This Episode is an overview of the gear that you NEED in order to make cocktails properly from home.
This Episode is an overview of the gear that you NEED in order to make cocktails properly from home.
John Vieira (00:14):
Hi, and welcome to the housemade podcast. Today we're going to talk about home bartending gear, what you need, what you don't and what you might want to buy in the future, depending on how much you get into it.
Nick Boban (00:27):
Yeah. So essentially this episode is all about what's the minimum amount of shit that you can purchase to actually bartend at home.
John Vieira (00:36):
Yeah. Minus the booze.
Nick Boban (00:38):
Yeah, minus the booze, because you're going to need a lot of that. If you're anything like us, it's a bottle in your mouth and a bottle in the Jigger.
John Vieira (00:44):
Right. And, uh, you know, you need to practice these things as well. So practice makes perfect. And that includes drinking. So...
Nick Boban (00:50):
It does, so, okay. So minimum amount of shit that you need, right. There's probably what four items, five items that we need. I'd say probably four. Right? Okay. So we're talking about, um, shaker, Jigger, strainer, spoon. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Minimum amount, because you can use your shaker, uh, to stir in as well and you should, because it works a lot better. We'll get into that in a second. Uh, you gotta have a jigger, cause if you don't have a jigger, uh, your cocktail is gonna taste like shit. You can free pour, but it's not going to turn out good, I promise you. I mean, you need a strainer because your tin doesn't have a strainer on it. You could use your hands depending on what you're doing, I guess. Uh, and then the spoon, that's really one of the only utensils that's not already in your kitchen somewhere.
John Vieira (01:39):
Yeah. Super specialized. You can't just like pull a tablespoon out of your drawer and get the job done. At that point you may as well have not stirred it, cause you're gonna have so many air bubbles and going on...
Nick Boban (01:52):
Yeah, it'd probably be better if you just like held the ice cube and let it melt into your glass...
John Vieira (01:56):
Which is technically an option. I've done that.
Nick Boban (02:00):
Uh, okay. So backing up to shaker stuff, right? So there's a couple different kinds of shakers out there. There's there's really like, there's probably three main kinds. Okay. Yeah. So there's a Boston shaker, which everybody's seen, it's got the pint glass and the metal thing, a lot of the, like, you know, homestead bars around here, they got the rubbery grip on the metal side and it's like a pint glass. And sometimes it's got lines and stuff on them.
John Vieira (02:26):
Every college bar you've ever gone to. That's what they use.
Nick Boban (02:29):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then there's cobbler shakers, right? That's what they're called?
John Vieira (02:33):
I like the, uh, the kind of the old school ones. I think...
Nick Boban (02:37):
The eighties, they're the flair bartender bullshit ones you throw around.
John Vieira (02:40):
The James Bond special. It's the one that has the little nipple looking cap.
Nick Boban (02:46):
Well, it's got a built-in strainer. Yeah. So it's got the strainer and size three piece, but it has a cap over that. Yeah.
John Vieira (02:52):
Or funnel so that when you're shaking, it doesn't go everywhere.
Nick Boban (02:55):
But here's the deal. In your kitchen, lids, Tupperware lids. What happens to those? They're always gone.
John Vieira (03:02):
They're gonna, you're gonna misplace it for sure. You may find it again, but you may not. Also, they're kind of hard to open, uh, especially after you've had a couple of drinks, all of these things that we're going to talk about are going to get harder. So you need to have care that allows you to at least, uh, operate efficiently while you're making these drinks.
Nick Boban (03:23):
And then what, what's the, uh, what's the third one? Is it that peruvian one?
John Vieira (03:25):
Uh, yeah. I think it's how you say it. I can't remember I think it's peruvian shaker.
Nick Boban (03:32):
Yeah. I think you're right. Anyways. It's a two-piece shaker too, but it's more like hourglass shape and they fit together very tightly which is awesome. But it's also the downfall because you can't break them apart.
John Vieira (03:45):
Yeah. They're way less common. They look cool. They're very sleek. They're like the Tesla of, uh, cocktail shakers. Yeah. They're not really even an option for most home bartenders because they tend to be more expensive too. They're kinda like works of art. So yeah...
Nick Boban (04:03):
Okay. So most people, I think though, when they're going to the store looking for a shaker, they're gonna find plastic or metal cobbler shaker. So it's three piece with the little strainer built in, which does seem like a good idea at the time, but it doesn't work very well.
