The craft · Glassware & equipment

The bar's glass and kit

The glass sets temperature, aroma and how long the drink stays at its best; the kit decides whether it comes out the same every time. Here's everything that holds the bar up, piece by piece.

The craft · Glassware

Every glass has a reason

The craft · Materials

The vessel makes the drink too

Before it was «glassware» it was clay, gourd, metal and ceramic — and each material changes the drink. Fine glass sharpens aroma and rim; clay holds the cold and adds earth; ceramic is ritual; metal frosts; the gourd was the first cup.

  • Jícara

    Jícara

    Gourd

    Mexico · pre-Hispanic

    Mezcal's first cup: half a dried calabash. Sacred to many peoples; porous, it soaks up the spirit — solving that gave us the copita.

  • Copita

    Copita

    Clay or glass

    Oaxaca / Jerez

    «Copita» = little cup. A wide mouth to get your nose into the smoke. Ron Cooper (Del Maguey) popularized it seeking a cup that wouldn't absorb like the jícara; its echo is Jerez's sherry copita.

  • Cantarito

    Cantarito

    Clay

    Jalisco

    The little clay jar of Jalisco's street fairs. Round and earthy, it holds the cold and adds terroir; it names the Cantarito — citrus, salt, tequila and grapefruit soda.

  • Caballito

    Caballito

    Glass

    Mexico

    Tequila's «little horse»: tall and narrow, for the straight shot. More height than aroma — which is why fine agave moved on to the copita.

  • Porrón

    Porrón

    Glass

    Catalonia

    Drunk without the glass touching your lips: a stream through the air, passed hand to hand. The «rhyton 2.0» — born for hygiene, kept for the shared ritual.

  • Tiki mug

    Tiki mug

    Ceramic

    Dreamed Polynesia · 1949→

    Carved ceramic with a tiki face. From bar tableware to cult object: vintage pieces tied to a single bar are now collector's items.

  • Julep cup

    Julep cup

    Metal (pewter/silver)

    USA · the South

    A metal cup that frosts on the outside: that frost is part of the Mint Julep. Metal carries the cold like no glass can.

  • Copper mug

    Copper mug

    Copper

    1941

    The Moscow Mule's mug: copper chills aggressively and lifts the ginger. Vessel and cocktail were born together, as a sales campaign.

The vessel as gesture

And there's something older than the bar in all this. Raising a cup was never only drinking: the lotus cup of ancient Egypt, the chalice of the Mass, the grail of the Arthurian legends, the porrón passed hand to hand. The vessel is the gesture — the one that shares, that celebrates, that remembers. No need to get mystical: just choose it on purpose.

Trend / case

Glassware has become «the new garnish» (Punch). Oslo's Himkok commissions bespoke ceramic vessels from Studio Sløyd, one per cocktail; Del Maguey turned the clay copita into fine mezcal's signature.

The craft · Equipment

The kit, piece by piece

The tools don't make the drink, but they decide whether it comes out the same every time. Each piece with its types, its materials, and the note that takes it past the surface.

  • Shaker

    Shaker

    Coctelera

    Shakes: chills, dilutes and aerates in one go. Anything with citrus, egg white or dairy is shaken, never stirred.

    Types

    • Boston — Two metal tins. The pro standard: capacity, speed and a clean seal.
    • Cobbler — Three pieces with a built-in strainer. The friendliest to start at home.
    • Parisian — Two pieces, no built-in strainer. Elegant, in between the two.
    Material
    Stainless steel; weighted tins chill faster. The all-metal Boston is the 2026 pro pick (it won't crack like a pint glass).
    The note

    Shake hard 10–12 s, until the tin frosts over. If the cold doesn't bite a little, it isn't ready.

  • Jigger

    Jigger

    Measure

    The cocktail's precision. It measures spirits and modifiers so the balance repeats exactly, drink after drink.

    Types

    • Japanese — Slim hourglass with interior lines (¼ · ½). The most accurate.
    • Bell — Wider and steadier in the hand; the American classic.
    • Stepped — A single cone with several interior marks.
    Material
    Stainless steel. The Japanese jigger with interior lines is the 2026 favourite for accuracy.
    The note

    If you buy one, the Japanese 30/60 ml with lines. Fill to the brim, never by eye.

  • Bar spoon

    Bar spoon

    Cucharilla

    Stirs without aerating, layers over the back of it, and measures small amounts. The twisted stem guides the spin.

