I’m a Former Bartender—Here’s What I Stock My Bar Cart With

Including our winning Boston shakers, a sturdy bar spoon, and my favorite bitters.

By
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly headshot against a black background
Grace Kelly
Commerce Editor
Grace Kelly is the Commerce Editor for Serious Eats and has been writing for various media outlets since 2015.
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Published January 18, 2024
a bar cart with gear and bottles of liquor on it

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Back when I was a spry twenty-something recent college grad, I’d spend my weekends bartending to make some extra cash. And gee whiz, it was hard work, especially the outdoor events that required lifting 30-pound bags of ice (I was sopping wet and cold by the end of the night) and cleaning up the entire station—tables and all—once the event was over. But now that I’m 31 and have all the requisite back aches, foot pain, and late-onset acne, I’m not about to leave the house to mix drinks for strangers; the only bartending I’m doing is for my husband, friends, and family. As such, I’ve made it a practice to keep my bar cart stocked with my favorite, sturdy gear, and have a few staple libations at the ready.

Grace’s Bar Cart Essentials 

A Few Tips for Stocking Your Bar Cart

Essential Tools of the Trade

an overhead shot of a bar spoon, strainer, small measuring cup, and Boston shakers

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

First, ensure you have a functional and stylish bar cart ready to stock. Next comes the essentials. There are a few items I standby for making great cocktails: a set of Boston shakers, a tiny measuring cup, a sturdy, small fine mesh strainer, a bar spoon, a Y-peeler, a muddler, and a sharp knife. Let’s break them down.

  • Boston shakers: I can’t help it, but whenever I see someone reach for the cobbler shaker they inherited from their parents that collects dust in the back of a cabinet, I cry a little inside. While there are some decent cobbler offerings out there, most of the ones that languish in storage are old and gunky, and it’s near-impossible to pry open after shaking a drink. I stand by Boston shakers (with two metal tins) as being the best, easiest-to-use option when it comes to shaking drinks, and the Koriko weighted pair (small and large) have a special place in my heart; these were the shakers I learned on, and they have a nice weight to them, which helps you throw ice back and forth. They also pour beautifully, and they’re easy to seal and take apart. 
  • A tiny measuring cup: While I was trained to use a traditional metal jigger, I always hated it; pouring was messy, and I’d sometimes wind up with more product on my hands than in the shaker. Then I met the OXO Good Grips Mini Angled Measuring Cup, and it changed the way I make cocktails—no more stress and no more mess! With an angled pouring spout and handy measurements (in ounces, tablespoons, and milliliters), it made it super easy to measure and pour. 
  • A small, fine-mesh strainer: The mini-version of our winning fine-mesh strainer from Rösle not only looks cute, but it’s SO good at straining cocktails. Forget the days of fiddling with Hawthorne strainers, trying to get them to stay put on the glass as you pour; instead, rest the basket of this mini strainer on your glass (or hold it over it) as you pour the cocktail through it. It’s a game-changer. 
  • A solid bar spoon: While you might only use bar spoons for a stirred drink now and again, they are useful to have on hand since some drinks measure ingredients in bar spoonfuls (though this isn’t super precise). Plus, if you want to make a really beautiful New York Sour, a bar spoon helps make that float of wine on top. A good bar spoon should be sturdy and stand up to swirling around ice quickly in a shaker—flimsy ones can bend and aren’t as effective. 
  • A Y-peeler: Want to really impress your friends? Whip out your Y-peeler and garnish a cocktail with a sliver of citrus rind, or give a peel a twist then quickly put a lighter to it to set the oils aflame—what a show. But in all seriousness, a sharp Y-peeler is essential for garnishing so many cocktails (Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Cosmos, etc). I love our (cheap! colorful!) top pick from Kuhn Rikon so much that I have four of them. Just be sure to hand-wash it and dry it after.
  • A muddler: A muddler is a tool used to bash (or lightly crush) ingredients to release more flavor and aroma into a cocktail. While I don’t reach for mine often, I like the simple, no-frills, cheap option from Winco—it gets the job done and is easy to clean, though it does require a quick wipe with food-safe mineral oil after washing. 
  • A sharp, nimble knife: While paring knives are a common bartender's choice, I reach for my Tojiro petty knife when it comes to slicing up citrus or cutting peels into fun shapes. The blade is longer than a paring knife, but it’s still quite small, and the sharp blade makes quick work of all matter of ingredients. 

With these tools, you can make great cocktails, and whether or not you serve them in a lowball, highball, or coupe glass (or a fun, cut crystal vintage glass) is up to you. 