John Vieira (04:17):
No, it doesn't filter out very much stuff. Uh, as far as strainers go and also you can't break it apart. You can't break it apart, but you also can't fit very much stuff. Oh yeah. It's like a single cocktail shaker. Yeah.
Nick Boban (04:31):
That's what you usually find at like Bed Bath and Beyond and Target and like all that kind of stuff. Sometimes the liquor stores...
John Vieira (04:37):
I've seen big ones that you could technically fit two drinks in, but they're so ridiculously, comically huge that like...
Nick Boban (04:46):
I've seen one, I think it was at Bed Bath and Beyond a cobbler shaker. And it had different, had the drink risks on the side and you could like turn the bottom of it.
John Vieira (04:54):
The funny thing about that is that those recipes are not even correct so... They had stuff like cosmopolitan. Right. Which is a great drink, honestly. Uh, I I'm a dude and I'm going to tell you how much I like this pink drink and I there's no shame in it, but the recipe that's on that shaker is not the recipe you want to do.
Nick Boban (05:15):
Okay. So, okay. So then Boston shaker. So Boston shaker, I think, is what we would advocate for as the shaker to buy, but not the glass topped ones nowadays they make actually a tin on tin Boston shaker. For sure, It's the industry standard by far. And so, and so it's like a, it's a 18 ounce side, which is your small side. And it's like a 28 ounce or 26 ounce side, which is your big side and they fit together. And depending on your cocktail, you can fit almost three cocktails into that shaker.
John Vieira (05:46):
Yeah. True. Depending on the overall volume, uh, some drinks just have a lot more volume to them, especially anything that has an egg white. You're talking about an entire extra ounce of just the egg white going in there. Uh, that's a whole different topic. We'll get into that later, but I'd say on average, you're looking at very easily fitting two cocktails per tin. Oh yeah. And they're awesome. So even if you only own one of them, you can still crank out two at a time, two at a time at least.
Nick Boban (06:09):
Yeah. And they're not very expensive. Those tin on tin ones. I think they're like 6 bucks for the small one, 8 bucks for the big ones. I mean you're sub $20, shit you're sub $15 for the set.
John Vieira (06:20):
Yeah. The price varies. Um, depending on where you buy it from and the quality, but even the lowest quality are better than a pint glass. They're pretty like, I mean, relatively durable...
Nick Boban (06:34):
Well especially for home use, right? Cause like if you drop a pint glass on the ground, it's going to break. But if you drop the metal piece on the ground is just going to Tang around.
John Vieira (06:44):
Yeah. It's going to notify all your guests that you are approaching inebriation. Um, yeah, no. So, so here's the thing. Um, there's a few different options. We've got a few brands, uh, that we kind of endorse if you will. Things that we use at the bar professionally, but also, you know, stuff that just works really good in any setting. And it kind of depends on what you're after. So we've got a few options here, one of which, um, probably makes the best quality stuff and very reasonable prices. Uh, we're going to go for Pina here. They're a brand that can be found on Amazon.
Nick Boban (07:22):
Actually exclusively on Amazon. I tried to buy stuff straight off their website and it just redirects you to Amazon. It's kind of, I think it's silly. I kind of maybe understand why they do it, but I was, I wanted to cut out the middleman and just give those guys money because I liked them a lot and they just made me go to Amazon.
John Vieira (07:41):
Well, I mean, that's fine at least, I mean, you're going to get like two day shipping...
Nick Boban (07:46):
Um, but yeah, so Pina stuff, super awesome quality. Um, their shaker tins aren't my favorite because they are so thick.
John Vieira (07:55):
They're super heavy duty.
Nick Boban (07:57):
Like you usually like these metal on metal tins, you can like push them together and they lock really good and almost the tins will flex together. And they'll like kind of almost distort when you get them really locked in really nice. Those Pina ones are such a thick stainless steel that, uh, they don't distort. You can get them locked together. The problem is, once you get them locked together, you can't get them apart.
John Vieira (08:22):
They're really hard to break cause there's no flex at all.
Nick Boban (08:25):
Yeah. And so then even when you hit it with your hand and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. I, I've bruised the Palm of my hands so many times with those Pina shakers.
