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WE always talk of cocktails but rarely do we talk about the tools one needs to prepare them. So for this week, the subject will be on the tools used by professional mixologists.

The first step to making a great cocktail is having the necessary tools at hand. Cocktail making is an art and just like a painter needs a good brush, a mixologist needs a good shaker.

Bartenders use a whole collection of odd tools that make them look like scientists. It may look daunting, but shaking cocktails is simpler than one may think. Let’s go through the list of tools any aspiring mixologist needs for making killer cocktails that will wow their friends.

You will need to have what they call in the trade a jigger.

Cocktail making is a creative and scientific art. One bad step and you might ruin your whole creation. Precision is key when making a good cocktail and a jigger is a handy measurement tool to help you create a perfect cocktail. There are many options when choosing a jigger but many bartenders choose the cone shape, tall and small jiggers.

Then we have a shaker. Shakers are perhaps the most fun of the essential cocktail preparation tools for mixologists. There are several types of shakers, but the two most common are the traditional cobbler cocktail shaker and the Boston shaker.

The traditional cocktail shaker, with a metal or glass jug, has a built-in shaker and a fitted top.

The Boston shaker consists of two sides, a pint glass and a metal jug to cover the top and create the seal. Sealing and separating the two requires a good tap at the right place. The reason why bartenders swear by this shaker is that it allows your mix to cool faster when shaking and the shaking takes less time. Less time to shake means more time to drink.

After shaking your mix you then need a strainer. The common choice is the Hawthorne strainer, which you place on top of the glass to strain your drink. It has a special spring that ensures that all fruits and herbs stay behind. Then you have the people who believe in double-straining. Double straining basically means that you strain the cocktail through two different strainers and that allows you, for example, to eliminate smaller pulp.

Then there is the bar spoon. A bar spoon is not your average spoon. It is a metal spoon with a long and spiral handle, great for stirring drinks. The long spiral handle is so you can pour the drink along the spiral to create layered cocktails. A bar spoon is better than a normal spoon because it fits in any type of glassware and since cocktails require different glassware, a bar spoon comes in handy.

We then come to a muddler. It is essentially used for cocktails like the Mojito, it is ideal for processing herbs. Muddling requires some technique but the key is to wake up the aromas of your herbs without bruising it. Bruising the herbs releases a chemical that kills the taste of cocktails, so a muddler helps you to gently process the herbs into a paste.

There is something called a channel knife that is also an essential element of your tools. The moment the party starts is the moment you put that cocktail in front of your friends. A channel knife is a small spoon-shaped knife, it is used for garnish by peeling long, thin spirals from citrus fruits. Having a fancy knife will also make your assortment of essential cocktail preparation tools for aspiring mixologists look next-level.

And finally, what’s a cocktail without a glass? The amount of glassware you can use for cocktails is never-ending. There are so many varieties. One is fancier than the other. They say that clothes make a man and the same thing applies to a cocktail. A nice glass will make your cocktail even more attractive and the centre of everyone’s attention. Some essential glasses you need are a Martini glass, a Collins and a Coupe glass.

So there you have it, the essential cocktail preparation tools for aspiring mixologists.

Till next week!

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