Every bar should have essential and adequate equipment and tools to run it smoothly and effectively. Making the drinks like cocktails and mocktails the bartender should have knowledge of using every bar equipment and tools.
Following are the essential equipment and tools list used in the bar.
1. Cocktail shaker
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| Image of the cobbler shaker |
Cocktail shaker is used in bars to mix drinks (like Cocktails, Mocktail) by shaking. It is basically made of stainless steel, plastic, glass.
Ingredients are placed in a sealed shaker such as liquors, syrups, fruit juices, and ice. After vigorously shaking and mixing the drink, shakers allow for easy pouring into the customer glass.
There are three varieties of cocktail shakers are there
A) The Boston shaker: A two-piece shaker consisting of a 28 imp fl oz (800 ml) metal bottom and a 16 imp fl oz (450 ml) mixing container made of plastic, metal, or (more traditionally) glass.
2. Cocktail strainer
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| An image of Hawthorne strainer |
Cocktail strainer is normally used to remove ice from mixed drinks as it is poured into service glass. The strainer is placed over the mouth of the shaker or glass in which drinks were prepared, small holes in the strainer allow only drinks to pass as it is poured into the service glass.
There are two common types of cocktail strainer are there
A) Hawthorne strainer: It is a disc with a handle and two or more stabilizing prongs. A metal spring fixed around the edge of the rim rolls inward to fit inside the glass.
3. Waiter’s friend/Corkscrew
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| Image of Waiter’s friend/corkscrew |
A most popular corkscrew used by service staff with a knife on one side, nick grip on the other side, and a lever in between, the spiral at one end. This is a crossbar-type lever. It requires a strong hand to operate. It should have the perfect shape for operation. It goes out of shape very soon.
Corkscrew is basically used for drawing the corks from wine bottles, it is consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the “worm”) attached to a handle, which the user screws into the cork and pulls to extract it.
3. Wing,s Screw/Geared Wings
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| Wing,s Screw/Geared Wings |
Easy to handle with great mechanical advantage by pressing downwards both the arms. This can be carried in pockets by a wine waiter.
4. T-Shape wooden screw
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| Image of T-Shape wooden screw |
It is very simple, very difficult to use. Mostly the bottle is held within the grip of two knees, forcibly the cork is dragged upward with a loud pop. Spilling is often seen. For red wine with sediments, this cannot be used.
5. Bottle opener
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| Image of crown cork opener |
It is used for the removal of metal bottle caps from the glass bottle.
There are many varieties of bottles opener available in the market
- Crown cork opener
- Speed opener (bar blade)
- Wall-mounted opener
- Multy-opener
6. Thimble measure/Peg measure/Jigger
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| Peg measure/Jigger |
7. Bar spoon
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| Examples of Bar spoon |
It is a long-handled spoon for stirring in mixing bar glass.
8. Muddler
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| Image of Muddler |
A cocktail muddler is an essential bar accessory when striving to make the best drinks. It is used to mash or muddle fruits, herbs, and spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavor.
9. Wine Cradle
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| Image of Wine Cradle |
A wine cradle is basically used to hold the wine bottle as the image showing above,
10. Bench corkscrew
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| Image of Bench corkscrew |
It is bench wise to hold the corkscrew, to hold the corkscrew, then with a piston corkscrew is pushed down and pulled up to extract the cork while going in the corkscrew moves to pierce through the cork but while pulling up its staus stationary and the cork is extracted thus. It is used in the dispense bar.
11. Broken cork extractor
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| Image of Broken cork extractor |
It is like a trident with a handle. When inserted, there is a grip that traps the cork inside and the reverse prongs bites the cork from the bottom. Thus the cork is pulled out.
12. Vegetable knife and chopping board
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| Image of Vegetable knife and chopping board |
A sharp stainless steel knife for cutting citrus fruits as garnishes with a Teflon chopping board with protruding edges to prevent fruit juices from flowing out.
13. Melon baller
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| Image of Melon baller |
Melon ballers are used to make balls of melon from a scoop with a diameter from around 1 centimeter to 3 centimeters (about 3/8 inch to 1 inch).
14. Peeler
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| Image of Peeler |
It is consists of a metal blade with a slot with a sharp edge attached to a handle, used to remove skins of vegetables or fruits, or to create a ribbon of vegetables or fruits.
15. Lemon zester machine (Grater)
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| Image of Lemon zester machine (Grater) |
It is used for peeling lemon and other vegetable skins.
16. Fruit squeezer
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| Fruit squeezer |
Made of glass, plastic stainless steel manually operated, lever-operated, and electrically operated. Fruit squeezes are becoming very important in modern bars as fresh fruits are becoming more popular than ever before.
