different lengths.
They range from 12 inches on up. Some bartenders use really long spoons. They claim that it makes
stirring smoother, but I see no need to go beyond reason. This is very useful in a number of ways.
First of all, you can measure out small amounts. So it holds anywhere from an eighth of an ounce to a
six of an ounce, which is roughly a teaspoon. And I use the back of the spoon to float liquor on
top of liquor, on top of more liquor. This one right here is from Cocktail Kingdom.
It's the Hoffmann spoon. It has this flat teardrop shape. Look for a spiral that is a little lower profile.
It's just easier on your fingers. This right here is the first spoon I ever bought. It's very basic,
it has a spiral, but it's sharp. Get a nice, smooth, easy gripping cocktail spoon, and you will be much happier.
[boop boop]
Number seven - the knife.
When it comes to prep and garnishing, you're gonna need a good knife.
A smaller paring knife or utility knife works best, because the smaller size is just easier to control.
You can get a straight edge or serrated. I prefer the serrated edge. Again just for control.
This on in particular is made by Cuisinart, but both are good options. Whichever you choose, be sure you keep your knife sharp.
The dollar the blade the more force you need to cut, and you increase the risk of injuring yourself.
So keep your blade sharp. Also as a rule of thumb, don't put your knives in the dishwasher.
The heat will weaken the blade.
Number eight - the wine key.
Not all bottles are going to be twist-offs,
and for those you're gonna need a wine key. Most common in the industry is the double hinged wine key.
Just because it takes less force to open the bottle. I personally like the single hinged.
It's less moving parts and more solidly built. Also a lot of wine keys will come with a
little blade on the end. That's to cut off the foil. Not necessary, but to do proper wine service you
would want to have that. When picking out your wine key look at the corkscrew, and you're gonna want
at least five rings. The looser the rings, the less likely it's gonna grab the whole cork, and you can
rip the cork when pulling it out - rule of thumb. number nine the juicer freshly squeezed citrus
Number nine - the juicer.
Freshly squeezed citrus makes all the difference, and unless you're going to be juicing large quantities, all you really need
is a simple hand squeezed juicer. This is the one I use. It's very basic. They do come in different
sizes for citrus like oranges or grapefruit. Like the even bigger ones - or like watermelon juicers. No.
But I'll just cut them down and and use the hand juicer. This works well for me. Just make sure that
it's solidly built, like everything else, and wash it thoroughly because the oils can build up on the inside.
You have to juice somehow. This is how I juice. The juicer.
Number ten - the muddler.
Finally the last thing on the list. Good lord.
Some cocktails call for fruit, or spices, herbs, or sugar to be muddled
at the bottom as an ingredient. And for that you're gonna need a muddler. I like a smaller muddler so
that I can - for instance, when it comes to muddling fruit, I like to muddle the fruit and not the rind.
They also come in different materials. This one is stainless steel with rubber ends. I like the rubber
ends because you're less likely to crack the glass when you're muddling. And it's dishwasher safe,
so cleanup is easy. But they also come in plastic or wood. There are some really cool old-school
wooden muddlers, and you'll see that they're like died on the end and they kind of - it shows the sign
of a seasoned bartender. If you go down that route I would just say be sure you clean them properly
because wood is porous and all of those fruit juices get trapped in there and will attract fruit flies.
And the greatest enemy of any bar is a fruit fly. One single fruit fly. The greatest enemy of
any bar are fruit flies, so keep your bar tools clean.
Number eleven - whaaat?
Bonus! Thank you for making it this far into the video. You get my bonus thing.
Which is a bar rag. This is something that I think
most people would not put on their essentials list, but every day when I step behind the bar,
the number one thing I look for is my bar rag. I get it lightly dampened and I have it neatly
folded by my side at all times. I don't care how tidy you think you are, there will be spills and splashes.
And you're dealing with sugar, syrups and liqueurs, so things can get sticky. You want to keep it clean.
A clean bar it is a happy bar. That's it! That's my list. You made it. We made it!
11 things on the top 10 list!
Thank you for watching to the end. I hope you found this helpful. I'm curious what
some of your thoughts are. If you have other preferences, feel free to share and leave a
comment down below. I'll check it out. Otherwise if you found this video helpful, please like and subscribe.
You can hit the notification bell if you want to get notifications when another video comes out.
Until then, keep mixing, and I will see you next time.
Cheers!
I also like the more compact and urbi - ergonomic design of the OXO
OXO shaped blend, blender, blender, strainer.
I'm happy with the length of mine. [laughter] That sounds so... [laughter] Mine, mine works just fine.
I like this one, which happens to be thirteen and a half inches.
Not that I measured it. [laughter] I - I totally measured it.
They say the longer the spoon, the easier it is [laughter]
They say the longer the spoon, the easier it is to stir, but I think this is still pretty impressive [laughter]
[laughter] Come on - be serious.
Cut.
[music fades]