Advertisement

Food & Drink

How to get in gear

1. Citrus juicer

Fresh is best (powdered bar mix should be illegal), and hand juicers are also the most rewarding way to strengthen your grip.

Citrus press juicer ($45, the Crafty Bartender, 905-986-5346, thecraftybartender.com)


vegetablepeeler_large.jpg

2. Vegetable peeler (for thick twists)

Y-shaped veggie peelers pull thick twists, expressing clouds of citrus oil that lend irresistible aroma to cocktails.


cocktailpicks_large.jpg

3. Cocktail picks

Do: commit to classiness when serving cocktails. Don’t: make your guests dunk their digits into a Manhattan to pluck out cherries. NB: get original Luxardo brand maraschinos and avoid those of questionably radioactive origin.

Stallion cocktail picks ($12, BYOB Cocktail Emporium, 972 Queen West, 416-858-2932, byobto.com)

Fleur de Lis cocktail picks ($4.75, BYOB Cocktail Emporium)


measuringtool_large.jpg

4. Measuring tool (jigger or marked shot glass)

Measuring is the key to consistency – it’s the only way to guarantee your heavy hand doesn’t demolish your chances of mixing a balanced drink.

Japanese jigger in gold ($34, the Crafty Bartender)


mixingglass_large.jpg

5. Mixing glass

James Bond had it backwards – spirit-forward cocktails like the martini should be stirred, not shaken, to mix a crystal-clear cocktail and control dilution. If you don’t want to drop big bucks on a gorgeous Japanese Yarai, a simple Boston glass does the trick. Etched mixing glass with strainer ($34.95, BYOB Cocktail Emporium)


icecubetrays_large.jpg

6. Large-cube ice trays

Big ice looks rad as hell and keeps your cocktail cold without over-diluting it to impotable dribble.

Tovolo Perfect cube tray ($20.95, BYOB Cocktail Emporium)


strainer_large.jpg

7. Fine strainer (mesh)

It sounds finicky, but certain cocktails taste best smooth and sans fruit pulp or ice shards. Fine-strainers can save your smile from sneaky bits of mint and strawberry seeds.

CoCo Cocktail Strainer ($10, the Crafty Bartender)


barspoon_large.jpg

8. Bar spoon

The best reason to own a bar spoon is that they’re so damn pretty, but you can always skip the aesthetics and use a chopstick instead.

5 x Bar Spoon ($4.95, Linen Chest)

Premium gold-plated Japanese trident bar spoon ($40, the Crafty Bartender)


bostonshaker_large.jpg

9. Boston shaker

A simple tin container is the bare essential of at-home cocktailing. Whether you’re using a glass or steel insert smacked to seal it in place, a proper shake is always thrown on a vigorous horizontal. Another good smack on the tin’s side easily breaks the vacuum and spares you having to deal with a stuck shaker cocktails are designed to release frustration, not breed it. ($7.95 (insert) and $10.95 (shaker), BYOB Cocktail Emporium)


hawthornestrainer_large.jpg

10. Hawthorne strainer

A sprung and pronged strainer designed to fit on your Boston tin, it works with most mixing glasses, too.

Gold-plated Hawthorne strainer ($20, the Crafty Bartender)

All photos by David Hawe

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted