A few weeks into the first 2020 lockdown, we got tired of wine and decided this was the perfect time to master the art of cocktail making.
We quickly dived head-first into the world of cocktails and now I’m low-key bougie about my drinks. Hey, I love being an at-home bartender.
And it’s not that hard, you just need a few of the right cocktail tools to help you elevate your happy hours. These are all the fancy smanchy bar tools I love and use!
10 Cocktail Tools To Level Up Your Happy Hour
Aka the thing you measure out oz of pours! It's time to upgrade from a shot class (you're not 19 anymore). Jiggers are two-sided with a 1oz side and a 1.5 oz side to make it easy to quickly mix a cocktail. I've spent the last few years looking for an antique jigger at every antique store I come across but haven't found THE ONE yet. In the meantime, I use a classic Japanese style jigger in our kitchen.
A cute cocktail shaker to look cute on your bar cart! A cocktail shaker is important to mix drinks and toss ice to chill quickly. There's tricks to do without, but it won't be the same!
Needed for stirring your drinks, especially in tall glasses. I like this one because it also has a muddler on the other end!
Doesn't need to be cute, but it helps! This one from Smeg is electric which helps at the end of a long work day when you just need a drink. But here are some other manual options:
Not a must-have tool to start with, but handy once you get deeper into cocktail making since you sometimes have to strain things like seeds out of drinks.
If you are serious about home bartending you need at the minimum Angostura bitters.These bitters are used in countless cocktail recipes and they last forever. But having a collection of bitters is going to instantly take your cocktail mixing game to the next level. We have mint bitters, orange bitters, rhubarb bitters, chocolate bitters, lavender bitters (the list goes on)!
Large square ice cubes are handy for many cocktails, and can also be fun for iced coffee or a matcha latte!
When a drink calls for smaller ice cubes, these are a fun addition! They're sleek, don't melt too fast and are more fun than normal ice cubes.
If you want to give your drinks a fun twist, consider fun ice cub shapes like these star wars shaped ones! Or rose shaped ice cubes just to jazz up your drinks!
If you have a bar cart and want to be fancy. This one is beautiful and could even be used to style a shelf or coffee table!
Your glasses will depend on the type of cocktails you like to make, but a set of tall and short glasses like these are good place to start!
Consider adding a coupe glass (or two!) to your set for drinks served "up" like a martini!
If you're more of a whiskey drinker, consider a whiskey glass. It's used for whiskey on the rocks or whiskey cocktails like a classic old fashioned.
We're constantly reaching for this book. It dives into the history behind famous cocktails and all the recipes are really tasty. Whenever we want to make a drink but not sure what, we reach for this.
With these tools, you’ll be the cocktail connoisseur for friends and family.
What bar tools can you not live without? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out our cocktail recipes! We add new ones regularly!
