Bar Tools and Online Bartending Supplies

Posted on Jun 2nd, 2013by the BarmanCategories:Bar Products

A Description of Bar Tools and Bartending Supplies

To be good at anything, you need the right tools – bartending is no different. Without the right bar tools,
the quality and taste of your drinks will suffer, your customer service time will increase and ultimately,
your tips will decrease (as will sales).

Selecting the right bartending supplies when you are just starting out in the business can get a little
confusing. It’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what’s needed and what’s for show. If you’re bartending at
an established bar, pub or club, however, you’ll need professional bar tools from the get-go – ones that
can stand the abuse that bartending tools go through while on the job. Conversely, if you have a home
bar and are just looking for basic bartending tools, you won’t need to focus so much on durability and
can pay more attention to aesthetics.

So, to get you familiar with the must-have’s of bar tools, we’ve listed a complete set below including its
contents and, further down the page, we’ve listed the products one-by-one with a picture and
description of the item along with its use.

Note that some of the links on this page go to where you can order the product on Amazon and some
are through BarProducts. Generally, we recommend buying through Amazon as their review system is a
well-oiled machine, ensuring that if you order a highly rated product, you’re going to receive a quality
bar tool shipped to your door. If we couldn’t find a particular product on Amazon or isn’t highly rated –
such as the professional bartending kit pictured below – then we recommend buying through our
partners at BarProducts.

bar-tools-premium-bartending-kit
Professional Bartending Kit

(Premium Version)

If you’re looking for a home bar set-up or if you’re looking to stock your pub, club or lounge with the best
bartending tools available, here they are – all in one convenient package.

The Premium Bartending Kit is all any bar, bartender or home enthusiast needs for a fully functioning
bar. If you are just starting out in bartending, just bought a new bar, need to replace old bar tools or if
you’re just wanting to fully stock that bar you have (or plan to make) at your place, the Premium
Bartending Kit is your best option.

We’ve listed the individual items, with pictures and description below:

Bar Towels – If you’ve been in a bar before, on either side of the bar, you know they get messy. And if
you don’t have a bar towel on hand, you’ll be cursing your dirty hands, the sticky bar top and your filthy
tips at the end of the night. As McDonald’s tells you “if there’s time to lean, there’s time to clean!”. Make
sure you always have bar towels on hand to keep your station, behind the bar and the bar top clean at all
times. You should also have another dry bar towel on hand to polish glasses out of the glass washer.

bar tools metal pour spout

Metal Pour Spouts – Like their plastic cousins, they make pouring alcohol a breeze. And with these metal
pour spouts, using a counting system while pouring (as in the 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000 pour) just got a
whole lot easier and more accurate.
bar tools ez pour juice containers

Juice Containers / Bar Mix Pourers – For speed, look, freshness and taste, these juice pourers are
fantastic. Less used juices such as pineapple or grapefruit can’t be left in large cans after opening for
extended periods of time and running back and forth to the bar fridge for juice and mix every order isn’t
making anyone money. Fill these containers with your most widely used mixes and increase your
bartender’s service time. To store after each shift, unscrew the top, place cellophane wrap over the
opening and screw the top back on (the Premium Bartending Kit comes with extra storage containers).

Plastic Pour Spoutsblack plastic alcohol pour spouts 24pk – If you’ve been behind the bar before, then
you know how much easier and more accurate it is to pour from bottles with pour spouts on them.
Sometimes, the added expense of putting pour spouts on every bottle deters bar owners from doing so.
That really shouldn’t be a problem with the solid black plastic pour spouts which sell for $8.20 for 2
dozen.

bar-tool-cocktail-shaker-tin

Cocktail Shaker Tin – Many cocktails and martinis require the ingredients to be mixed together
beforehand or to be strained or shaken on ice. For all this and more, the shaker tin is at your service.
bar-tools-short-shaker-cheater-tin

Short Shaker (Cheater Tin) – The 16oz Shaker, also known as a Cheater Tin or Short Shaker, is made of
high-quality Stainless Steel. The 16oz shaker is traditionally used to cap a 28oz shaker rather than using a
mixing glass.

bar-tools-plastic-mixing-glass

Mixing Glass – Whether you use a mixing glass or a short shaker (aka ‘cheater tin’), you’ll need one or
the other to create and mix up cocktails. When placed mouth-to-mouth inside the shaker tin, a water-
tight seal is formed allowing for the mixing of contents without any spillage.

bar-tools-cocktail-strainer

Cocktail Strainer – If you’re gonna make cocktails, you’re gonna need a cocktail strainer. Some shaker tins
come with a built-in strainer in the lid but nothing beats the versatility of the standard bar cocktail
strainer.

bar-tools-corkscrew-wine-opener
Corkscrew / Wine Opener – There are almost as many wine openers on the market as there are bottle
openers. Other than the fact that you should get a 2-stage wine opener (like the one shown here), the
rest is really a matter of preference. A 2-stage corkscrew allows you to take the cork halfway up, then
‘reload’ with the second stage to pull the cork all the way out. Sometimes, with single stage wine
openers, you just can’t seem to get the cork far enough out of the bottle.

