When setting up a bar, you will need quite a lot of equipment. The following is a list of basic bar equipment you should have in your bar to allow you to make most drinks. You may also want to take a look at the list of additional equipment that will make life behind the bar a bit easier too.
Bottle opener
Corkscrew
Can opener
Measuring cups and spoon set
Bar spoon with long handle and muddler on the end
Juice squeezer
Electric blender
Cutting board and a sharp knife
Ice bucket with an ice tong
Mixing glass
Shaker and strainer
Bottle sealers
Towels
Boxes/jars to store garnishes in
Glassware (See separate page)
You will have to buy new supplies of the following equipment regularly.
Stocking your Bar
You cannot make drinks out of the equipment, so you'll probably want to buy a selection of liquors and mixers too. It is impossible to make a list that "fits all" without including every possible liquor in the World, but here are a few guidelines on what to buy.
You should always choose your bar stock to suit your guests. Young people often prefer the more exotic drinks, so you will need various fruit juices and flavored liqueurs instead of the darker liquors (like whiskey) older people often prefer.
It is likely you will experience requests for drinks you cannot make, but that happen to almost every bar now and then. You can add new liquors to your bar stock later, and should learn how to mix what you have in the meantime.
A well stocked bar should have the following, but you should consider the number and type of guests you expect before buying.
Gin (dry)
Vodka
Rye (or Canadian whiskey)
Bourbon
Scotch whiskey
Rum (light)
Vermouth (dry and sweet)
Tequila
White and red wine (dry)
Beer (lager)
Cognac (or other brandy)
Different liqueurs:
Advocaat (somewhat like brandy eggnog)
Amaretto (almond)
Anisette (anise)
Benedictine (herbs)
Chambord (black-raspberry)
Chartreuse (herbs)
Contreau (oranges, like curaçao)
Crème de Cacao (cacao)
Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant)
Crème de Menthe (mint)
Crème de Violette (lavender)
Crème Yvette (violets)
Curaçao (oranges)
Galliano (herbs and spices)
Godiva (chocolate)
Goldwasser (herbs and spices, flecked with gold leaf bits)
Grand Marnier (champagne and curaçao)
Irish Mint (whiskey and cream)
Kahlúa (coffee)
Kümmel (caraway)
Mandarine Napoléon (tangerine)
Midori (melon)
Ouzo (anise)
Peter Heering (cherry)
Prunelle (plum)
Sabra (orange and chocolate)
Sambuca (wild elderberries)
Southern Comfort (peach)
Strega (orange and spices)
Tia Maria (coffee)
Triple Sec (oranges, like curaçao)
In addition to the liquors, you will need different mixers, flavorings and garnishes.
When operating a bar, whether it be in-house or a business, you need to have certain types of glasses. The right glass can enhance the drink you are serving, making you look even better. You really do not want to serve wine in a coffee cup, a cocktail in a beer mug, and you definitely don't want to serve an Alabama Slammer in a sherry glass. Get the point?
Glass accidents
When you are around any bar, home or business, you need to be concerned for yourself and your guests. Here are a few tips about accidents and what to do:
Always use an ice scoop and not the glass itself. Tiny slivers of glass always chip off when dipped into an ice well and your glasses become unclear after a while.
If you accidentally break a glass near ice, always throw away all the ice. When glass shatters, pieces go everywhere. You really don't want pieces of glass in your drink.
Never take a hot glass and add ice into it. This can cause the glass to shatter due to thermal shock. Be careful about this.
Mechanical shock occurs when you clank two glass together. One of the glasses will almost always break.
If you carry the glasses by the stem or the base you avoid fingerprints where people drink from, and you will have more support carrying the glass.
