A well-stocked bar isn't the only prerequisite for preparing classic cocktails. Almost as important, particularly if you try to impress, is your collection of assorted implements.
In a pinch, anyone can MacGuiver a cocktail to a passable degree, but to ensure perfection in the comforts of your home, choose your wares carefully. Remember, skilled craftspeople are set apart from hobbyists by their understanding and appreciation of tools.
Years ago, people could choose from a wide range of indivual tools machined to
enhance mixing. Today, however, this is far from the case. Almost any implement
you find in a store, no matter its purpose, attempts to be the US$19.95 novelty
utensil that promises to do it all. Although these products work fine in
30-minute infomercials, they fail miserably in the art of cocktail making.
To prepare cocktails and garnishes, you'll need the following:
A 20- to 24-ounce metal or glass shaker [405k .mov]
A stainless steel strainer
A citrus juicer (I prefer a hand juicer [443k .mov],
but if you're throwing a large party you might want to use an electric model)
A jigger and a pint glass (ideally the latter
is frosted, but the latte glass swiped from the
café down the street will do)
An ice crusher (optional, if you can't find shaved ice)
A long-handled bar spoon (an ice-tea or fountain spoon will
suffice, but try to find one with a spiral handle)
A sharp knife, a cutting board, and a dull knife or an ice
pick (for making twists)
An ice scoop
A wine opener
A bottle opener
Clean towels (looks count, so skip the paper towels)
The first item to purchase is a shaker. A good stainless shaker, with an integrated strainer top, will give you many years of cherished service.
If the bottom of the shaker is stamped "Mr. Bartender," buy it. This nearly extinct brand of shaker is the easiest to use. (If a shaker is made in any country that produces IBM clones, don't spend more than $2 on it.)
Elegant glass shakers are like uncomfortable-but-attractive clothes: best left in the closet. If you can't resist buying them, just let them rest on the bar (it'll save you the heartbreak that comes when the glass slips out of your wet hands and onto the floor). Besides, glass doesn't chill as well as metal.
Glass pitchers, with a spout to hold back the ice, are fine for Martinis and Manhattans but not much else.
The most important feature of any shaker is a tight-fitting top that won't leak. Wet spots on the host's shoulder are as distasteful as drool on a pillow.
If you've honed your skills to a razor-sharp edge, and have more friends than you can easily serve, attempt shaking as professionals do: use a pint glass and shaking tin, or stainless steel milkshake tin. With these key items, you can mix, shake, and strain much faster than using a cocktail shaker. Keep in mind that it takes more skill and confidence to look convincing. The trick is to get a vacuum between the glass and the cup that's tight enough to keep in the drink, but loose enough that you can pull the two apart effortlessly (using a frosted pint glass will make the two glasses come apart easily).
When it comes to shopping for your cocktail wares, skip the mall and head to second-hand or antique stores and garage sales. If you're out of luck at those places, try a restaurant supply store.
The one item you might not be able to find is a simple hand juicer. Although they are common in Mexico, a good hand juicer is not readily available in many other places. I've always expected to find a beautiful, well-machined or -cast version produced in Germany or Switzerland, but alas, I still haven't.
My current squeezer is a '50s American version made by Ebaloy that I bought at a flea market years ago. I treasure the way it introduces the slightest bit of oil from the peel into each drink. (If you're forced to suck juice with a mechanical juicer, take care to extract only the juices, leaving behind the pith and pulp, which make the juice bitter.)
A cocktail set used to be one of the more cherished gifts a young couple would
receive on their nuptial day. Today (thanks to a resurgence of temperance culture),
no such collection is on the market. Fortunately, the previous generation is
moving on, leaving to us their icons of a gentler, more sophisticated era.
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