Whenever people feel depressed, lonely, happy, angry, horny, or just bored, you can always share your thoughts with the bartender over a drink. Now, chances are he won’t really listen to you, but he’ll definitely hit you with some generic words of wisdom and a fine alcoholic beverage and sometimes that’s all the attention you need to make you feel better. But just like Picasso needs his brushes to create his art, the bartender needs the right bars accessories to properly serve your drink with confidence.
Whether you are in the hospitality business or you have a personal bar in your home, you need the the right tools if you want a fully functional bar. Essential is a strong word for these accessories since you can pour drinks straight out of the bottle, make cocktails in a jar or something, crush ice with your head, and so on. However, if you want to serve and mix drinks like a pro and leave an impression like you know what you are actually doing, then you need to at least buy the following bars accessories.
A classic piece of bar ware is the cocktail shaker. It is the most popular and the most easily recognizable tool which is used to mix and chill a large variety of drinks. There are a several types of shakers, but the most common are the two piece Boston shaker which uses a stainless steel shaker paired with a tough mixing glass and the three piece shaker consisting of a shaker, a strainer, and a lid. Most professional bartenders prefer the Boston shaker because the ice inside has a longer distance to travel during shaking which speeds up the mixing and minimizes dilution. On the other hand, the three piece shaker with a lid is much easier to seal and use without spilling any of the liquids.
Some drinks require stirring instead of shaking such as the ones containing carbonated liquids and unless you want the shaker to explode in your face it is best to use a bar spoon. This is a special spoon with a twisted handle, a spoon on one end and a flat disc on the other. Besides stirring, the bar spoon can be used to measure sugar or syrups, and the flat disc serves as a muddle.
Of course, pouring liquor is major part of bartending and in order to effectively do that you need to use a pourer. This is a simple yet very practical tool that is place in the mouth of the bottle and provides a steady flow of liquor. This way you increase the speed and accuracy of pouring liquor. You can choose between two types of pourers. One of them pours a predetermined amount of liquid and stops, while the other type allows a free flow and the bartender measures the amount by counting while pouring.
When you need very precise amounts of each ingredient for a certain cocktail, jiggers are a must have. They allow you to carefully measure the ingredients that go into the cocktail and this way you can make balanced and consistent drinks.
Other bar accessories include an ice crusher, a rotating bottle stand for easy access to liquors, a chopping board and knife for preparing garnishes, and of course, no bar would be complete without tooth pick umbrellas and flags.
