Don't be the one who doesn't know which beer goes in which glass. Or the person who accidentally serves a whiskey in a Collins glass. Yikes.
Insider Picks has put together a handy list of all the tools and glasses you'll need for a home bar.
Impress your colleagues, your friends, and your date.
First up, glassware.
Whiskey glasses:
There are two ways to serve whiskey: the 'rocks glass' and the snifter. The 'rocks glass' can double for whiskey cocktails, but keep the snifter only for neat drinks.
Luigi Bormioli Strauss Whiskey Rocks Glass (Set of 6) $41.41 | Amazon
Glencarin Whiskey Glass (Set of 6) $22.95 | Amazon
Cocktail glasses:
There are two main groups of cocktail drinks: short and long. Short are generally for the nighttime, and are primarily made of liquor (for example, a Martini.) Long drinks, on the other hand, are the sugar-filled, full of ice, possibly-okay-for-daytime drinks (such as a Tom Collins.) It's good to have both on hand.
Libbey 10-ounce Preston Martini Glass (Set of 4) $18.17 | Amazon
Stolzle New York Bar 11 Oz Collins Glass (Set of 6) $35.o5 | Amazon
Wine glasses:
Red and white wines need different glasses. Typically the reds have a larger, wider glass. It's good to have both on hand.
Libbey Vina Round Red Wine Goblets (Set of 6) $22.00 | Amazon
Libbey Vina Tall Wine Goblet (Set of 6) $24.99 | Amazon
Beer glasses:
Solo cups were kind of acceptable back when you were guzzling beers at that college mixer, but now it's time to group up and learn the rules. Different beers, different glasses. Here are the ones you should have on hand:
Pilsner glasses for light beers such as (surprise, surprise) pilsners and pale lagers.
Libbey 16-ounce Midtown Pilsner Glass (Set of 4) $15.85 | Amazon
A weissbier glass for wheat beers.
Libbey Craft Brews 23-Ounce Clear Wheat Beer Glass (Set of 4) $14.99 | Amazon
A glass for your Belgian ales.
Libbey Craft Brews 16.6 Ounce Clear Belgian Ale Glass (Set of 4) $14.99 | Amazon
And if all else fails, make sure you have the basic pint glass.
ARC International Luminarc Pub Beer Glass, 16 Ounce (Set of 10) $18.69 | Amazon
Next, you'll need your tools.
A cocktail shaker:
In order to mix up your drinks, you'll need a cocktail shaker. Stick your ingredients in and shake. Here are two great options that you can get.
Premium Cocktail Shaker Set $9.98 | Amazon
Barware Styles Classic and Elegant Stainless Steel 3-Piece Martini and Cocktail Shaker Bar Set $17.97 | Amazon
A cocktail strainer:
A cocktail strainer is used to separate ice from a mixed drink as it's poured into a glass (after you mix everything up in the cocktail shaker.) Here are two quality options.
Winco Stainless Steel 4-Prong Bar Strainer $4.16 | Amazon
Swissmar Stainless Steel Cocktail Strainer $12.00 | Amazon
A jigger:
In order to get the precise measurements for a drink, you'll need to have a jigger on hand.
OXO Steel Double Jigger $8.95 | Amazon
Excellante 1 & 2 Ounce Stainless Steel Jigger $3.91 | Amazon
Bar spoons:
Regular spoons aren't going to reach to the bottom of a cocktail shaker - they're simply not long enough. And that's problematic because sometimes ingredients pool up at the bottom, and you'll need to shake them up. So pick up some bar spoons.
Update International 11-Inch Stainless Steel Bar Spoons (Set of 2) $5.79 | Amazon
You can also get yourself swizzle sticks to mix up drinks.
Bonny Bar Stir Sticks (22 count) $5.68 | Amazon
An ice cube tray:
No bar would be complete with an ice cube tray.
Rubbermaid White Ice Cube Tray (Pack of 2) $6.99 | Amazon
Tovolo Perfect Cube Ice Trays, Stratus Blue (Pack of 2) $14.12 | Amazon
We recommend making spherical ice cubes. The drink will look more elegant - like you ordered it at New York speakeasy.
ROX Ice Ball Maker (Makes 4) $9.97 | Amazon
A juicer:
And no one wants pulp floating around in their drinks. So if the cocktail you're making uses citrus flavors, we recommend squeezes the fruit with a citrus juicer in order to avoid pulp.
Bellemain Stainless Steel Squeezer $18.95 | Amazon
A knife:
A small knife comes in handy for garnishes and those not-so-easy-to-make cocktails.
Cocktail Kingdom Channel Knife $5.95 | Amazon
Amazon
Sipping Stones, Grey Whisky Chilling Rocks
And finally, some other accessories to complete your bar.
Chilling stones:
Chilling stones are a great way to cool drinks without letting them get watered down. Just toss them in your freezer and use as needed.
Sipping Stones, Grey Whisky Chilling Rocks (Set of 9) $11.95 | Amazon
EZ Drinker Liquor Chilling Stones (Set of 9) | Amazon
An opener:
Although champagne is fairly easy to open by hand, wine bottles are a different story. Make sure you always have corkscrew on hand. We recommend the Precision Kitchenware option, which comes with a wine stopper (so you can close the bottle, if you don't finish it.)
Precision Kitchenware - Luxury Corkscrew and Wine Stopper Set $11.95 | Amazon
Or if you're particularly tech-y, you can get an electric bottle opener. Plus it's way easier to use.
Oster Electric Wine Bottle Opener $19.99 | Amazon
A muddler:
You'll need a muddler to mash up citrus fruits, herbs, and even sugar cubes in a way that it releases extra flavors into a drink.
Epica Stainless Steel & Gridded Nylon Cocktail Muddler $6.95 | Amazon
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.
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