Never mind the bad luck, Friday the 13th of May is World Cocktail Day! And on this special day in the cocktail calendar, your news feed is likely to be filled with classic cocktail recipes and modern twists, so, rather than add to all that deliciousness we thought we’d offer input on our expert subject, and finally give you an unequivocal answer to the age-old question: “What is the undisputed king/queen of cocktail barware?” Well, we’ve gone one better, and come up with the entire royal family…
Honourable mention:
Cocktail Spoon
Don’t get us wrong, cocktail spoons are absolutely vital pieces of barware, and Beaumont has taken the cocktail spoon to the level of fine art – there just wasn’t room for them on the top table on this occasion. Of course, your cocktail of choice will define where you put the spoon on your personal list – for example, a Negroni should always be stirred, and if your recipe calls for anything fizzy obviously you’re not going to want to shake it!
5. Muddler
Perhaps a controversial pick above the cocktail spoon, we thought it was time for the muddler to have its moment in the sun. The absolute workhorse of the cocktail barware family, the muddler is always plugging away to make all of those delicious syrups that are the building blocks for your creations. If you’re regularly using your muddler, it usually means you’re using fresh ingredients in your cocktails, so that alone makes muddlers deserving of our praise and respect.
4. Strainer
Once the muddler is done plugging away at those delicious ingredients, let’s get real – we need some serious refinement in this cocktail kingdom of ours. Mixology is all about taking the big flavours and mixing them in their purest forms – that’s where strainers come into their own – providing purity, smoothness, great presentation and ultimately, customer satisfaction. It may be in the strainer’s remit to remove the unsightly, but with Beaumont’s range of strainers, they can also add aesthetic features to the bar…
3. Pourer
A free-flowing pourer, apart from being an extremely practical tool, adds a sense of theatre to the bar, flair moves or not. In the right hands, the right pourer keeps the cocktails flowing all night – never making you slow down to make drinks and quite literally keeping the good times flowing. The pourer may be small and, in our estimation, unsung, but it is such a fundamental facilitator of the cocktail bar experience that it had to rank highly in our list.
2. Jigger
A close acquaintance of the pourer – the jigger shares some of the same reasons for being high up this list, e.g. facilitating that speed and smooth experience associated with the cocktail bar. But jiggers get extra marks for being so unique to the cocktail world, in fact, in the UK it’s illegal to use jiggers to make any drinks that aren’t considered cocktails. They add a little aspect of carefree fun compared to the thimble measures used for most other mixed drinks, and an iconic flavour of the speakeasies of the 1920s. Jiggers = elegance, and a skilled practitioner with a jigger in their fingers is tantalising for the eyes, and for the tastebuds. We like jiggers.
1. Shaker
If the jigger and pourer are the supporting actors on the stage that is your front bar, then the shaker is the star of the show. When the ingredients are combined, that’s when the shaker makes its dramatic entrance – ritually lifted by your bartender to their chest/shoulder and shaken with gusto and performance, really bringing the customer into the process – giving them the sense of being treated to something truly special. There’s a reason a shaker is front and centre in the Beaumont logo, a reason that can be summed up in one word – iconic. From the classic charm of a Boston Can, to the style and grace of a French Shaker, to the old-school feel of a Piccolo Shaker, all have their own individual personality and breathe that personality out into the bar area – and for that, the shaker is our undisputed champion of cocktail barware.
