The Best Bartender Kit & Mixology Sets for Crafting Show-Stopping Cocktails

The Best Bartender Kit & Mixology Set for Show-Stopping Cocktails

In the realm of mixology, one's bartender kit is an extension of themselves. Choosing the right bartending set, one with the right tools, can make all the difference between a decent drink and a memorable libation. It makes bartending at home a fun and personalised experience. Discover 15 unique home bar ideas, designs and concepts. Turn your home into a bar enthusiast's paradise with our DIY bar plans. Learn the ropes of bar management with these expert tips.

The Best Bartending Kits to Make Classy Cocktails

Home Bartending Kits

A home bartending kit should include the basics: a shaker, strainer, jigger, and oftentimes, a bar spoon and muddler. Beginning with a cocktail starter kit provides the tools to create basic drinks and the confidence needed to try riskier ones.

Cocktail Kingdom Essential Cocktail Set
This essential set is long-lasting and made of stainless steel for a timeless look. It contains a shaker set, strainer, mixing glass, spoon, and Japanese jigger. While its contents are high-quality, the set is on the high end of the price spectrum at around $113.00.

OXO SteeL 7-Piece Bartender Kit
This 7-piece set is for those who already have a shaker but need bar tools for more labour-intensive drinks. It includes a small cutting board, useful for fruit and garnishes, and a knife, stirring spoon, bottle opener, and jigger. It's also priced to last at around $99.00.

Barillio Elite Cocktail Shaker Set
Barillio has created a beginner bartender kit for the low, priced at just $10.00. With a shaker-strainer, spoon, muddler, jigger, and pourers, this kit is more than enough to get a novice started, and it's dishwasher-safe.

Deluxe Bartender Kits

Intermediate and advanced home bartenders who want to up their game need the tools to do so. High end bar sets include a broader range of instruments and typically have a unique style or design to them. They may also come with a case or stand, assuming frequent use.

Mixology & Craft Bartender Kit
Mixology & Craft makes functional yet visually appealing barware. Their various sets come in black, silver, and copper, and include chic wooden stands. Many sets include a small cocktail card book for recipe inspiration.

Barfly Deluxe Barware Set
A more exhaustive mixology bartender kit is the Barfly Deluxe Set. It includes less common tools like a fruit zester, various peelers, and an ice pick. This set is by far the most complete.

Cocktail Emporium Gunmetal Bar Tool Set
Made with stainless steel and a gunmetal finish, this set is tasteful, to say the least. While it lacks nothing in the looks category, its contents are pretty basic: a shaker, strainer, dual-sided jigger, and bar spoon.

Travel Bartender Kit

For those who enjoy making cocktails for friends whether on vacation or at a relaxed get-together, a travelling bartender kit might be better suited. Conveniently stored in an apron or lunch-box-type container, these sets are like a mixologist's handy toolbox.

Viski Professional Travel Bar Tools Set
Wrapped up in a professional canvas bag, this portable bartender kit provides the convenience of bartending on the go. It contains the basics, a shaker, strainer, muddler, bar spoon, double-jigger, and bottle opener.

W&P Carry-On Cocktail Kit
W&P brings a new meaning to portable bartender kits. These handy tins contain all the ingredients for a cocktail - all you have to add is the alcohol. Their Old Fashioned cocktail kit has bitters, cane sugar, and a petite muddler/spoon and jigger.

Crate & Barrel Travel Bar
This travel bar looks more like a briefcase or lockbox. It fits your alcohol, glasses, and tools, so you can arrive fully prepared no matter where you're going or what they have on hand.

Professional Bartender Kit

Professional bartenders have no choice but to invest in the most durable, long-lasting bar tools set they can find. The best bar set is not only sturdy but has every tool you could be called upon to use. No mixologist wants to deny a customer a drink just because they don't have the right equipment.

Urban Bar Professional Bartender Kit
Urban Bar makes barware in craft designs and the highest quality. Their cocktail-making equipment in particular is durable enough for professional use and incredibly stylistic.

Modern Mixologist Professional Bartending Kit
Modern Mixologists make some of the best cocktail sets by bartenders, for bartenders. They offer simple, no-frills bar tool sets designed to do the job right and last a long time. While these kits are strong enough for daily use, they don't include the more rare tools.

Rabbit Stainless Steel Bar Tool Set - Professional Collection
Rabbit's kit is a unique one. Its zester can yield three different kinds of shavings and the shaker looks more like a thermos, but it has the tools to get the job done. Because it doesn't include everything a bartender might need like a smoker or an absinthe spoon, you may need to supplement it.

Molecular Mixology Kit

Molecular mixology is a branch of molecular gastronomy, a scientific approach to cooking that uses scientific techniques to create innovative and artistic dishes. Bartenders using this kit can experiment with the textures, appearances, and flavours of drinks in a way that pushes the boundaries of traditional bartending.

Molecule-R Cocktail R-EVOLUTION Kit
The Molecule-R Cocktail R-EVOLUTION Kit allows bartenders to play with cocktail presentations using the processes of spherification, emulsification, and gelification. Create a Gin and Tonic with caviar pearls, a Cosmo with a yolk-like lime aspect, or an encapsulated Cuba Libre that bursts in your mouth.

The kit includes molecular ingredients like food additives, emulsifiers, gelling agents, and flavourings that allow users to manipulate each ingredient. Using pipettes, silicone moulds, and more, mixologists can create next-level molecular cocktails and totally out-of-this-world flavour experiences. This mixology set will certainly elevate any bar and provide a sure source for word-of-mouth buzz.

Upgrade Your Mixology Kit with Nitro Cold Brew

Nitro cold brew, nitrogen gas-infused cold brew coffee, provides a smooth, creamy texture and a cascading effect when poured. It's becoming more and more popular in home bartender kits and behind professional bars for many reasons:

• Nitro cold brew enhances the flavours of not only the coffee used but the surrounding ingredients.
• Tiny nitrogen bubbles rising and settling in the glass create a fun visual display and aesthetic appeal to cocktail presentation.
• Nitro cold brew adds a velvety, creamy texture to cocktails, similar to a Guinness beer. Drinkers enjoy the sensation over traditional coffee ingredients.

Nitro Cold Brew Machines

BROOD lets you nitro-infuse any beverage for a consistently smooth, stunning pour every time. Suitable for both professionals and home bartenders, BROOD machines are the perfect way to finish off any bartending tool kit.

DRNX
DRNX is our powerful nitro-infuser that empowers users to make nitro beverages with ease. Its sleek and space-saving design makes it compatible for use at home or in a storefront serving customers. Use it as an espresso martini machine, cold brew machine, or to spruce up any beverage. Cocktail connoisseurs know that it's as essential as any professional bar tools if you want to make smooth, buttery cocktails every time.

DRNX DUO
Outfitted with two taps to serve double the customers, the DRNX DUO is the world’s fastest nitro infusion system. Switch between nitro and regular using the same spout and serve up to five ice-cold drinks in just 60 seconds. Bartenders, you'll appreciate the double spout - once customers taste the difference they'll be back for seconds.

DRNX BRW
DRNX BRW is our nitro cold brew dispenser equipped with self-contained atmospheric nitrogen tanks. Its small size makes it perfect for home operations and commercial establishments, no matter how much counter space you're limited to. With easy setup and straightforward usage, DRNX BRW is the only way to finish off the best bar sets and make the perfect coffee cocktails.

No Need for Nitrogen Cartridges

Most nitro machines require unsightly wiring, tanks, and external components that take up precious counter space and storage. BROOD machines have self-contained reservoirs, eliminating the need for external tanks and bulky cables. This means the smallest coffee shops and homeowners can brew their own nitro beverages without compromising quality or space. The best cocktail kits for enjoying nitro cold brew at home are from BROOD.

Cold Brew Dispensing Tools

If you add a cold brew machine to your bartender tool kit, you'll need the corresponding instruments that go with it. Depending on the system, accessories include drip trays, towers, cold brew kegs, or nitrogen tanks. With BROOD, everything you need comes in or on your machine, so you don't have to worry about confusing setups or replacement tanks. This means you can serve a creamy delicious beverage with the cascading visual without interruption.