bar-tools-bottle-opener

Bottle Opener – One of the most widely used bar tools in a bartenders toolbox. This speed bottle opener
is designed to open beer bottles the old-fashioned way or to ‘pop’ them open by pushing down rather
than lifting up, using the other end.

bar-tools-jigger

Jigger – Although the one pictured here is the same size on both sides, often these alcohol measuring
devices have different measurements on either side. Typically 1oz / 1.5oz or 1.5oz / 2oz

bar-tools-pour-check
Pour Check – Free pouring skills need help? The Pour Check is an all-in-one tool that saves time while
training your bartenders how to free pour accurately. Have them pour using practice bottles of water and
check their accuracy. It measures in both US ounces and milliliters. Waste is money; so test your own or
your bartender’s free pouring skills with this nifty Pour Check alcohol measuring device.

bar-tools-lemon-zester-lime-peeler

Lemon Peeler / Lime Zester – Whatever you call this little peeling / zesting tool, you’ll enjoy how easy it is
to make lemon or lime zests. These little citrus strings are added to drinks such as martinis. It serves to
flavor the drink as well as add to the overall look of the finished cocktail.

bar-tools-bar-spoon

Bar Spoon (with Fork) – The bartender’s buddy, the bar spoon, is a much-needed accessory for any
bartender who serves more than just beer. A long spoon for mixing and tasting and a useful little fork on
the other end.

bar-tools-muddler

Muddler – A muddler is used to muddle – or mash up – ingredients to release their oils and flavors.
Probably the most commonly-known muddled drink would be the Mojito – a Cuban rum cocktail
containing mint leaves (the recipe can be found here).

bar-tools-ice-bucket
Ice Bucket – Whether you are stocking your home or mobile bar or you work in a bar, you’ll need ice
buckets. At the bar, they’re used for champagne and for chilling other bottles. At your home bar or for
your mobile bar business, you’ll need it for storing ice for drinks.

bar-tools-ice-scoop

Bar Ice Scoop – Such a simple item yet so many bars go without. We’ve seen some bars use glasses,
some use plastic containers, and we’ve seen lots of bartenders use their hands. Use a glass and it will
eventually break into the ice bin. Use containers and they collect bacteria (as with your hands) and
break. There’s no substitute for the trusty metal ice scoop. A must-have bar tool

bar-tools-solid-cutting-board

Cutting Board – As important as having a sharp knife around the bar, its as important to have its
counterpart, the cutting board, clean and dry and stored somewhere close by. Almost all bars use fruit to
garnish their drinks. And, if they use fruit garnishes, they need to cut that fruit. Never cut on anything
other than a clean, dry cutting board. And wash it with salt once in a while to really get in the grooves
and kill the bacteria.

bar-tools-flexible-cutting-board

Flexible Cutting Board – A flexible cutting board, unlike the standard plastic cutting boards above, is

not as porous, therefore it doesn’t capture as much odor and bacteria.

bar-tools-condiment-fruit-tray
Condiment / Fruit Tray – Every bar serves some type of garnish on their drinks. From standard lemon
slices and lime wedges to orange wheels and tropical fruit chunks, these trays are great for anything
from fruits, olives and pickles to tea and hot chocolate.

3-Tiered Glass Rimmer – If you serve cocktails, fancy martinis, Caesars or Bloody Marys or any slew of
specialty coffees or teas, you’re going to need a rimmer. If you have the room, we suggest just buying
two fruit trays, likebar-tools-3-tier-glass-rimmer the ones above – they work better, stay cleaner, are
faster to use and overall a lot sturdier. Don’t get us wrong, this will serve its purpose if your bar doesn’t
have space or serves a lot of rimmed drinks. The basic problems are trying to open it in a hurry and the
cross-contamination of tray contents during opening and closing.

bar-tools-bar-mat

Biggie Bar Mat – Every bartender knows that a good bar mat is essential. Essential for making drinks,
catching spillage and for draining measuring glasses in between uses. The bigger the mat, the better –
and this Biggie Bar mat is wider and longer than your average bar mat.

bar-tools-cocktail-napkins

Cocktail Napkins – Cocktail napkins are just classy. And in addition to adding to the final presentation of
the drink, they are useful to wipe the bar top after a customer has finished – something coasters just
can’t accomplish. If you’re anything other than a sports pub, using cocktail napkins is an easy way to
increase the image of your establishment.
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the Barman

Reese Richards aka "the Barman" is a 20-year veteran of the bar industry and founder of
BarsandBartending.com. His goal is to bring the joy of bartending to as many people around the world as
possible. He accomplishes this by producing high quality content in the form of articles, interviews,
infographics, recipes, videos and training courses as well as through his bar consulting business. You can
find him online here or connect with him on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram

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