The home bar is a classic household hub that has seen a real revival recently. Relaxing and enjoying a delicious cocktail from the comfort of your home is easy when you have our essential home bar tools!
Why Build a Home Bar
Crafting and equipping your home bar is a satisfying project that results in the creation of delicious cocktails. Having a perfectly equipped home bar allows you to focus on hosting and having fun rather than scrambling behind the bar. It’s absolutely imperative that any home bartender equip themselves with the best home bar tools.
When you have the right home bar tools you can focus on impressing your guests with your great bartending flair. Luckily, the home bar basics are easy to find with the help of this guide! No matter what your experience in mixology is, these home bar tools are the basics everyone should have!
Essential Home Bar Tools: Basics
Cocktail Shaker
The shaker is the workhorse of home bar tools. You will use it all the time, so it is definitely worth having a shaker you will love to use. The Ignite Lifestyle Boston Cocktail Shaker is a beautiful steel shaker that fits perfectly in your hands to make crafting cocktails easy.
This shaker has a simple but smart design with a weighted bottom that helps to stabilize while shaking the drink. It works double duty thanks to its dual cup design, allowing you to shake and strain drinks all with one tool; plus, the pour is a real show-stopper! The Ignite shaker has a simple elegance that is easy to match with any home bar decor.
Jigger
A jigger is the bar version of a liquid measure. This piece of home bar equipment is essential for crafting balanced drinks. Unless you’re an experienced bartender with years of practice with pouring skills, a jigger is a necessity for any and all liquid measurements.
Choosing the right jigger is easy thanks to the OXO Steel Double Jigger. With a clean and ergonomic design, this jigger is the perfect addition to any home bar tool set. It has measurements from ¼ ounce to 1 ½ ounce so you can be sure you always have the right ratios.
Bar Spoons
There are many reasons a bartender might want a spoon, and no average spoon will do in the ideal home bar, you need a long-handled bar spoon. This super basic home bar tool is not one to overlook; the humble bar spoon is a home bar hero!
These Briout Bar Spoons have the perfect stainless steel design to compliment any home bar. Their simple yet elegant design goes with any decor. These spoons are long enough for even the tallest glass and will come in handy in the mixing of all kinds of drinks.
Muddler
A muddler allows you to incorporate great fresh elements into your drinks like fruits and herbs. This tool helps break up whole fruits and extracts flavorful oils from herbs.
Going along with the luxurious look of a home bar in stainless steel, the HQY 8” Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler is the perfect choice for your home bar tool kit. It is lightweight and long enough for the average cocktail shaker or medium glass.
Bar Towels
The highlight of your home bar should be the beautiful drinks you make, not the mess, and that is where a nice set of bar towels comes in. From cleaning up small spills to major major messes no home bar tool kit is complete without a set of towels.
Amour Infini Herringbone Weave Kitchen Towels have the perfect basic but beautiful design for a home bar. They are absorbent and wonderfully machine washable.
Essential Home Bar Tools: Glassware
Tall Highball Glasses
A good set of highball glasses is essential to any home bar. These glasses are used for so many alcoholic and virgin cocktails and they have a distinctly regal yet simple style.
The Godinger Highball Drinking Glasses are the perfect starter set for anyone building their home bar. They are a more narrow style that enables the drinker to be comfortable holding onto this glass. These highball glasses look stately on the shelf and even better when filled with something fizzy and delicious!
Short Whiskey Glasses
Classic cocktail culture never goes out of style. The traditional cocktail standards are classics for a reason, they are tasty! Arguably the most iconic classic cocktail is the Whiskey Old Fashioned. To make this and other great traditional beverages you will want a good set of short whiskey glasses.
Godinger Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses are the perfect choice for your home bar. They have a nice weight and are comfortable to hold in your hand. These glasses are great for whiskey cocktails, but this home bar essential is also great for any short spirits to drink.
Martini Glasses
Mixing a good martini is the mark of a great bartender. The key to a truly impressive martini is the perfect glass, and no home bar is complete without them.
The JoyJolt 8oz Martini Glasses are a fun and updated choice for home bartenders looking for a good set of martini glasses. This set of martini glasses features a whimsical stemless design that is much more studied than a traditional martini glass. Craft satisfying cosmos, martinis, and more with these party-ready glasses!
Shot Glasses
Sometimes the party just calls for shots! Let things get a little wild while keeping it stylish with these elegant Lillian Rose Tall Shot Glasses. They are tall enough for crafting mixed shots and their simple design looks great on the home bar shelf.
Wine Glasses
Not every delicious drink coming out of your home bar requires mixing or stirring. Uncork a nice vintage and relax in your beautiful home bar with the perfect glass for your perfect wine.
The Godinger Stemless Wine Glasses are a modern and eye-catching answer to the wine glass. They have a nice full-bodied shape that works well with red and white wine, and their crystal composition makes them lightweight and easy to hold.
Beer Glasses
Nothing beats kicking back at home with a cold one so your home bar should be ready and equipped with a great set of beer glasses.
These JoyJolt Pint Glasses are the perfect starter pint for anyone building up their home bar. They are sturdily constructed and dishwasher safe, so this is the perfect no-fuss glass to enjoy a nice stout or cool IPA in.
Champagne Flutes
If you look up class and elegance in the dictionary, what you’ll find shouldn’t surprise you. Quite literally, you’ll find the definition of class and elegance. I admit, that was a terrible joke. What’s not terrible, however, is adding a set of champagne flutes to your glassware collection.
JoyJolt Milo Stemless Champagne Flutes is exactly what you need. The fact that they are stemless, like our recommendations for the wine and martini glass sets, means your overall aesthetic will match. I, personally, love the look and feel of stemless glasses.
Final Thoughts
Building up your home bar can be so rewarding, but the biggest reward is all the delicious drinks you will enjoy! This guide covers the absolute basics of home bar tools, but there is always more room to expand. Once you have the essentials you can set your sights on more specialized equipment. These essential home bar tools will allow you to make most classic cocktails with your own personal flair!
Thirsty for More?
Now that you have the tools, you are probably itching to get mixing! Test out your new home bar tools with these tasty cocktail recipes:
Disclaimer: Some links in my posts may be affiliate links. I’m not being paid to advertise them to my readers, however, I may make a small commission if you purchase them. This blogging thing ain’t free, ya know? I wouldn’t share anything I don’t already own myself, or have on my wish list of items to buy.
