10 Essential Home Bar Cart Tools

You will be set up to master the art of entertaining at home this weekend once you get these 10 Essential Home Bar Cart Tools designed to help you create classic cocktails. Impress your guests with drink recipes that will have them begging for more.

10 Essential Home Bar Cart Tools

Entertaining guests at home is always just a little bit stressful. You create your menu, shop for ingredients, and have a plan all ready to go. You also know exactly what kitchen tools you need to make the recipes you’ve picked out. All those same ideas apply when it comes to mastering the art of being a home mixologist. You need a bar cart stocked with a variety of basic alcohols, additional ingredients for garnishes or flavored simple syrups, and these 10 Essential Home Bar Cart Tools.

1. Cocktail Shaker

For some cocktail newbies, a Cocktail Shaker seems like an unnecessary addition to your home bar. Why shake when you can stir, right? Except a cocktail shaker does more than give a classic drink like this Rhubarb Whiskey Sour its renowned froth. Martinis get perfectly chilled and shaking truly gives any drink a more flavorful, blended taste.

2. Jigger or Small Measuring Cup

Craft cocktails have been gaining popularity in recent years. There was a time when the flashiness of a free pour was highly prized in both establishments and at home. Unfortunately that practice lacks the precision you need for some of your favorite drinks. Using a Jigger, or even a small graduated measuring cup, will give you an exact pour every time.

3. Muddler

If you talk to many commercial bartenders, they will tell you a Muddler is the bane of their existence. Anyone who has had to make 200+ Mojitos during a busy brunch rush would agree! That’s because a good muddled drink takes time and a little elbow grease to make. This essential tool is the perfect way for a home connoisseur to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon creating seasonal drinks that wow our guests.

4. Long Bar Spoon

Not all cocktails are created the same. A Long Bar Spoon is useful for measuring ingredients, layering drinks, and can be used as a backup muddler in a pinch. The handle is twisted allowing for the fluid movement of liquids. True cocktails, ones made entirely of alcohol like a Manhattan, should be stirred. Shaking breaks up bits of ice and adds air bubbles, giving you a cloudy end result.

5. Strainer

There is some debate amongst home cocktail creators about whether a Stainer is a necessary home bar tool. Sure your cocktail shaker has a stainer built right in, so there should be no need for another one. Except I wholly disagree with that idea in practice. A good strainer is going to be less messy, more accurate, and gives you an overall smoother drink.

6. Corkscrew

It goes without saying that we shouldn’t forget the simplicity of a good wine or the local craft beer of the moment. A Corkscrew is probably the first home bar tool everyone should buy in the beginning. My best advice is to skip the super fancy, hi-tech gadgets. Stick with one that is timeless and portable.

7. Citrus Press

Whether you are making fresh-squeezed sour mix for a taste-defying margarita or this delightful Blood Orange Old Fashioned, a Citrus Press is a home bartender’s best friend.

8. Pairing Knife

It goes without saying that a sturdy Pairing Knife comes in handy when creating festive garnishes, trimming herbs for muddled drinks, and is generally good to have on hand. In a pinch, a small, sharp kitchen knife will do the trick.

9. Cutting Board

Cutting boards are good for everything from protecting the surface of your brand new, fancy bar cart to keeping your knife sharp as you slice lime wheels for garnishes. Be sure to properly treat a wooden Cutting Board or opt for a plastic one that you can pop into the dishwasher at the end of the night.

10. Ice Bucket

An Ice Bucket has multiple uses in a home bar situation and there are ones better suited for certain jobs than others. First and foremost, it’s great to have ice readily available as you mix cocktails over conversation with friends. A smaller, lidded ice bucket is ideal for that type of situation. Another type has an open top, similar to the one pictured here, which is great for icing down wine, beer, and other bottles like mixers.

We hope you love these 10 Essential Home Bar Cart Tools as much as we do. If you enjoyed this entertaining hack, be sure to stop by our Cocktail section for recipes you are now prepared to make! For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Disclosure: Message intended for our readers 21+ only. Please drink responsibly!