Bar spoons are terribly important to a bartender, one of the mainstays in the bartenders basic bar toolkit the bar spoon has an interesting variety of uses, depending on the type of bar spoon you opt for of course. Originally designed for the mixing process of bartending, i.e. cocktail stirring, the length and size of the bar spoon ensure it is the best instrument for the job allowing the spoon to get to the bottom of any cocktail tin or jug – where a more traditional spoon may fail and also leave half of your hand submerged.
The many uses of bar spoons
We are sure that everyone understands the basics around how a spoon works, how it is helps and what it is typically used for! However, when it comes to getting behind the bar and mixing drinks bar spoons are often used in a variety of different ways:
- Layering Drinks – A variety of cocktails and a number of cocktail shots quite often use layering to further the appeal of the drink. It takes an element of artistic flair, using the flat side of the spoon a bartender can layer different liquids on top of each other – such as with the well known cocktail shots B-52 and the Slippery Nipple! The spiralled handle can also be used to layer drinks in a way that looks very cool, although it takes more skill to pull off (see the above image).
- Cocktail Stirring – As James Bond has been alluding to for years, some cocktails need to be stirred not shaken and the bar spoon is the perfect tool for this. The long handle of the spoon makes quick and easy work of stirring any cocktail.
- Garnishing Drinks – Fruit is often used to garnish cocktails, and the bar spoon is the perfect tool for removing that extra pulp from fruit garnishes.
- Measuring Ingredients – The bowl on the Beaumont bar spoon is 5ml, which makes it perfect for measuring out bitters or anything else that would need adding to a cocktail in small, controlled amounts.
- Muddling – Two of our bar spoons, the professional bar mixing spoon and the cocktail spoon with masher, both come with a muddler on the opposite end. The muddler is great at mashing up fruit, herbs and spices, and then added to a cocktail very easily using the spoon in a more traditional manner!
The Cocktail Spoon
Modelled on the original bar spoon, the cocktail spoon has the traditional red end and the twisted stem. Still widely used in America this bar spoon does the job, low cost and good value.
The Cocktail Spoon with Masher
The cocktail spoon with masher is very similar to the original cocktail spoon however the plastic red tip is replaced with a more useful masher or layering disc. The circular end can be used to muddle and mash fruit or used to layer drinks when pouring liquid down the spiralled stem.
The Professional Bar Mixing Spoon
The professional bar mixing spoon is Beaumont’s own design. We have tweaked the original bar spoon giving it a tighter spiral and a long and thinner bowl for more control. The disc has also been made slightly smaller to ensure it will fit in all the different types of shot glasses. In our eyes there is no beating the professional bar mixing spoon!
Mezclar Hudson Cocktail Spoon
The Mezclar range is for the most beautiful and most exclusive of our barware at Beaumont, such as the Hudson cocktail spoon. The Hudson cocktail spoon is 450mm long (so longer than your more traditional bar spoons above), which allows the bartender a lot more control over the mixing and stirring of drinks. Furthermore the Hudson cocktail spoon has a flat edge at the opposite end to the spoon, which again is helpful for layering and two hand stirring. Available in the standard stainless steel or the above picture copper plated style, the Hudson cocktail spoon is a great addition to any bar.
Also available is the Collinson cocktail spoon, which is very similar to the Hudson with a more traditional end similar to standard cocktail spoon.
Mezclar Cocktail Spoon with Fork
As the bar spoon has evolved, so has the bar industry as a whole. Within the industry there are a host of new ideas around serving, what to serve, and even a focus on using the most exotic of ingredients in drinks. Alongside these changes, so the need for a cocktail spoon with a fork has arisen.