John Vieira (08:32):
So, okay. So interestingly enough, even though Pina is kind of our favorite brand, uh, this is the one category where maybe it's not... I don't know that I would recommend it as my top choice. Uh, here's two other options for you. Uh, and they're both pretty solid. It depends on like, you know, they offer different finishes and stuff like that. So it depends on what you want. Um, obviously the resource that I know of in the United States, at least for this kind of stuff is Cocktail Kingdom out of New York. Um,
Nick Boban (09:02):
Well, they're amazing. Did you, did you know that they have a super-crazy, extensive, uh, cocktail library as well? Yeah. Like book library.
John Vieira (09:12):
Like a physical library?
Nick Boban (09:14):
It's phenomenal. I didn't know that. Oh, it's crazy. And so they're actually really cool because they model all of their bar gear off of the early 1800s, uh, depictions and out of these books and old bar tools. Like they're, they recreate old bar stuff, which is awesome.
John Vieira (09:33):
That's definitely cool. I mean, it makes sense looking at their product line, it's like, everything's really, really aesthetically pleasing and it's sexy. I mean, they have, they also have, so like I was saying, they have these different, uh, finishes available too. So if you're like decking out your, your home bar and you want like all copper stuff or whatever, I mean, they've got you covered every component. If you get it off from them is going to be the same color of, uh, brass or gunmetal or whatever, you know, the scheme is you're going for, which is kind of nice because when you look at the Pina stuff, they're really awesome. But you're talking about stainless steel only. There's no color variation, that's it. Uh, so yeah, Cocktail Kingdom is cool. They have great stuff. Uh, and the Koriko tins are actually the ones that we've used since day one at the bar.
Nick Boban (10:22):
They were the first tins, that was the first tin set that I actually ever bought. I think that was like...
John Vieira (10:26):
To be honest with you, I love them.
Nick Boban (10:31):
I think that was like 2012. I bought my first tin set from those guys.
John Vieira (10:35):
When did those guys even like open up shop?
Nick Boban (10:37):
I think it was, I'd have to look, but it would have been like mid 2000s. Yeah. Okay. Probably. Um, okay. So, okay then. And then Barfly.
John Vieira (10:45):
Yeah. Barfly is the last one.
Nick Boban (10:48):
They're harder to find cause they're industry specific. Uh, so they go through like places like bar greens, which most people, I mean, general population can shop at bar greens, but it's, it's not one that's easily accessible.
John Vieira (11:01):
I don't think you'll necessarily find...
Nick Boban (11:03):
You can find some of their stuff on like, uh, Amazon and whatnot though.
John Vieira (11:08):
I haven't had too much luck finding their stuff. So I mean, maybe it's out there. I haven't really looked that much, but anyway, I'd say basically generally speaking, those are going to be 3 brands you're after, and then if you're just shopping on Amazon or whatever other site you're on, there might be some other brands that we're not mentioning here that I don't even know about. Uh, and it might be fine, but just read the reviews is the biggest thing, because you know, if they're not any good people will let you know. And especially for a comparable price, maybe a dollar or two cheaper than some of these options, you might be better off just getting one of these because if you're anything like me, you're going to get a lot of use out of it. Yeah. Okay. So shaker, tins, shakers. Yeah.
Nick Boban (11:46):
Uh, sub $15 for the set. Okay. Second is a jigger.
John Vieira (11:50):
Jigger is important. Uh, there's a bunch different styles and there's
Nick Boban (11:54):
A bunch of really, really bad ones. So the bad ones out there are the ones that are very large in circumference. Uh, most notable brand is Winco that you'll see, it's not like the supermarket store, but the actual like food brand or I don't even know what you call it.
John Vieira (12:11):
I don't know. Restaurant equipment. Yeah. They're like a surplus brands. Yeah.
Nick Boban (12:15):
But everything is like 50 cents. Um, and these jiggers are horrible. You've seen them, they look like two triangles upside down, smashed together.
John Vieira (12:24):
They're pretty good. Nobody, nobody really knows like how many ounces each one. Yeah.
Nick Boban (12:28):
Because each one's a little different too. There's very clearly no markings on the thing at all. The best ones to do are Japanese style jiggers
John Vieira (12:37):
Yeah. Anything tall and skinny is going to give you the most accurate results. Uh, plenty of styles out there. You can definitely go some of the Leopold ones that they sell on cocktail kingdom are really sexy...
Nick Boban (12:48):
Yeah. They are sexy. They're harder to use than the Japanese style ones.
