The ability to stir cocktails is a useful skill at all times, but during the time of house parties it is especially precious. Anyone can set up their own minibar; it doesn’t require millions of rubles and a huge kitchen (although you still have to find a place to store alcohol). We tell you what equipment enthusiasts need, how not to make a mistake with their choice, and how to get the least amount of headaches out of your home business.
Masha Vorslav
Book of recipes
IN good books There are not only recipes, but also the history of cocktail making, specific cocktails and drinks. It’s worth studying all this not only to entertain your friends with stories while they are waiting for your cocktail, but also just to clearly understand the nature of the drinks you are dealing with. Co-owner of the Delicatessen bar and Yunost cafe, Vyacheslav Lankin, recommends “The Bartender’s Bible” by Fyodor Evsevsky and “ The Craft of The Cocktail" by Dale DeGroff, and we also recommend "The Essential Bartender's Guide" by Robert Hess - it is informative, but compact enough to always be at hand.
Shaker
Shakers come in two designs. A cobbler is often recommended for beginners: it is smaller (even an inexperienced person can handle it with one hand), and it already has a filter built into it. The Boston shaker is much larger, it does not have a filter, but it is worth getting used to: it comes together faster than an all-metal cobbler, due to the simplicity of its design it cannot jam, and the transparent mixing glass minimizes possible mistakes. There is no need to be tricky with the choice of material: metal is durable and has good thermal conductivity, so you can control the temperature of the drink automatically.
Jigger
Make it a rule not to interfere with your eyes. The simplest steel jigger will be enough: it costs ridiculous money, but it allows you to measure out the correct portion of the drink, and that’s all that’s required of it. Jiggers come in a variety of sizes, with bowls that can hold one and a half, three-quarter, one, or two ounces, for example. In fact, you can get used to any option, so choose a jigger that suits you, and with a little practice, you will understand which combination of volumes is more convenient for you. And then you can buy luxury jiggers with a clear conscience.
Strainer
Most cocktails are designed to be smooth in consistency, so a filter is necessary. In addition, it allows you to keep the ice in the shaker and not pour it into a glass or glass (dodgers can do without a strainer, but let's be realistic). Most convenient option- with a spring, it fits tightly to glasses of different diameters. However, springless strainers can be very impressive, so if beauty comes first for you, you can tinker with them too.
Spoon, corkscrew
and a pusher
Small utensils are just as important as large ones. It’s even awkward to mention a corkscrew, but if you still haven’t acquired a strong and shameless one, it’s time to do it. You'll also need a bar spoon. It has a long handle to mix cocktails even in tall glasses, the handle is spiral-shaped, and the base is often flat: this way, even not the thickest liquid will fall into the stack, slow down thoroughly, and settle in layers. A muddler will also come in handy: for some cocktails you will have to crush herbs, berries or fruits, and it is more convenient to do this with a masher with cloves.
Knives
You will have to cut a lot of fruits, berries and herbs, so it is better to have a separate knife for this and monitor its sharpness. And it’s even better not to skimp on a knife for zesting: it is often used for decoration and aroma, so it should be cut aesthetically and in an even layer. Knives are also different: those that look more like a vegetable peeler will be able to separate large sheets peels, and “brass knuckles” - thin shavings. Most figured knives, by the way, have a special eye for cutting the zest with ribbons.
Glasses
There are never too many glasses, just like bitters, but perhaps three types are really needed. Highballs, or tall glasses, are useful, for example, for tropical cocktails that add a lot of juice, or for carbonated fizz. Negroni and Old Fashioneds are poured into squat, thick-walled rock glasses, and Martinis and Manhattans are poured into V-shaped glasses with legs (you don’t have to remember this right away; recipes usually indicate which glass is needed for a particular cocktail). If tasting is more interesting to you than drinking, liqueur glasses will come in handy: with them, you can treat three or four people to one serving of cocktail at once.
Ice molds
The cocktail should be cold (if it's not a hot cocktail, ok). We suspect that not everyone has the desire to buy an ice maker, so the smartest thing to do is stock up on ice bags. We recommend filling as much freezer space as you can with them: the only thing worse than suddenly running out of ice in the middle of a party is that call from your boss on a Friday night. Perfectionists should pay attention to forms in which the ice freezes in large pieces or balls: this is good
To make a minibar with your own hands, you don’t have to join a club “ Skillful hands" It is enough to use available tools and materials, and add a little imagination. Everything that is created with my own hands– this is always an exclusive item that will take its rightful place in your home collection or will be an excellent gift.
Materials and tools
It is preferable to make a home mini bar exclusively from natural and environmentally friendly safe materials. It is advisable that original design was made of wood. This can be a round log of pine, oak or hornbeam. Basic materials you will also need:
- Genuine Leather;
- velvet fabric;
- piano hinges;
- decorative rivets;
- PVA wood glue;
- ordinary plywood;
- wooden plank 10 mm.
A detailed video on how to make an original and compact minibar can be viewed on our website. You will not need to study any engineering drawings or make complex markings - everything is extremely simple and clear.
Have you decided to create something for your home with your own hands or want to do it for real? original gift friend? Then unusual idea making a home mini bar will come in handy.
First, split wooden log into two identical parts with an axe. Then, using a plane, make inner side the workpiece is completely flat. If you don’t know how to do it yourself, you can join creative process friend. One head is good, but two, as they say, is better.
It is advisable to plan the width of the workpiece according to the bottle and add a few centimeters on each side “in reserve”. The edges need to be processed with a plane and adjusted exactly to 90 degrees. After this, cut the workpiece in half lengthwise. This can be done using a hacksaw or electric jigsaw. All irregularities must be carefully smoothed over with a plane. On next stage markings are made for piano hinges. Making a mini bar with your own hands is not at all difficult if you follow the instructions presented in the video.
Home minibar, like wine cellar at home, this is often not a whim, but a necessity for hospitable hosts who often have guests. It is also worth equipping for true connoisseurs of high-quality alcohol, because the nearest bar does not always have really worthwhile examples. The compactness and at the same time spaciousness of the minibar is its main distinguishing feature.
Why do you need a minibar in the house?
When you hear the word bar, many people imagine a huge stand with high chairs and an entire wall with all kinds of alcoholic drinks. Naturally, there is no point in equipping something like this in a home, and besides, there won’t be enough space. A home minibar for drinks is compact furniture for storing alcohol supplies, and it is often styled to resemble familiar or not so familiar objects in the house. It could be a globe, a barrel. Transformable bars can be turned into a mini stand with a slight movement of the hand.
The models presented in stores are often comfortable low tables on wheels or shelves up to 1.5 m in height. They have special shelves and holders for glasses.
Reasons why you should get a minibar:
- It is compact and most can be easily moved. This allows you to put it even in, without sacrificing useful space.
- The cost is low, even if you buy the materials and assemble a suitable bar for yourself.
- It decorates any home. Brings a touch of originality to the design.
- This alcohol storage system frees up a lot of space in and out, as it is designed specifically for storing bottles, and has suitable shelves for this.
- The presence of such an attribute in the design will give functionality to the interior and will certainly decorate it.
- It symbolizes the richness of style and emphasizes the image of the owners, because ordinary vodka is not served in such bars; it is often something more refined and more expensive.