17. Coasters
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| Image of Coaster |
Coasters have different meanings, one for the bottles made of silver or stainless steel, one for the glasses made of pepper mats or blotting paper. Frequently coasters are supplied by beer products for advertisement.
18. Optics/Optic measure
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| Image of Optic measure |
These are inserted on bottlenecks for smooth flow but some of them have the unique feature of pouring exactly 30 or 60 ml. Every time it is invented on a glass. Better ones, once inverted, intermittently pour a drink exactly the same quantity after a fixed pause. In India, optic measures are neither recognized nor standby excise department and by weight and measure department. However, for mixing cocktails or parties where drinks are sold in turns of bottles, they can be used unofficially.
19. Wine cooler
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| Wine cooler |
Made of glittering silver or barrel-shaped wooden bucket for chilling champagne, white, and rose wines.
20. Ice bucket/Pail
They come in combination with an ice tong and bottom strainer used while serving sprit at the table.
21. Tongs
Tongs are basically used in bars to lift the ice scoop from the bracket into service glass.
22. Ice crushers
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| Image of Ice crushers |
For crushing ice when needed to prepare cocktails or mocktails such as mojito.
23. Ice cube making machine
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| Image of Ice cube making machine |
For a bar small machine is suitable with continuous production as cubes are made and stored for long, assimilate on each other and become lumpy. There are different shapes of ice cubes. In modern bars cubes are replaced with pellet-shaped ice.
24. Ice scoop
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| Image of Ice scoop |
Ice scoops are used for a variety of ice handling tasks. An ice scoop can be used to fill glassware with ice on the buffet line or at the bar.
25. Iceboxes
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| Image of Iceboxes |
For storing broken and shaved or readymade ice cubes.
26. Refrigerator
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For storing fruits, vegetables, juices, syrups, cream, cheese, egg yolk, egg white, dry fruits, milk, sauces.
27. Wine chiller
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| Image of Wine chiller |
Refrigerated bottle holders with regulated temperature for champagne, white and rose wine, beer.
28. Tobacco cupboard or Humidor
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| Image of Humidor |
For storing cigars, cigarettes, and other tobacco products.
29. Cigar cutter
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| Image of Cigar cutter |
It is used to cut one end off a cigar so that it could be smoked properly.
30. Ashtray
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| Image of Ashtray |
An ashtray is a receptacle for ash from cigarettes and cigars.
31. Rimmer
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| Image of Rimmer |
Rimmer is used to apply sugar and salt to the rim of a glass. It usually consists of one or more shallow plastic or metal discs that the glass is turned upside down into.
32. Champagne stopper
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| Champagne stopper |
It is made of stainless steel, it is basically used to seal the champagne bottle immediately after it is opened, it creates a tight seal on the bottle. The seal gets tighter as the gas from the wine pushes against it.
33. Funnel and strainer
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| Image of Funnel and strainer |
Both are used for straining juices or pouring liquid from one container to the other.
34. Bar mat
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| Image of Bar mat |
Drinks are prepared on this mat to prevent spills and protect the wet glasses from the surface of the bar. It is made of thick and heavy rubber, as they are small in size easy to wash in the basin.
35. Glass washing machine
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| Image of Glass washing machine |
Glass washing machine is used to wash the bar glasses after use them.
36. Ice trough with drainer
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| Image of Ice trough with drainer |
37. Sink unit
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| Image of Sink unit |
38. Spirits dispenser
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| Spirits dispenser |
39. Swizzle stick
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| Image of Swizzle stick |
40. Cocktail stick
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| Cocktail stick |
41. Straws
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| Straws |
42. Cleaning equipment
i) Dishcloth: Sanitized and dried before use
ii) Swabs
iii) Dispense cloth
iv) Glass cloth made of linen to prevent lint from spreading on the glass.
v) Brushes Soft brushes for cleaning glasses without scratching and hard brushes for cleaning washbasin and sinks.
vi) Woolen mops for cleaning floors
vii) Service cloth/Waiter,s cloth
viii) Cleaning material: Water, soap, detergent, abrasives, solvent, polishes, and bleaches.
ix) Dustpan and brush.
43. Types of glassware used in bar
- Cocktail glass
- Brandy balloon/snifter
- Beer mug
- Champagne flute
- Champagne Tulip
- Champagne sauce
- Collins glass
- Cooler glass
- cordial glass
- Highball
- Margarita
- Old-fashioned
- Rocks
- Sherry
- Port,
- Red Wine glass
- white wine glass
- Lager/pilsner
For more about glassware please visit: Different types of glassware used in food and beverage service
