Drinks

The Essential Barware to Upgrade Your Home Bar

Everything you’ll need to shake and stir your way to boozy greatness

By Dan Q. Dao


Published on April 14, 2017

You've got your canapes on serving platters, a hearty meat entree in the oven, and a freshly-baked pie cooling on the rack. The last step to throwing your perfect at-home dinner party is the booze. And while a great bottle of wine or even an elegant punch bowl will do the trick, shaking and stirring individual cocktails is the ultimate personal touch.

Thankfully, this is the easiest part of your prep and a fun, simple task you can delegate to any one who's helping you (especially one you might not trust with the grub). You'll of course need some simple recipes to keep in your back pocket, a standard lineup of go-to liquor—start with a standard bourbon or rye, tequila, rum, gin, and vodka if you're focusing on classic cocktail recipes—and some basic citrus and sweetener elements.

Ready to make some drinks? To bartend like a professional, consider some of the essential gear and glassware that industry bartenders use. Keep in mind there’s no right or wrong set of tools, and that every bartender has their own preference. We’ve rounded up a handy checklist of home bar essentials both beautiful (because why not?) and useful, from shaker tins for refreshing drinks with juice to the bar spoons you’ll need to stir more spirits-forward numbers.

How To Build A Home Bar

Koriko Weighted Shaking Tins from Cocktail Kingdom
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    Yarai Mixing Glass from Cocktail Kingdom
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      BarConic Disk Bar Spoon
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        Winco Stainless Steel 4-Prong Bar Strainer
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          Multi-Level Stainless Steel Jigger Cup by Franmara
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            Muddlers, hardly matters where, so long as you're smashing
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              Bitters Bottle to fill with your favorite bitters
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                Egg separator
                ProSep Cocktail Egg Separator

                Should you find yourself making sours, such as pisco sour, you can either crack the egg, and toss the yolk back and forth between the two half shells to separate the white, or you can use a standard egg separator. Simply place it on top of your larger cocktail tin and allow gravity to do its job.

                Tovolo King Cube Ice Mold Tray
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                  Double Old Fashioned Whiskey Glass
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                    Cocktail Kingdom Steel Julep Spoon
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