A Few Other Non-Essential—But Still Great—Tools Worth Having

Three coupe glasses of varying sizes against a white background

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

When I was a bartender, we’d stock 30-pound bags of ice in a giant, soft cooler bag behind our setup for outdoor events. All that ice would make its way into ice buckets, and we’d use a metal scoop to fill shaker glasses before making a cocktail. While you might not be bartending in this capacity at home, an ice scoop is still a handy tool to have, especially if you’re serving guests and don’t want them to see you touching the ice with your bare hands. I also like to have a set of metal cocktail skewers on hand, since they look beautiful holding garnishes and reduce the waste of throwing away wooden toothpicks. Finally, while you can drink a cocktail out of anything (jam jars anyone?), a coupe glass is the ultimate cocktail glass—I recommend buying a sturdy set just in case things get rowdy (in a good way). Oh, and a set of tumblers is always good to have on hand for lowball drinks, too. 

Stock Your Bar Cart with a Few Edible/Imbibable Basics 

While you don’t necessarily want to have a bunch of vermouths, liquors, etc. sitting on your bar cart for years (vermouth will go stale after a while, and is best stored in the refrigerator), there are a few items that are handy to have in stock. Top of mind is tonic water, which is the easiest way to make a cocktail—gin and tonic, vermouth and tonic, vodka and tonic, whiskey and tonic—the list goes on. Bitters are another shelf-stable item worth having, and I’d recommend stocking orange and aromatic Angostura bitters as your everyday drivers, and perhaps some fun-flavored bitters for kicks. I also like to have some non-alcoholic mixers on hand, just in case a guest is driving or is alcohol-free; my favorite mixer is Lyre’s Italian Orange which, combined with some tonic and a splash of grapefruit juice, makes a delicious non-alcoholic riff on an Aperol spritz. Finally, garnishes! I love stocking my bar cart with jars of maraschino cherries and stem ginger in syrup, which adds a little glitter and glisten to a drink. 

Bar Essentials

A Solid Set of Boston Shakers

Cocktail Kingdom Small

Cocktail Kingdom Small
PHOTO: Amazon
$14 at Amazon

I love a good set of Boston shakers—they’re easy to use, form a watertight seal, and come apart with a wee bit of squeezing (which breaks the seal). My favorites (and the ones I was trained on) are this sturdy, weighted Koriko set from Cocktail Kingdom, which shakes like a dream. 

Koriko Boston shakers on a bar cart with other gear and drink staples

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

I think traditional metal, hourglass-shaped jiggers are often more messy than effective, and instead, I find great joy in using this mini measuring cup. It has a little pour spout that keeps things clean and provides measurements in milliliters, ounces, and tablespoons, making it handy beyond bartending. 

a close up of an oxo mini measuring cup

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

I’ve used a variety of bar spoons, including the cheap kind with a red plastic thimble on the end, and only this offering from Crafthouse by Fortessa has the heft to last the long term. It stirs easily, as if it’s naturally inclined to spin around, and has a nice weight to it—great for cracking ice. 

a stainless steel bar spoon on a marble surface

Serious Eats / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm

While I admit I don’t make muddled drinks super often (maybe for the Kentucky Derby or if I’m feeling a Gordon’s Cup for brunch), a muddler is an essential part of any barkeeper's toolkit. I like this no-frills version from Winco—it smashes, smushes, and bashes just fine. The only downside is that it’s wood, so if you don’t want to handwash or oil it, we also recommend this composite muddler from our review.

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Coupe Glasses for Cocktails

Cocktail Kingdom Leopold Coupe

best coupe glass
PHOTO: Cocktail Kingdom
$50 at Amazon View on Cocktail Kingdom

Cocktail coupe glasses might not be truly essential, but if you’re hosting a cocktail party or want to show off a little bit, they’re a classic for a reason. Elegant and great to sip from, this set from Cocktail Kingdom is both dainty and sturdy, with the perfect-sized bowl for a standard cocktail ration. 

The cocktail kingdom coupe glass against a grey and white background

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Nobody wants to watch their bartender scoop ice with their fingers and neither do guests at your cocktail party. Enter the ice scoop, a friend of sanitary mixologists everywhere, and a saver of fingers (no more cold fingertips!). While any metal version will do just fine, the slight give of the plastic scoop on this one from OXO makes it easy to direct ice where you want it—into your shaker glass or cup. 

oxo ice scoop on a wooden bar cart with bitters, tonic, and other bar essentials

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Sturdy, Small, Fine Mesh Strainer

Rösle Small Fine Mesh Strainer

Rösle Small Fine Mesh Strainer
PHOTO: Amazon
$26 at Amazon

While you can use a Hawthorne strainer to great effect, they can be tricky to use—and a bad one lets ice chips and citrus pulp through. I actually prefer using a small strainer to catch any unwanted bits and bobs when crafting drinks, and I especially love the small version of our winner fine mesh strainer from Rösle: it’s sturdy and the fine mesh basin catches even the smallest particles. 