John Vieira (12:52):
They, yeah. They feel amazing in your hand, but when you actually go to pour with them, they're kind of fiddly, it's almost difficult to get the wrist rotation,
Nick Boban (13:02):
The whole reason to have a Japanese style and have those long skinny jiggers is that the actual circumference of the jigger is so much smaller. Right. So if you're pouring into it and you're a little bit above the line or a little bit below the line, the actual overall volume of the liquid is considerably less than if you had a very large circumference.
John Vieira (13:24):
For sure. They're way more accurate. And I've done, I've done a few, uh, trials just on my own. Just out of curiosity, I have this Leopold jigger that I, I really wanted to like. Um, and I, I did a few pour tests with it just to see exactly what I was getting out of it. Was I over or under my goal? Um, and not that that's like the end all be all or super matters, but when do you get really used to a certain style of a tool in general, and then you change and use something different. It's always going to feel awkward. So for me, the deciding factor and the reason why I decided not to buy more of those style was because in the tests that I did, they were substantially less accurate in both directions. Oddly enough. So as you go lower in the ounce-age, um, well, cause they're essentially, they're like a bowl with straight sides on them so the circumference is huge.
John Vieira (14:19):
Yeah. And there's, there's just so many variables. So like if you were trying to pour, uh, like a quarter ounce or even a half ounce out of one of these, and you were slightly under the line, you were actually a lot more under the line than you would have thought. If you poured that same amount directly into one of the like Koriko Japanese style ones from Cocktail Kingdom or a Pina one, um, you would see that you had a little ways to go before you even hit that Mark. So you'd actually be under, but then, uh, conversely, if you were pouring larger amounts, like an ounce and a half or a two ounce, you would actually convex almost like over that line. And you'd have, in some cases, like, I guess it would be like an eighth of an ounce over what you thought you were doing.
Nick Boban (15:06):
And so, and convex is, is where the like actual surface tension of the liquid is sticking above the actual rim. It's like bubbling, it's bubbling over almost, but without breaking that's convex.
John Vieira (15:18):
So anyway, you know, this, this is obviously being nitpicky. If you find a style that feels really comfortable in your hands, and then it looks super cool.
Nick Boban (15:25):
Just, just, I think the biggest thing about them is making sure that they have multiple grade lines on the inside. They've got to have the lines on the inside. So like even that crappy Winco brand, which I mean, I buy Winco stuff too. It serves a purpose, but I bought a bunch of Japanese-style jiggers from them one time. Um, they were crazy cheap, but they didn't have any internal lines on them because the internal, so the internal lines on the, on each side of the jigger, they're the Japanese ones that were advocating for an even Leopold ones, they're double-sided, one's a one ounce, one's a two ounce, but within each one, there's markings for three quarters, half, one quarter, and then on the other side, one and a half ounces. So you can literally do one, two, three, four, five, six, seven measurements on, on one jigger. It's literally, if you buy a nice jigger with all the internal markings on it, you only need one measuring tool.
John Vieira (16:24):
Right. And obviously in the, for most things at home bar for almost everything, um, and in, in the States, we obviously are using ounces. Um, but you can buy all these things in milliliters as well. And it's actually really intuitive. If, if anyone out there is, uh, kind of interested in looking at that, um, you can, you almost have like more Liberty with your drink ratios, if you use milliliters. Um, it is really intuitive. It's just really difficult because every publication or everything, uh, in the U.S. is ounces, right? So you have to, you, it's almost like timestables, you just have to like, have that conversion in your head. You just have to associate those numbers. So that way, um, when you see an ounce and a half, you can convert that into milliliters, No problem. And you can use, um, that jigger. And there's actually some jiggers that have both in there, but that can get a little foggy. Cause a lot of lines they don't necessarily line up and that can be a little confusing. So anyway, jiggers yes. Important. Get one, use one. Even if you think free pouring is cool. That's great. Your guests won't think it's cool because their drink is going to taste like a trashcan.
Nick Boban (17:33):
Here's the deal we're talking to guys at home. Ain't no, one's going to buy a $7 pour spout. Cause that's almost so much those stupid things cost.
John Vieira (17:40):
They really are expensive. It's crazy. Okay.
Nick Boban (17:43):
$7 is an exaggeration. I literally think they're like $3.50 a piece.
