About Barware

Wine stoppers range from unadorned cork to cork with ornaments on top to stoppers made from other materials such as glass, chrome, wood, ceramic, and stainless steel. All wine stoppers, whether plain or decorative, must seal the wine bottle well to prevent oxidation and spoilage. Good wine stoppers such as vacuum sealing varieties can preserve opened wine and champagne for up to a week or more.

Vacuum wine stoppers work with a vacuum tank that keeps a holding vacuum seal. A vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum tank and the pump lessens the pressure in the vacuum tank to form the seal. A vacuum line and valve connected to a valve head comes into contact with the stopper and bottle. Air is removed from the bottle and the stopper blocks any air from reaching the bottle. Some vacuum wine stoppers let you know when the seal is complete by producing clicking sounds, as too much of a vacuum may actually ruin the wine.

Many types of designer wine stoppers can be found in stores or online and they make excellent gifts. For example, Mikasa makes crystal heart-topped wine stoppers that are perfect for anniversaries and wine stoppers made from patterned Murano glass are colorful and beautiful. Wine stoppers are also available in boxed gift sets and many of these are sleek stainless steel or chrome with or without polished wood accents. Ceramic novelty wine stoppers include Santa Claus and snowman figurines as well as motifs such as golf balls or roses. Pewter-topped wine stoppers are often shaped as grapes or human and animal figurines.

Some decorative wine stoppers include a chain attached from the top of the stopper to a ring that fits around the bottle’s neck. Other wine stoppers may have tops shaped into animal heads or geometric shapes. Many acrylic wine stopper tops look like frosted glass and are often in colorful forms such as red hearts, blue dolphins, and gold stars. Some wine stoppers are made completely from metal, while most have cork bases and various materials on the tops.

About 70% of all wine bottles today use cork stoppers. Cork stoppers are considered a good choice environmentally as cork oak trees, grown mainly in Spain and Portugal, need to be harvested in order to survive. Some wine manufacturers have switched to plastic screw caps to save money on importing cork wine stoppers.

I’ve been lucky enough to live on Lake Huron for most of my adult life. There are many benefits to having a lakeside residence, but one stands out above all others. Several times each summer, I throw epic parties on the beach. My friends and I lug the grill down onto the sand and we set up a bunch of tables. And the temporary bar is the crowning glory.

Since I’m happily married, I like to let my single friends handle the bar. As I’ve often pointed out, women are often impressed with a man who knows what he’s doing. With that in mind, you should never serve beer in a wine glass, or put an elaborate girly drink in a tumbler. This might seem like a small detail, but you’d be surprised how much a discerning drinker cares about minor touches. If I’m staking my party-throwing reputation on a particular soiree, I like to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

A corkscrew is a small kitchen gadget designed to remove the cork from a bottle of wine. The most basic corkscrew model consists of a metal spike in the shape of an open spiral (helix) connected to a wooden handle. The user centers the point of the helix on the top of the cork and twists until the wire has become securely embedded in the body of the cork. Securing the bottle with one hand, the user then pulls on the handle until the cork has been released. The cork can then be removed from the corkscrew and examined or discarded.

Wine experts estimate that pulling a cork out of a bottle with a corkscrew requires the same force as lifting 100 pounds. For this reason, many mechanical improvements have been made to the traditional corkscrew design. Some provide more leverage for pulling out the cork, while others emphasize more torque during twisting.

Waiters who routinely open and pour corked wine bottles carry a simple lever corkscrew. The worm (proper name for the helix-shaped screw) is twisted into the cork as before, but the waiter uses a side-mounted lever to lift the cork out in one fluid motion. Further refinements lead to a corkscrew with a double lever action. Two ‘wings’ are mechanically drawn upwards by a gear as the worm drills into the cork. The user steadies the bottle on a table and presses down on both wings. The cork is pulled straight out by the central gear assembly.

An even more recent corkscrew design called a ‘rabbit’ uses both increased torque and a vertical lever to pull up on the cork. Wineries have begun to replace corked bottles with screw tops, however, so investment in an elaborate corkscrew system may not be necessary.

Using a corkscrew properly can prevent some of the most common wine-opening hazards. An inferior corkscrew with a solid auger design instead of an open spiral can dig out too much of the cork, which could lead to contamination of the bottle. Drilling completely through the soft center of an older wine bottle may also lead to problems with cork pieces and damage while pulling. Those who are uncomfortable with using a traditional corkscrew may find a self-centering double lever system or a rabbit corkscrew to be the best investment.

Bottle openers come in two main varieties, those intended to remove bottle caps from soda, beer, or water bottles, and those made to remove corks from wine. Both are referred to as bottle openers, but they differ drastically.

A standard bottle opener is simply a lever to wedge beneath the edge of a bottlecap and pry it off the bottle. Most restaurants and bars have a version of this standard bottle opener attached to a wall, so that a bottle can be inserted beneath the opener and pried to remove the cap. Handheld bottle openers are functionally the same as these wall-mounted varieties, but are held in the hand and levered while the bottle is held stationary.

Cap bottle openers come in a wide range of visual styles, many with a fun and entertaining in appearance. Practically, however, they are virtually all the same. Automatic bottle openers are an exception to this. While they are similar to traditional bottle openers, they are housed in a round plastic tubing and designed so that the tube may be simply placed over the bottle and lifted. Automatic bottle openers are touted as being ideal for when one is too drunk to easily use a standard bottle opener.

In the world of wine there are two main styles of bottle opener. The first is a corkscrew, which uses a single screw inserted into the cork and rotated down until it has sufficient grip to allow the cork to be pulled from the bottle. A variant on this style of corkscrew includes side levers which hold the bottle steady and an added lever to allow for a straighter pull. Many restaurants also have a fixed corkscrew with a lever to ensure quick and clean removal of corks.

The other common style of bottle opener for wine consists of two fairly rigid prongs. Rather than piercing the cork to pull it out, the prongs are wedged between either side of the cork and the bottle edge. The friction created may be used to rotate the cork out of the bottle easily and deftly. This style of corkscrew takes some getting used to, and for many people it may take weeks to be able to use it successfully. Once mastered, however, it drastically reduces the chances of a damaged or dropped cork.

A cocktail shaker is a container, usually made of metal, used with a lid and strainer to mix alcoholic drinks. Some cocktail shakers use a glass cup for part of the mixing as well. There are three main types of cocktail shaker: the cobbler shaker, the pitcher-shaker and the Boston shaker.

The cobbler shaker is a simple cocktail shaker that one sees in many homes as well as some bars. It contains the tumbler body itself, a lid that seals tightly and usually contains a built-in strainer, and a cap to cover the strainer opening. A cobbler shaker is very easy to use — one simply adds ingredients, covers, shakes and pours. Because of the small size of the built-in strainer, pouring drinks through a cobbler cocktail shaker can take some time, which is why this type of shaker is not often used in high-traffic bars.

The pitcher shaker is essentially the same as the cobbler shaker, but rather than having a distinct tumbler, it uses a pitcher body as the tumbler. The advantage of a pitcher shaker is that cocktails may be prepared en masse and the pitcher may be left on a table for guests to serve themselves. The pitcher shape makes these shakers more awkward to use than the standard cobbler shaker, however, which has caused them to lose popularity in the last few decades.

The Boston shaker is a simpler type of cocktail shaker, and is preferred in most bars because of the speed with which drinks may be mixed and poured. It consists of a metal tumbler and a smaller glass tumbler, with an optional strainer that is not attached to the tumblers themselves. Many bars and individuals use a pint glass in place of the glass tumbler, making this in essence a one-piece cocktail shaker. Using a Boston shaker is slightly more difficult than using a cobbler shaker, but not by much — ingredients are added, the glass tumbler is placed facing the metal tumbler and slapped to seal it, then shaken vigorously and poured through a strainer if no ice is desired.

In addition to the type of cocktail shaker, the quality of material is also an important consideration. Stainless metal tumblers are the preferred, with some cheaper nickel-plated tumblers also representing a good value. Some antique cocktail shakers are made of glass, and a number of reproductions of these glass shakers may be found.

Many novel shapes are available in cocktail shakers — penguin shakers, fire hydrants, bullets and many other fun and whimsical shapes abound. There are cocktail shakers that play music, have built in stirrers, are adorned with ornate decorations and do virtually anything else you can conceive of. Ultimately, the most important thing to look for in a cocktail shaker is a price range you can afford and a manufacturer you trust. The concept of the cocktail shaker is a simple one, and it is difficult to go very wrong with a first purchase.

Bar Spoons

A bar spoon is a kitchen utensil designed for use in preparing drinks. There are uses for bar spoons outside the bar, however, so it is a useful tool to acquire and keep around. Numerous kitchen supply companies sell bar spoons, sometimes in coordinating sets with other bar utensils. Designs for bar spoons range from simple to quite ornamental, and they are usually made from stainless steel. These are a neccessary barware item for any home bar.

Stainless steel is an important design feature, since it is less likely to be corrupted by corrosive ingredients in drinks, such as citrus fruits. Stainless also does not leach flavor, like wood or silver can. In addition, it is easy to care for, since it can be run through a dishwasher.

The most basic bar spoon is simply a teaspoon on a long handle. The spoon can be used to measure out portions of a drink, and to assist in layering drinks. The long handle allows the user to dip the bar spoon into deep jars and glasses. When retrieving garnishes like olives and maraschino cherries, a bar spoon is extremely handy, and also allows the bartender to get a garnish without actually touching it.

More fancy designs have a twisted handle, which is supposed to assist with stirring. The twisted handle naturally twirls as the bar spoon is rotated, ensuring an even mixture of the elements in the drink. The handle is also decorative, of course, and it may be topped with an ornamental flourish if the designer is feeling fanciful.

In some cases, the opposite end of a bar spoon is flared, allowing the bar spoon to be used as a muddler. A muddler is something which crushes things like ice and lemons, and it can be useful to have one handy while blending a complex drink. The paddled end can also be used to mix the drink, of course. Some manufacturers place rubber nubbins on their bar spoons, but these nubs can detach and end up in the drinks, so they should be avoided if possible.

For people who make blended drinks frequently, a bar spoon is a vitally necessary acquisition, since it will make the process much easier and more pleasant. The long handle also maintains the integrity of the drinks, by keeping hands well clear of the glasses. This feature can also make a bar spoon useful in other applications around the kitchen, such as delving into deep jars or mixing stocks and sauces on the stove top.

Now that August has arrived, it’s time to come to terms with the fact that summer is indeed a fleeting phenomenon. It won’t be long before we put away our summer wheat beers and sangria in exchange for headier amber ales and spiced cider. As the seasons change, so do our drinks of choice. In liquor stores across the country, you’ll begin to notice the arrival of an entirely new crop of seasonal beverages.

In just a few months’ time, beer drinkers will be itching to attend Oktoberfest celebrations. The original festival is held each in late September in Munich, Germany, but smaller, equally boisterous parties take place all across America as well. In order to get the most out of your Oktoberfest experience, you’ll want to drink like the Germans do. That means quaffing beer from a pewter tankard or a gargantuan beer stein.

A muddler is a bar tending tool which is designed to crush the ingredients used in cocktails, creating a mash called a muddle which releases flavors into the resulting drink. A well stocked bar will typically have an assortment of muddlers which can be used in various glasses and to blend various drinks. Many kitchen and bar tending supply stores carry muddlers; you can also use other kitchen utensils like spoons in a pinch. A muddler is becoming a very common piece of barware in many home bars.

A classic muddler takes the form of a rod with a slightly flared bulbous end. The very end of the rod is flattened, allowing the bartender to crush ingredients against the side of the glass, and the flared end can be used like a pestle to grind ingredients in a glass. Some bartenders also use flattened spoons as muddlers; the flattened section of the spoon can be used to crush things against the side of the glass.

When a bar tender uses a muddler, he or she crushes ingredients like limes, lemons, and mint against the glass before pouring ice in. The crushing with the muddler encourages these ingredients to release their volatile aromatic oils, where the flavor is concentrated. When ice, mixer, and alcohol are added, these oils blend with the ingredients, creating a very intense, rich flavor.

A muddler can also be used to stir a drink, blending the ingredients together for an even flavor. Muddlers are commonly used to make drinks like mojitos and lemon drops; in both cases, the drink will taste more complex if a muddler is used to release the flavor compounds in the mint and lemon respectively. Bartenders can also use muddlers as juicing instruments to extract juice from wedges of lemon, lime, and other fruits.

Many muddlers are made from wood, because wood will not react with ingredients. Glass, ceramic, and bone muddlers can also be found; all of these construction materials share the trait of minimal reactivity. Glass and ceramic muddlers are easy to clean, as they can typically be run through a dishwasher; wood and bone require more careful maintenance, and they may even on occasion need to be oiled.

Ideally, a muddler should be kept on a hook or in a rack so that it does not come into contact with the surface of the bar. This ensures that the muddler will not acquire unexpected flavors or stains from sitting in pools of water and alcohol. It also keeps the bar more tidy and organized, ensuring that a bar tender has access to the tools he or she needs to work quickly during busy periods.