    Types

    • European — Teardrop or disc end; the disc is for layering.
    • American — Red cap on the end; simple and cheap.
    • Japanese — Weighted, with a counterweight or trident; the most controlled spin.
    Material
    Stainless steel. The weighted Japanese spoon almost spins itself between your fingers.
    The note

    Stir along the wall of the glass, no bubbles, ≈30 s: it chills and dilutes at once.

  • Strainer

    Strainer

    Colador

    Holds back the ice and pulp as you pour. Each shape for a technique.

    Types

    • Hawthorne — Spring around the edge; for shaken drinks, sits in the tin.
    • Julep — Perforated bowl; for stirred drinks, sits in the mixing glass.
    • Fine — Conical mesh; the double strain that catches shards and pulp.
    Material
    Stainless steel.
    The note

    Double strain = Hawthorne + fine. A must on anything shaken with citrus or egg.

  • Mixing glass

    Mixing glass

    Vaso mezclador

    For stirred, citrus-free drinks — Negroni, Martini, Manhattan: stir with ice to the point, no aeration, then strain clean.

    Types

    • Yarai — Japanese cut-glass; heavy, steady and handsome on the bar.
    • Pint — The Boston's glass; cheap and versatile.
    • Seamless — Thick, even-walled, no seam.
    Material
    Thick glass: more mass, steadier temperature as you stir. Yarai is the fine-bar standard.
    The note

    Chill the glass with ice before building: the drink starts cold.

  • Muddler

    Muddler

    Macerador

    Breaks herbs, fruit and sugar to release their oil and juice — Mojito, Caipirinha, old-school Old Fashioned.

    Types

    • Wood — Unfinished, the traditional one; kind to herbs.
    • Steel — Easy to clean, no flavour.
    • Toothed nylon — Muddles harder; great for fruit and sugar.
    Material
    Unfinished wood is the classic; avoid varnished ones (they leach flavour).
    The note

    Press and twist, don't pulverize: bruised mint releases bitter chlorophyll.

  • Peeler

    Peeler

    Peeler & channel knife

    Citrus peel: its essential oil is half a drink's aroma.

    Types

    • Y-peeler — Lifts a wide strip for the oil and a big twist.
    • Channel knife — A fine thread of peel for the long spiral.
    Material
    Sharp stainless steel; the white pith is bitter — leave it behind.
    The note

    Squeeze the peel over the glass (skin-side down) to spray the oil before you garnish.

  • Citrus press

    Citrus press

    Exprimidor

    Fresh-squeezed juice, always: it's the acid backbone of half the book.

    Types

    • Lever (elbow) — The Mexican press, colour-coded: green lime, yellow lemon, orange.
    • Press — A big lever for volume.
    Material
    Aluminium or steel; the coating chips over time — no big deal.
    The note

    Squeeze to order: bottled citrus tastes flat within minutes.

  • 2026 trendIce

    Ice

    The invisible ingredient

    Ice is an ingredient, not filler: it chills and dilutes, and its shape decides how much of each.

    Types

    • Block / big cube — Little surface: chills without watering down. For drinks over ice.
    • Sphere — Just as slow, more striking in the glass.
    • Crushed — Lots of surface: dilutes fast. Juleps, tiki, swizzles.
    Material
    2026 trend: clear ice by directional freezing (no bubbles, melts slowly). Sustainability note: traditional cutting wastes up to 70% of the water.
    The note

    One big cube per glass for drinks on the rocks; crushed only where fast dilution helps.

  • 2026 trendAtomizer

    Atomizer

    Aromatic spray

    Aroma without dilution: a mist of absinthe, bitters or citrus oil over the glass, right before serving.

    Types

    • Glass — Small, for a rinse or an aromatic veil.
    • Pump — More reach for high-volume service.
    Material
    Glass with a fine pump; the mist spreads aroma without wetting.
    The note

    An absinthe spray-rinse gives the Sazerac its soul without watering the glass.

The series

One family, its variants

Where the craft gets fine: shakers, jiggers and strainers aren't one piece, they're a series. Here, each family with its shapes and who makes them best.

The shakers

Three ways to shake, one physics. You pick by hand and by service.

  • Cobbler

    Cobbler

    Three pieces with a built-in strainer. The friendliest to start on; the fine reference is Japan's Yukiwa.

  • Boston

    Boston

    One metal tin + glass (or two tins). The pro standard for capacity, speed and a clean seal.

  • Parisian

    Parisian

    Two pieces, no strainer. Elegant, halfway between the cobbler and the Boston.

From the trade

Cocktail Kingdom's weighted Koriko and Leopold tins are the pro standard; America's Test Kitchen crowns the Koriko for its balance in the hand.

The jiggers

Measuring is the difference between a drink that repeats and one that drifts.

  • Japanese

    Japanese

    Slim hourglass with interior lines (¼ · ½). The most accurate — the pro standard.

  • Bell

    Bell

    Wider and steadier in the hand; the home favourite.

  • Angled

    Angled

    Read from above, no crouching. OXO opened this lane for beginners.

From the trade

Japanese precision rules: Cocktail Kingdom's Japanese jigger is the bar reference. If you buy one, the 30/60 ml with interior lines.

The strainers

Each shape for a technique. And together, the double strain.

  • Hawthorne

    Hawthorne

    Spring around the rim, for shaken drinks; sits in the tin.

  • Julep

    Julep

    Perforated bowl, for stirred drinks; sits in the mixing glass.

  • Fine

    Fine

    Conical mesh. The second strainer of the double strain: catches shards and pulp.

From the trade

Double strain = Hawthorne + fine, non-negotiable on anything shaken with citrus or egg. The Koriko Hawthorne wins ATK's tests: its tense spring lets no pulp or mint through.

New techniques and avant-garde kit — clarification, carbonation, rotovap, designer ice — come next. This is the kit that holds it all up.

The craft · Avant-garde

When the bar becomes a lab

Once the kit is second nature, the rest begins: the techniques redefining modern mixology, and the gear that makes them possible. They don't replace the classics — they extend them.

  • Clarification

    Clarification

    GearMilk or agar · centrifuge

    Modern mixology's signature move: strip out the solids to leave the drink crystal-clear and silky. Three routes — filtration, gelation (agar) and density (centrifuge).

    Case Milk punch, Benjamin Franklin's favourite, revived. It's now the technique ruling high-end menus.

  • Carbonation

    Carbonation

    GearSiphon / carbonator · PET bottles

    Fizz into almost any liquid — even fruit. Live highballs and bottled cocktails with their own sparkle, poured in an instant.

    Case Side Hustle's (London) «For Pith's Sake»: rye, Calvados and green apple, carbonated in the bottle.

  • Cold distillation

    Cold distillation

    GearRotary evaporator

    Distils delicate aromas without heat breaking them: drop the pressure, drop the boiling point. Bespoke distillates and impossible aromas, with no oxidation.

    Case Over 60% of the best bars use one. Dave Arnold put it on the map with «Liquid Intelligence» (2014); a basic rig runs about $3,000.

  • Fast infusion

    Fast infusion

    GearSous-vide · vacuum · fat-washing

    What took weeks, in hours: temperature-controlled infusions, vacuum maceration and fat-washing — washing a spirit with fat (bourbon and bacon, brown butter).

    Case Tayer + Elementary (London) builds its menu on house ingredients: its own ferments and distillates.

  • Designer ice

    Designer ice

    GearDirectional freezing · Clinebell · molds

    Clear ice isn't just looks: with no bubbles it melts slower and dilutes less. Hand-carved blocks, spheres, seals engraved into the ice.

    Case A 2026 trend. The flip side is sustainability: traditional clear-ice production wastes a lot of water.

  • Smoke & aroma

    Smoke & aroma

    GearSmoking gun · cloche

    An aromatic layer that reaches the nose before the first sip: wood, hay, tea. Aroma is half of flavour, and here it's served on purpose.

    Case The Penicillin, with its smoky nod, carried this idea of smoke to bars everywhere.

  • Liquid nitrogen

    Liquid nitrogen

    GearN₂ dewar · −196 °C

    Freezes on contact: crisp garnishes, impossible textures and theatre at the bar. Precision and spectacle in equal measure.

    Case A direct inheritance from molecular gastronomy — Booker and Dax, Dave Arnold's bar-laboratory.

  • Liquid precision

    Liquid precision

    Gear0.01 g scale · pH meter

    Mixology becomes exact recipe: acid adjustment (citric and malic), saline solution, batching at scale. Balance stops being a guess and becomes a number.

    Case Controlled fermentation and vacuum infusions define 2026; Bacardi sums it up as «More Is More».