Do You Really Need A Bar Spoon For Better Cocktails?

Who doesn't love a good cocktail? From American classics like Manhattans and martinis, to Italian gems like a summery Aperol spritz or the late Anthony Bourdain's favorite, a negroni – whatever your taste is, there's bound to be one for you (even if it's a mocktail). When it comes to making cocktails at home, though, you might assume that you need all sorts of specialized (and expensive) gear. But that doesn't have to be the case! Take the bar spoon, for example — you know, that teaspoon-looking thing with a super long, spiraled handle. It's an essential tool for professional bartenders and mixologists, but do you really need one at home?

To find out, we asked Brian Evans, Co-owner and Beverage Director at New York's legendary Hotel Chelsea who has a hack that skips the spoon. "I've learned from my practical home-bartending that chopsticks work like a charm — they actually glide quite a bit easier than your traditional bar spoons," he shared. There are, however, certain advantages to the traditional bar spoon that using chopsticks won't provide. "Bar spoons are ultimately ideal for the ease of tasting as you stir — and the measure of the spoon itself can come in handy for minimal, on-the-fly measurements of sweeteners and modifiers in old-fashioned style drinks." Ultimately, though, you don't absolutely need one, you just might have to get creative with what you already own!

While a bar spoon might make things like measuring ingredients on the fly slightly easier, at the end of the day, you can always use a combination of different options you likely already own (such as chopsticks and a teaspoon). But it goes without saying that certain bar tools do make life easier when you're mixing drinks at home. We asked expert Brian Evans what his picks were for absolute essentials. "Some kind of measuring tool is ideal — preferably a 1-ounce/2-ounce jigger with smaller measurement lines within each side," he said. "This obviously helps with consistency for replicability." So if you really nail a recipe for your favorite cocktail, you'll be able to make it just like that, again and again!

"A shaker-tin set is another must-have," according to Evans. Certainly, if you want to shake up a classic vesper martini, à la James Bond, it's something you can't skip. Having a shaker will open you up to a whole world of new at-home cocktail possibilities — think iconic drinks like daiquiris and margaritas, as well as slightly more obscure choices like a mezcal-based El Guapo. Finally, Evans recommended investing in a cubed ice tray — "using uniformly larger ice makes for the best sense of controlled dilution in your cocktailing journeys." Once again, it seems greater precision makes for better, more consistent at-home drinks.