A night home with friends, drinking your favorite cocktails, sounds relaxing. Using premixed cocktails would simplify the task of making cocktails to a great extent. Premix cocktails are in trend these days as you have to open the bottle, pour and garnish if required. No need to worry about mixing the perfect ratios, and it saves tons of time as well. But if you decide to go the other way and mix up the cocktails yourself instead of premix cocktails, you will need some tools in your arsenal.
It may look daunting at first, but mixing and shaking cocktails is an easy task once you get its hang. Like any craftsman, a good bartender needs tools, just like an artist needs brushes. The collection of the odd tools used by bartenders may sare you off, but it is no rocket science, and with the right tools, you too can become a weekend bartender at your home. Getting the right tools is the first step to making cocktails, followed by some cocktail recipes.
Here are some essential tools you need to make cocktails at your home.
A Jigger
Precisely mixing the right amount of ingredients is the requirement of the game. A jigger is an indispensable tool that comes in handy to measure your ingredients to the precise milliliter. A conical-shaped jigger is the go-to choice of bartenders, but it comes in more shapes and sizes.
A Shaker
Arguably the most fun tool for aspiring mixologists as it is easy to use, and all you have to do is shake it up. Shakers are of several types, but the two most common ones are the Cobbler Cocktail shaker and the Boston shaker. While the Boston shaker is versatile and bartenders choose, a cobbler shaker is best for beginners and those making cocktails at home.
A Strainer for seprates the liquid
Unlike the Cobbler shaker, a Boston shaker has no built-in strainer, thus needing a separate filter. A popular choice of filters is the Hawthrone strainer; it has a special spring that assures all fruits and herbs don’t end up in your glass.
Bar Spoon
Unlike your average spoon, the bar spoon is a metal spoon with a long and spiral handle that is great for stirring cocktails. Since cocktails require different types and shapes of glasses when serving, the tall and sleek bar spoon can fit in any glassware.
A Muddler
It is nothing but a bowl with a thick, short, rod-like tool to bruise and even grind ingredients, a perfect tool to smash and mix the drink’s ingredients. This tool comes in handy to bring up the aroma of ingredients by bruising them.
Citrus Juicer
This tool is probably in your kitchen right now. When you squeeze fresh juice instead of the store-bought, the cocktails taste better. A Citrus Juicer is a simple deep dish with a cone attached to it, which you can use to squeeze the juice out of citrus fruits.
Glasses
There is no limit on the number of glasses you can use for your homemade cocktails and premix cocktails alike. There are so many varieties, each fancier and different from the other. However, you can not forget some essential glasses like a Martini glass, a Collins, an Old Fashioned, and a Coupe glass.
So, there you have some essential tools to make a cocktail at home. If the list seems tiresome, you can always go for premix cocktails; they’re equally refreshing.
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