John Vieira (17:45):
So here's an option too that I actually almost forgot about it. I didn't even mention it. And for the home bartender, they sell little glass and or plastic, uh, little like measuring cups. Uh, so to speak like the OXO brand has one, uh, I've seen one, that's like basically a shot glass that just has these markings on their gradient lines in it. And they're great because they go through all the way up to like two and a half ounces or even more in some cases. And they have a little tick mark along the way for every, uh, at least half ounce. I don't know if they go to the quarter. That might be a cool option though. Cause you can find those in like a kitchen supply...
Nick Boban (18:30):
Uh, like bottom to it. I've seen a lot of flair bartending videos where they will hold the tin and that jigger in their hand and pour stuff into it with their opposite hand and just knock it in.
John Vieira (18:43):
Yeah, for sure. I was like, wow. That's if any of you guys at home are doing some drunk flair in your kitchen, uh, have at it.
Nick Boban (18:52):
Okay. Anyways, but okay. So tins: Good. Jigger: Yes. Jigger is 8 bucks. Expect to pay $8 to $10. Uh, our favorite brand is Pina. It's all heavy duty stainless steel, one solid piece. You could run over with your car, uh, but Cocktail Kingdom and Barfly make them in different colors. Uh, not just stainless steel. Uh, okay. So then the next thing is a strainer, right? Cause you're gonna need a strainer.
John Vieira (19:21):
And it kind of goes hand in hand with your shaker tins, but we included it on a separate tab if you will. Just because they're not sold together as a unit. So a couple different pitfalls. Um, well there's two basic styles, right? There's two styles. You're talking about Hawthorne strainer, which is the one that most people have seen. Uh, most bars probably use these more than anything else. They're the ones that you're going to, if you did, did it like a Google search...
Nick Boban (19:53):
You've got the spring on the front and the little tabs. Yeah.
John Vieira (19:56):
They do also have Julep strainers though. That are cool. Uh, they're really only going to be useful for those of you that have like a glass mixing, uh, container, like a stirring vessel of some kind that it might be crystal or something really fancy. If you use one of those and you stir drinks in there, obviously you can't shake drinks in there, but if you actually use those, uh, the Julep strainers are really cool. They work, uh, and they're meant to fit...
Nick Boban (20:24):
Within the mixing glass and the julip strainer is like pretty much like a little baby. Well, it's actually a really big spoon with a little tiny handle with a bunch of holes in it.
John Vieira (20:34):
Yeah. Right. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's just, it's just a gigantic spoon essentially with holes in it. Um, but here's the thing. If you get a good Hawthorne strainer, you can also use that in the mixing glass. So it actually is nicer. It works really well. It's extremely multipurpose,
Nick Boban (20:52):
It's not as sexy as a Julep strainer, but it works a lot better.
John Vieira (20:56):
But here's the thing. With the Hawthorne strainer, the reason why it works well is because it has this little coiled spring that goes all the way around the outside edge of, I guess it's the inside edge of the tin. Uh, and it catches all the little ice chips and things like that as you pour, but not all little coily spring thingys are created equal. Some are a lot tighter, more useful and some are a lot looser floppier and kind of useless in, in most applications at least. So if you're going to buy one of these Hawthorne strainers, get one that has a nice tight coil on it. Um, once again, no surprise here. Pina makes a super bad-ass strainer. It's like $10.
Nick Boban (21:43):
Dude they just came out with it too.
John Vieira (21:45):
I know, but it's unreal. Like it's so much nicer. It's thick gauge stainless steel. It comes with two different Springs that are different, uh, thicknesses, I guess you would call it or, or, uh, different levels of coiled, tight coiled. Um, and so you have options. It comes with both of them and they're super solid. It has a nice little like rubber tab on the top as well. So nice and easy to grip on you won't slip on it or anything. Super solid. I really like these. Uh, however, if you're matching colors and you know, doing all that stuff with your, uh, your kit at home Cocktail Kingdom, and Barfly both have you covered, they've got all these different colors, uh, that'll match all your stuff.
Nick Boban (22:32):
And Cocktail Kingdom makes actually like a variety of these different Hawthorne strainers and like, uh, quite a few different shapes. Yeah, they do. They have like the one that has, they got like the rock out one, it kind of looks like literally like the rock out sign with...
John Vieira (22:46):
The two little tabs coming out. Uh, they've got one that I'm not...