Choosing the Best Bartender Kits for Your Need

The mixology kit you choose should be based on your preferences and what it will be used for. A novice making drinks for themselves every once in a while can get a different bartender kit than someone taking their tools to work with them on the weekends.

Skill Level and Experience
Beginners require only the most essential tools while the seasoned mixologist probably wants advanced tools to zest fruit, pour absinthe, or smoke an Old Fashioned.

Cocktail Variety
Basic cocktail kits are designed with the most popular drinks in mind. Others include specialised equipment for more unique drinks.

Portability
Portable bartender sets kits usually include travel-sized elements and collapsible tools. They also come with a handy container to hold everything during transport.

Budget
Consider your price range before shopping - what do you need and what could you do without?

What Every Home Bartender Should Have

A fully-functional bar toolkit contains:

• Shaker: Two stainless steel cups of differing sizes or one with a capped lid - non negotiable for any bartender starter kit.
• Mixing glass: Used for stirred cocktails like an Old fashioned or Sazerac, mixing glasses are typically spouted and with a crystal-lined pattern.
• Jigger: Use this to measure out each ingredient.
• Bar spoon: Elongated and narrow with a lip at the end for easy spinning.
• Strainer: Use this to separate the ice and debris from the cocktail itself. Most mixology kits come with Hawthorne Strainers.
• Muddler: Muddlers are used for crushing fruit and sugar, commonly for mojitos, caipirinhas, and smashes.
• Citrus juicer: Every cocktail needs a citrus component, and hand-squeezing is too time-consuming.
• Ice tray or ice mold: You'll probably have to buy this part separately from the cocktail mixing set, but every cocktail needs ice!

What to Look for When Choosing a Bartender Kit

Other than individual tools, you'll want to keep an eye on these factors when comparing bar tool sets. These will be more relevant for professional bartenders than at-home mixologists, but they're important to think about nonetheless. 

• Capacity: This determines the number of ingredients or beverages that can be prepared or stored at a given time. You don't want your supplies holding you back or limiting the number of customers you can serve.
• Material: Are the materials durable or scratch-proof? Most bartending kits are stainless steel because it's A)timeless and B)resistant to stains and scratches. A colourful set may look cool, but no one wants paint flecks in their drink.
• Weight: Your tools should be durable yet lightweight for easy use. If they're too heavy, they'll slow you down.
• Ergonomics: Ergonomic handles, grips, and weight distribution can prevent discomfort, allowing you to focus on your craft without unnecessary physical strain.
• Compatibility: Make sure the equipment works together harmoniously for a smoother, more streamlined process.
• Ease of cleaning: Dishwasher-safe tools are preferred, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker. Many cocktail ingredients can be cleaned easily with soap and water.
• Aesthetics: Are the tools aesthetically appealing? Do they match? Do they look out of place at your home?

How to Maintain Your Bartender Kit

Proper storage and cleaning of your cocktail mixing set are essential for maintaining its quality and longevity. Here are a few expert tips to help you store and clean your barware effectively.

1. Wash with soap and water after each use. Hand wash when possible to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. Even if it's labelled dishwasher-safe, handwashing is more gentle and unstainable.
2. After washing, fully dry with a clean towel or allow tools to air dry. Storing wet barware invites bacteria and could negatively affect the taste of your drinks.
3. Store tools in their designated cases or stands in a well-aerated space.
4. Polish stainless steel equipment with a polishing rag after drying.
5. Avoid cleaning with harsh chemicals. They may corrode the tools and cause colour changes.

By following these tips for storing and cleaning your barware, you'll ensure that your best bartender kit lasts and continues to serve you well.

Conclusion

With a plethora of bartender kits flooding the market, we hope this article helps you find the one that truly stands out as the best mixology set for your skillset and preferences.

Consider factors like your skill level, cocktail choices, portability, and budget when making your choice. You'll find yourself creating remarkable libations, including the captivating world of nitro cocktail recipes. Elevate your mixology skills with the best nitro cold brew machines from BROOD and toast to extraordinary drinks! Ready to dive into the world of bar ownership? Read our guide on how to open a bar.