The essentials are five tools — a shaker, a jigger, a strainer, a bar spoon and good ice — plus two glass shapes and four bottles. That covers roughly 90% of classic cocktails. Everything else is refinement.
The short version
Tick these off as you go — this page remembers.
Most "home bar essentials" lists are a shopping list with everything on it. This one is the short version, in the order it's worth buying, with an honest note on what you can leave out entirely.
The five tools
- A shakerEither a Boston (two tins, what bars use, needs a separate strainer) or a cobbler (three pieces, strainer built in, easier to start with). If you only buy one and expect to keep going, buy the Boston.
- A jiggerUK recipes assume 25ml and 50ml, so a double-ended jigger marked with both covers nearly everything. This is the single most under-rated tool — cocktails are ratios, and eyeballing them is why home drinks taste different every time.
- A strainerA Hawthorne, with the coiled spring, does shaken and stirred.
- A bar spoonLong enough to reach the bottom of a mixing glass, twisted so it turns smoothly between your fingers.
- IceNot a tool exactly, but it does more work than most of the bottles: it chills and it dilutes, and both change the drink.
Buy them as a set, not separately
Five tools bought individually cost more than the same five in a box, and a set guarantees the pieces fit each other — a Boston tin and its strainer have to match, and a mismatched pair lets ice through into the glass. The one thing to check before buying any set is the measure: cheaper sets pad the piece count with garnish picks and swap the jigger for a plain shot glass, which is the substitution worth rejecting. Count the genuinely useful items rather than the number printed on the box. Once you know which tools you actually reach for — for most people it's the shaker and the jigger, because those two are used in every single drink — upgrade those individually and leave the rest.
Two glass shapes, not six
You need something stemmed for drinks served without ice, and something short and heavy for drinks over ice. A coupe or Nick & Nora covers the first; a rocks glass covers the second. Between them they serve Martinis, Daiquiris, Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Negronis and anything neat. Add a highball third if you drink a lot of gin and tonic or anything topped with mixer, because neither of the other two holds enough liquid or keeps fizz well. What's genuinely not worth it early on is buying half-sets of six different shapes: two full sets of four serve eight people, six half-sets of two serve nobody properly. The classic V-shaped Martini glass is the most skippable of the common shapes — a coupe does the same job and tips over far less.
Four bottles to start
A gin or vodka, a whisky or aged rum, a vermouth, and a citrus. That's enough for a Martini, a Negroni-shaped drink, an Old Fashioned, a Daiquiri and a long drink with mixer. Add a bitters bottle — it lasts years and changes more drinks than any spirit you could buy with the same money. Two honest notes. Vermouth is wine: once opened it goes off, so keep it in the fridge and don't buy a big bottle unless you drink it often. And a mid-priced spirit in a well-made drink beats an expensive one poured badly, so if the budget is split between a better bottle and a better jigger, buy the jigger.
What you can skip
- A muddler, unless you drink Mojitos or Juleps — the end of a wooden spoon works for the occasional one.
- A mixing glass, until you're stirring regularly; a shaker or any sturdy glass will do.
- Clear ice kitGenuinely niche: it matters if you drink whisky over one big cube, and not at all if you drink long mixed drinks.
- Novelty toolsSmokers, skull strainers and engraved kit are fun and they work, but they're an addition to a working bar rather than a substitute for one.
- A shot glass as a measureIt isn't one — it has no markings and no standard volume.
Essential, useful, or skip
| Item | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shaker | Essential | Used in nearly every drink you'll make |
| Jigger, 25/50ml | Essential | Cocktails are ratios — this is the tool that gets them right |
| Hawthorne strainer | Essential | Handles both shaken and stirred |
| Bar spoon | Essential | Stirring and layering; nothing else does the job well |
| Ice, and a way to hold it | Essential | Chills and dilutes — affects the drink more than most bottles |
| Coupe + rocks glass | Essential | Two shapes cover almost every classic |
| Muddler | Useful | Only if you drink Mojitos, Juleps or anything muddled |
| Mixing glass | Useful | Once you stir more than you shake |
| Fine mesh strainer | Useful | For muddled drinks and egg white |
| Insulated ice bucket | Useful | Matters as soon as you're serving more than yourself |
| Clear ice mould | Skip at first | Niche — only for spirits over one large cube |
| Six glass shapes | Skip | Two full sets beat six half-sets |
| Shot glass as a measure | Skip | No markings, no standard volume |
What this guide talks about
Common questions
What are the essentials for a home bar?
Five tools — a shaker, a jigger, a strainer, a bar spoon and good ice — plus two glass shapes and about four bottles. That combination makes roughly 90% of classic cocktails. A stemmed glass covers drinks served without ice and a short heavy glass covers drinks over ice. Buy the tools as a set rather than individually; it costs less and the pieces are guaranteed to fit together.
What is the most important bar tool?
The jigger, more often than the shaker. Cocktails work on ratios between spirit, sugar and acid, and a drink that's meant to be 50ml of gin to 25ml of lemon simply doesn't taste right if you pour 40ml one time and 65ml the next. A shaker with no measure gives you a different drink every time; a measure with an improvised shaker still gives you the drink you intended.
Do I need a cocktail shaker to make cocktails at home?
Not strictly. A lidded jam jar shakes a drink perfectly well, and a large proportion of classic cocktails — Old Fashioneds, Negronis, Manhattans — are stirred rather than shaken anyway. What you lose without a proper shaker is a reliable seal and an easy way to strain. It's a fine way to find out whether you enjoy making drinks before spending anything.
How many bottles do I need for a home bar?
Four is a working start: a gin or vodka, a whisky or aged rum, a vermouth and a citrus, plus a bottle of bitters. That covers a Martini, an Old Fashioned, a Daiquiri, a Negroni-style drink and anything long with mixer. Remember vermouth is wine — keep it in the fridge once opened and buy a small bottle unless you drink it regularly.
Is it cheaper to buy a cocktail set or individual tools?
A set, almost always. The same five tools bought one at a time cost more than they do boxed together, and a set guarantees the shaker and strainer fit each other. The catch is that you take whatever measure and strainer the set includes. Check the contents rather than the piece count — cheaper sets swap the jigger for a plain shot glass, which is the one substitution worth rejecting.
How this guide was put together
- Where the figures come fromSizes, capacities and measures are taken from manufacturer specifications and from UK trade price lists, not from other people’s articles. Where a supplier does not state a dimension, this guide says so rather than estimating it.
- What is fact and what is judgementAnything with a number behind it is checked. Anything phrased as what usually works, or what most bars settle on, is our opinion from running this shop and talking to the people who buy from it — and it is written to be argued with.
- What we sell, and what we do notWe stock most of what is described here and we say so plainly. Nothing on this page is a paid placement, and no manufacturer has approved, sponsored or seen it.
- When it was last checkedReviewed on 31 August 2026. Prices and availability move; if something here has gone out of date, tell us and we will fix the page rather than leave it.