Our picks

The finest equipment

Links on this page go to Amazon.se. If you buy something through one of them, My Bar Shelf earns a small commission. The price you pay does not change. Every such link is marked Ad.

Ice

Ice is half the drink.

  1. Kidia clear ice cube makerAd

    Directional freezing gives glass-clear 5 cm cubes.

  2. Webake 5 cm cube trays, 2-packAd

    Big square cubes for rocks drinks. Twelve at a time.

  3. FLOW Barware 6 cm sphere moulds, set of 4Ad

    A sphere melts slowest of all. One spirit, one glass.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.

Glassware

One glass per drink family is enough: a coupe or a Nick & Nora for anything served up, a rocks glass for one big cube, a highball for the long ones.

  1. Spiegelau coupette, set of 4Ad

    The right glass for anything served up.

  2. Bormioli Rocco Novecento Nick & Nora, set of 6Ad

    Smaller and steadier than a coupe. Nothing sloshes.

  3. Riedel Drink Specific rocks glass, 2-packAd

    Designed around one 5 cm cube. Old Fashioned, Negroni, whisky.

  4. Spiegelau highball glasses, 4 x 375 mlAd

    Tall and narrow keeps the bubbles in. Gin and tonic, Collins, Mojito.

  5. Spiegelau martini glasses, set of 4Ad

    The V-shape, in thin crystal. For a Martini and little else.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.

Shake and strain

Anything with citrus or egg gets shaken hard and strained twice.

  1. Weighted Boston shaker tinsAd

    Two tins, no glass. Seals fast and never sticks.

  2. Hawthorne strainerAd

    Tight spring, fits the tin. Standard for shaken drinks.

  3. Fine mesh strainerAd

    Double-strain to keep ice shards and pulp out of the coupe.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.

Stir and measure

Spirit-forward drinks are stirred, not shaken, and measured to the millilitre.

  1. Kidia double-wall mixing glassAd

    Stirs a Negroni or Manhattan cold without fast dilution.

  2. Bar spoon, 30 cmAd

    Spiral handle spins between the fingers. Long enough for any glass.

  3. Japanese jigger, 30/60 mlAd

    Inner markings for 15 and 45 ml. The one measure you need.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.

Prep and serve

Fresh juice and a proper twist do more for a drink than any premium bottle.

  1. Manual citrus pressAd

    Fresh lime and lemon are half of every sour.

  2. Victorinox Y-peelerAd

    Wide citrus peels for twists, none of the pith.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.

Reading

Two books that explain why drinks work, not just how to make them.

  1. Liquid IntelligenceAd

    Dave Arnold on ice, dilution and temperature. The technique bible.

  2. Death & Co: Modern Classic CocktailsAd

    500 recipes and the thinking behind a great bar.

Sign in to tick off what you already own.