Nick Boban (22:50):
Flush, it's almost flush one. I'm not a huge fan of that one. I've spilt a lot of drinks on myself because you like put it on the top, turn it upside down and pour it in the glass. And then the whole strainer goes and falls right into the, into the..
John Vieira (23:02):
Yeah. The tab, the tabs are important. Definitely. I recommend getting something with tabs. It keeps it from like accidentally falling in or just all kinds of stuff like that. Um, okay. So last but not least, um, this is somewhat optional. Some of you guys may not deem this important and that's fine. You might get one later on, uh, but a bar spoon. Uh, the reason why this is important is it's an extremely specialized, there's nothing else in your kitchen or at least in most people's kitchen that is going to be able to be a substitute for this item. Um,
Nick Boban (23:37):
And I mean, we're not talking about the one with the little red tab on the top, you know, that's, those are $1.50, It's like...
John Vieira (23:46):
The worst.
Nick Boban (23:47):
With the crazy, Uh, not tightly coiled one that like will super cut up your hand.
John Vieira (23:53):
Yeah. Those, those are just absolutely useless. Uh, you want something probably similar to, uh, like what Cocktail Kingdom sells. They're probably like they're the, they're the sexiest, they're kind of the best, uh, resource, I think for spoons. Now there's other stuff out there. I'm sure you can get a nice one for half of the cost of a Cocktail Kingdom one, cause they're pretty proud of them. However, they're so good. They're nice. They're super good. They have the smoothest coils. Uh, they give you options on the top, which is not just for aesthetics. Uh they're they're weighted, right? So you've got, some of them have like skulls, some have like a little flat tab, some have a fork, uh, that is a functional fork. Um, they've got all different styles. Uh, there's different options, different colors, obviously that match all of your other gear, but there's also different lengths, which is super important. It is. It really is. So you think, you know, the first spoon that I bought was kind of short, it was actually too short. Was it the 30 millimeter? Uh, I guess, I guess it was, it was just whatever the shortest. Okay. So they make...
Nick Boban (25:03):
They make them in centimeters and they make like 30, 40 and 50. I think they even make a 60. So you're talking anywhere from like 11 inch spoon all the way up to like a 24 inch spoon.
John Vieira (25:15):
Yeah. They can get super long. Um, I've never used one that was really, really long. I don't know if that is cool or not. I feel like it's gonna be a pain in the ass to try to store it in like drawers. Like it's not gonna fit. However, that 40 centimeter one, which is like just under 16 inches, that's like the sweet spot. It really provides a lot more balance and just like a really nice, like tactile response, um, counterbalance everything about it is just a little bit nicer operate than like a shorter spoon. Yeah. When you have a shorter spoon, I feel like that even if it is weighted on the other side, even if it's doing all the same things, I feel like you, you get like this weird, uh, burnout effect when you try to spin with it where it like tries, it tries to go faster than your hand is stirring.
Nick Boban (26:10):
So the whole point of having a spoon, right, is to stir a cocktail. And the whole point about stirring a cocktail is to not agitate the ice and not introduce air into your liquor. It's just about dilution and chill. And so you're gently rolling the ice around the liquor, right?
John Vieira (26:29):
Yeah. Totally. Your balance is really key. Exactly. I mean, so when you stir, which once again, we'll get into this, uh, with a tutorial stuff, but when you stir a drink, the backside of your spoon is basically going to glide along the inside perimeter of your stirring vessel, whatever you're using. And it's supposed to be stirring all of your ice in there as basically one giant hunk, uh, you're not supposed to be jostling the ice around. You don't want to incorporate a bunch of air bubbles. It's all about the texture. You're trying to chill and dilute this beverage and then stir it and then pour it into a glass after you stir it. Uh, so that you get that nice syrupy, viscous texture. Right? Think about like a well-made, uh, old fashioned or a Manhattan or something of the like, you get that texture. That's how you know...
Nick Boban (27:25):
I mean, that's the thing, it's, it's a hard thing to like, put your finger on when you're like, Oh, I have a bad-ass Manhattan or an old fashion. And then you're like, I had a really shitty one. Usually the shitty ones are like cloudy and it's cause they shook it. It just gives it a different mouth feel.