A Nimble, Sharp Knife

Tojiro DP Petty/Utility Knife

Tojiro DP Petty Knife
PHOTO: Amazon
$62 at Amazon

I will sing the praise of petty knives forever—they’re sharp, nimble, and incredibly versatile. Not only are they great for slicing citrus or other ingredients for cocktails, but you can use them in so many other cooking tasks, like supreming an orange or even breaking down a chicken. And this petty knife by Tojiro is my go-to—I use it all the time.

A Sharp Y-Peeler for Garnishes

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 2

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler
PHOTO: Amazon
$12 $10 at Amazon

Whether you’re creating lemon curlicues for a French 75 or peeling a strip of orange rind for an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, a sharp Y-peeler will get the job done without the extra pith. The Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peeler is our longtime favorite (and mine, too). 

A y-peeler peeling an orange

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Extras and Ingredients Worth Having

A Set of Metal Cocktail Skewers

Crate & Barrel Set of 6 Cocktail Picks

Crate & Barrel Set of 6 Cocktail Picks
PHOTO: Crate & Barrel
$7 at Crate & Barrel

Say you want to serve a dirty martini (that jar of briny blue cheese-stuffed green olives is calling to you from across the room) but want easy access to the best part of the drink—the olive (sorry not sorry). Enter the cocktail skewer—a simple tool that gives you easy access to the garnish. I love this set of metal skewers from Crate and Barrel since they’re sleek and reusable (no more finding errant wooden cocktail skewers behind the couch post-party). 

While citrus peels and cherries are classic cocktail garnishes, why not change things up a bit with a glistening orb of candied ginger? Ever since studying abroad in London (and spending time in the UK in general), I’ve come to love stem ginger and the spicy, fragrant syrup it’s packaged in. Not only does a few tablespoons of chopped ginger make a great addition to gingerbread or other baked goods, but the ginger and syrup are great additions to cocktails to infuse them with a spicy, ginger kick. 

Old fashioned cocktail with stem ginger on a metal cocktail skewer.

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

As someone who grew up gobbling down the cherries in Shirley Temple’s before sucking down the drink, a good maraschino cherry provides the same little thrill of delight. And while I still have a soft spot for the neon red cherries of yore, the ones from Luxardo provide a sultry, grown-up take on a childhood classic. 

Gone are the days of opening up a bottle of tonic only to have it deflate, unloved, and unused (since you only really wanted a drink or two). These small cans of tonic reduce waste and have a clean, saline flavor (with that signature touch of sweetness and bitterness). I always have a pack on hand.

Sometimes it’s fun to add a little zhush to your cocktails, and this herb-infused tonic does that with the snap of a tab. I like to add it to gin drinks, or even a simple vermouth and tonic.

Bottles of orange and aromatic bitters are a great starter set, and add a spiced, nuanced round note to Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs (and many, many other classic cocktails).

Fun-Flavored Bitters

1821 Earl Grey Bitters

1821 Earl Grey Bitters
PHOTO: Amazon
$27 at Amazon

While a set of aromatic and orange bitters is essential, I also like to keep some fun bitters on hand for when I’m feeling a little more daring. This has added up to a collection that contains an infrequently used (but cherished) bottle of celery bitters and a collection of 1821 bitters, including a bottle of Earl Grey bitters. They are dusky and lovely, with bergamot at the forefront.

a closeup of two bottles of 1821 bitters

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A vermouth and tonic (with half dry, half sweet vermouth) is one of my go-to, easy-peasy drinks—add a wedge of orange and a skewer of olives, and you’ve got a low-ish ABV spritz in a flash. Not to mention vermouth is a bar staple—you can’t make a Manhattan, Boulevardier, or martini without it. Just make sure that once opened, you store it in the fridge as the flavors can stale. 

I’m not ashamed to admit that I love a good riff on an Aperol Spritz (I like to add grapefruit juice to tone down the herbal sweetness), and this non-alcoholic spirit from Lyre’s makes a great booze-free one. I like to have a bottle of it on hand for lowkey evenings. 

FAQs

What is the best cocktail shaker?

In our review, we named the Boston shakers from Modern Mixologist and Piña Barware the best. I personally like the Koriko shakers from Cocktail Kingdom (which have weighted bottoms). In terms of cobbler shakers, we liked the ones from Cocktail Kingdom and OXO.

What do I need to make a cocktail?

A few king pieces of equipment include shakers, a bar spoon, a strainer (a Hawthorne one or a fine mesh strainer), a jigger (or a tiny measuring cup), and a muddler.  

Why We’re the Experts

  • Grace Kelly is the associate commerce editor at Serious Eats. She's been dirtying her home kitchen by testing gear for nearly three years.
  • Before being a gearhead, she was a prep cook and bartender, as well as an environmental journalist.
  • She has written dozens of reviews for Serious Eats, including petty knives and tinned fish, among others.

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