Guide to Bartending

You  don’t have to be a professional bartender to mix a few drinks.   However you do need some basic accessories, some glassware, a  few ingredients and a little knowledge.    The bartending accessories are  a mixture of some basic utensils found in most kitchens and some more  specialized equipment.  The key kitchen utensils  include items like the can opener, bottle opener, a corkscrew, a cutting board,  electric blender, grater, ice bucket and measuring cups.

The bartending  accessories that are not so typical will be the shaker, a bar measure or jigger, a bar strainer, a bar spoon,  a muddler and a mixing glass.   Most of these are self-evident but for the  muddler which is used to crush certain ingredients like fruit or mint to extract  the flavor.   The jigger is for  measuring.

The cocktail shaker is essential for  blending ingredients in cocktails and mixed drinks, a must have item if you  want to serve more then beer and wine.  It is used to mix drinks with ingredients that  are difficult to combine with just a mixing glass.   Ingredients such as liqueurs, fruit juices,  egg yolks and cream can be easily mixed with a shaker but not so easily with  just a mixing glass.   One version is a three part shaker that  consists of a beaker, a lid, and a strainer.    Sometimes the strainer is part of  the lid which means the lid actually has a second lid that can be removed for  pouring the strained mixed cocktail.  The  strainer holds back pieces of ice, fruit and seeds when pouring the  cocktail.  However the strainer can be  difficult to clean and the liquid pours out slowly.

When  using a shaker, typically use a short,  sharp shaking technique.  Most any shaker  will get the job done.  Always pour the  least expensive ingredient into the cocktail shaker first just incase you make  a mistake and must discard what was in the shaker to start over. 

If  you use a separate strainer, it  should fit nicely into the top of the shaker or mixing glass.   The strainer is such a simple utensil but  also very necessary for mixing many cocktails.    If necessary, you can use a new tea strainer or a well cleaned cooking  strainer but these will not fit as well with the mixing glass or shaker.

The mixing glass or shaker glass is used  for every drink which is stirred, not shaken; such as clear drinks and those  made from ingredients that are easily blended.   A mixing glass should be able  to hold 3 or 4 drinks.

The  long handled bar spoon is used to  stir the ingredients in the mixing glass and as a measuring spoon.  Most bar  spoons are 10 inches long and made of stainless steel.   The spoon end hold 1/6 ounce of liquid or a  standard kitchen teaspoon.  The rounded  back of the spoon is useful for pouring layers of liqueurs slowly into a glass  to minimize any mixing of the layers.   A  bar whisk can also be used to mix cocktail ingredients.

A muddler is used to crush pieces of  fruit, herbs and sugar cubes.  In the  construction of a classic cocktail the muddler is used prior to adding ice to  crush an ingredient to help release the flavors.  Some bar spoons will have a disc at the end  opposite the spoon that can be used as a muddler.  

The  doubled-ended bar measure is a must  to measure exact quantities of ingredients.   Also call a pony-jigger measure; these are usually stainless steel with  a 1 ounce cup at one end, called a pony, and a 1 ½ ounce cup at the other end,  called a jigger.  There is also a double-ended bar measure with  a ¾ ounce cup instead of the 1 ounce cup.   Also look for the ¼, ½ and ¾ markings inside the jigger to help with  other measurements.   And if a bar  measure is not available, you can use the kitchen measuring spoons;  3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon equals ½ ounce  and 4 teaspoons equal ¾ ounce and 2 tablespoons equal 1 ounce. 

An  electric blender is useful for  frozen drinks and those ingredients that are especially difficult to blend  together.  Many people just like crushed  or shaved ice; all depends upon the drinks being served. 

Items  like toothpicks for spearing olives and pieces of fruit, small dishes for  holding garnishes and small colored drinking straws are useful.  Different colors and shapes of stirrers will  make many drinks more attractive.  Some  not so common utensils are the nutmeg grater, lemon squeezer and a citrus  zester for removing strips of citrus peel for a garnish.