John Vieira (27:41):
It tastes different. It does. It makes, it makes it feel cheap. Like it feels like it's missing something it's not as silky and regal and refined. Like, I mean, that's, that's literally the reason why you would stir something instead of shake it. Typically the only drinks that we're going to shake in the cocktail world are going to be something that contains like an egg white, uh, citrus or other kinds of juices that would not properly be mixed in by just stirring it. Um, things like that. So something like an old fashioned, you're talking about bitters, a little bit of sugar and some whiskey, you don't need to shake that. And in fact, if you do, it's just not going to be that good.
Nick Boban (28:19):
Okay. So the funniest part about the spoon conversation is how much they cost.
John Vieira (28:24):
Yeah. It's kind of kind of upsetting actually,
Nick Boban (28:27):
You can, you can expect a spoon to be in the $30 to $50 range.
John Vieira (28:33):
They, they get more expensive the longer they are. So my recommendation is to not get the shortest one you can find, but at least get the next one up from that level.
Nick Boban (28:43):
It'll be easier to learn how to stir with a longer spoon too.
John Vieira (28:47):
It really will be. Um, so there are other brands, uh, likely on Amazon and other places like that, that you might be able to get for half the cost of one of these Cocktail Kingdom ones, but I can't speak to the brands or the quality. So just like everything else, read the reviews...
Nick Boban (29:08):
I guess spiral. Spoon spiral. Yeah. It's twist. Yeah.
John Vieira (29:12):
Uh, just make sure you do your homework on it because you don't want to spend half the money on a spoon of your whole kit. Well, right. You don't want to spend half the total amount of like a good spoon, right? So you're talking to $30 versus potentially $15, if you find a bargain, but you don't want to spend that $15 on a spoon. That sucks so bad that you end up buying a $30 one anyway. Right. So this is why we included this last. It is an important tool. If an old fashioned or a Manhattan or a stirred martini, or one of these drinks is one of your favorite drinks or one of your friend's favorite drinks or your wife or your boyfriend or whoever it is that you were making drinks for. It's a very important piece of this puzzle. If you're gonna be making mostly shaken cocktails, things like that, you can wait a little while to invest in one of these. Um, you know, we do giveaways and stuff of the bar all the time as well. And a lot of times these vendors or these liquor reps will give us bar kits that we can give out. We gave out a bunch on New Year's. There was a ton of spoons and shakers and strainers and all kinds of stuff in there.
Nick Boban (30:16):
And the spoons, the spoons, uh, the, uh, brands used to give out were really shitty and now they're all really awesome.
John Vieira (30:22):
Well, yeah, and I, I think they just realized that if they give out a, stuff, literally there's no point in that. Cause then you're not even advertising.
Nick Boban (30:30):
Totally. Okay. So bar kit wise - 4 things: You got your tin on tin Boston shaker - $15. You got your jigger, probably like $8 to $10. Uh, you got your strainer which was $10 for the Pina and I think the Cocktail Kingdoms are like $15 to $20, depending on your style. And then you got a bar spoon, which is right around the $30 to $40 mark, so you're like $60, 70 bucks for like the, "Everything You Need" kit to pretty much produce any cocktail you want at your home. Yeah. Yeah. So that's the no fucking around, that's the minimum amount of stuff you need.
John Vieira (31:13):
Right. And, and you're talking about saving yourself a lot of effort,
Nick Boban (31:17):
A lot of headache too, if you're trying to do any of this shit without that stuff.
John Vieira (31:23):
Yeah, I think, uh, I think that is definitely the way to go. I think that's my top, uh, top 4, for sure. There's definitely some other fun things you can get into later on. You might want to like a muddler, uh, you might want like a, like a hand squeezer for citrus juice or things like that. You know, there's lots of really great things that we can throw on and maybe we'll... Maybe we'll do like a, you know, like all the dumb shit you don't really need. Next level home bar kit addition. But this is the basic stuff that you need to get off the ground, make these drinks and basically get after it. Yeah.
Nick Boban (32:00):
Cool. So with all that, uh, we'll post, uh, links to all this stuff at housemadesyrup.com Uh, thanks for listening. Uh, please like, and subscribe, share any questions, hit us up in the comments, DM us, send us an email on housemadesyrup.com, uh, and then catch us next week. Uh, I don't know what we're going to be talking about, but we'll talk about something.
John Vieira (32:24):
It'll probably be alcohol-related. Ooh, I'm into that. That would be cool. Right? Anyway. So you guys next time. Cheers.