Camille's Top 10 Essentials for Making Great Drinks at Home

Camille's Top 10 Essentials for Making Great Drinks at Home

Itching to bring your home bar up to par? Finding the right tools can feel like a chore, but not when you have at-home drink-making pros like Camille (@thecocktailsnob_) to consult. That's exactly what we did; we asked for her top 10 favorite home bar essentials and even some tips to elevate your booze. She says:

"Since the start of the pandemic, many of us have had no choice but to play kitchen bartender so we can get our drink on at home. And not being able to access some of my favorite bars and restaurants has given me a great excuse to create happy hour at home. 

So I’m sharing my 10 must-have essentials for at-home cocktail making-everything from tools, to glasses, and ice trays. These are the tools that I use most often to make my process easy and efficient. Cheers!"
Creator Image
Camille Wilson
Cocktail Blogger/Content Creator

Camille Wilson is a NYC-based cocktail blogger who loves daiquiris, brunch, and red lipstick. Since October of 2018, she has been sharing simple recipes for ... See More

  • Godinger Dublin Cocktail Shaker Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Godinger
    Dublin Cocktail Shaker

    Camille Wilson

    This shaker is great for thoroughly combining liquid cocktail ingredients. When shaken with ice, it chills your cocktail to its optimal temperature. 

    The best part is that it has a built-in strainer. So once you're done shaking, you can remove the small top and strain the liquid without having to worry about ice or other solids getting into your drink! 

    Since you won't have to reach for another tool, drink-making can be fast and efficient. The gorgeous stainless steel design and glass detail also make it a fantastic bar cart accessory.
    $19.99
  • Steso Wooden Muddler Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Steso
    Wooden Muddler

    Camille Wilson

    I love cocktail recipes that call for fresh herbs, so having a muddler on hand is essential for me. The Steso Wooden Muddler can be used to smash and macerate ingredients. 

    It helps release fragrant oils from herbs. You can also use it to muddle fresh fruits to release their juice. The thin shape of this muddler makes it easy to use in any size of glass. 

    This muddler is also great because both sides can be used! It also doubles as a pestle if you need to use it in the kitchen for smashing ingredients like garlic.
    $6.99
  • Best Choice Metal Lemon Lime Squeezer Image 1
    Source：walmart.com

    Best Choice
    Metal Lemon Lime Squeezer

    Camille Wilson

    For cocktail recipes that call for lemon or lime juice, I always recommend fresh citrus. It really makes a difference in the taste of a cocktail. Squeezing citrus by hand can take a lot of time, but this lemon-lime squeezer can make your life so much easier. 

    To use it, you put half of a citrus fruit and squeeze it down to get the juice out. It's so easy, and you're able to get more juice than if you squeezed it by hand! This one also has an attachment that you can use for juicing smaller citrus fruits, like limes.
    $13.69
  • OXO Steel Double Jigger Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    OXO
    Steel Double Jigger

    Camille Wilson

    Balance is key to a great-tasting cocktail, and a jigger is a tool used by bartenders to measure liquid ingredients and achieve that balance. This OXO jigger will help you create balanced, delicious cocktails at home time after time.

    This jigger has clear demarcations on the inside that make it easy to see your measurements, and you're able to measure with both sides! The stainless steel design makes it easy to clean, and it's dishwasher safe. I also like this one because the black silicone wrap makes it easy to grip as you pour and shake.
    $9.99
  • Barfly Muddle Bar Spoon Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Barfly
    Muddle Bar Spoon

    Camille Wilson

    This Barfly Bar Spoon is a great bar spoon for your home bar. Bar spoons are used in stirred cocktails like, old-fashioneds, negronis, Manhattans, and more. It's great quality, and the long, curved handle ensures that you get a good stir no matter the size of your glass or pitcher. 

    This one is also great because it has a flat side that doubles as a muddler. So you're getting two essential tools for the price of one! It's also available in four other colors, which means you can easily match it with the rest of your home bar aesthetic.
    $11.00
  • Riedel Mixing Glass Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Riedel
    Mixing Glass

    Camille Wilson

    The Riedel Mixing Glass would be a gorgeous addition to any bar cart. Mixing glasses are often used in conjunction with a bar spoon to create stirred cocktails. The details in this glass are lovely and really elevate the look. 

    Not only is it beautiful, but I also love this mixing glass because it's sturdy and holds a lot of liquid. After I stir my drinks, I usually add a wire strainer on top to pour the liquid from the glass while holding the ice back. The spout makes it easy to pour from and the ridges in the glass make for a non-slip grip.
    $52.82
  • Mikasa Highball Drinking Glass Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Mikasa
    Highball Drinking Glass

    Camille Wilson

    Highball glasses are often used for cocktails with a sparkling element, like sparkling water, ginger beer, and more. The Mikasa Highball Drinking Glass set comes with 4 modern, classy drinking glasses that you can use for cocktails and more. 

    As much as I love elaborate, ornate glassware, there's just something about a simple, classic design that can elevate a cocktail. I like that these glasses can be cleaned in the dishwasher. I can tell they'll last a long time. These glasses are great for classics like gin fizzes, mojitos, and Tom Collins.
    $23.16
  • Libbey Heavy Base Rocks Cocktail Glass Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Libbey
    Heavy Base Rocks Cocktail Glass

    Camille Wilson

    This lowball glass can be used for most cocktails and is a good option for those who enjoy sipping their spirits neat, or without ice. Libbey is one of my favorite glassware brands as their products withstand the test of time and are of great quality. 

    All of their products are beautifully designed, and this set is no different. These glasses are sturdy and can take even a glass of water from drab to fab. This is a great, affordable set for entertaining at home. These are also dishwasher safe and hold about 11 ounces of liquid.
    $27.41
  • Luigi Bormioli Jazz Champagne/Sherbet Coupe Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    Luigi Bormioli
    Jazz Champagne/Sherbet Coupe

    Camille Wilson

    No home bar is complete without fancy stemware. In my opinion, coupes are the way to go. They're good for champagne as well as cocktails. I love them because they can make any drink look sophisticated and elegant. I love to serve classic daiquiris in mine with a lime wheel on the side.

    The Luigi Bormioli Jazz Champagne/Sherbet Coupes come in a set of 4. I like to whip them out to impress guests or to take Instagram-worthy photos. I'm extra cautious with my stemware, though, so even though these are dishwasher-safe, I like to handwash them to be on the safe side.
    $40.75
  • W&P Silicone Ice Tray Image 1
    Source：amazon.com

    W&P
    Silicone Ice Tray

    Camille Wilson

    This might not occur to many people, but ice is an essential ingredient in cocktail-making. Ice chills your drink to its optimal temperature, which makes for a delicious drinking experience. I love the W&P design silicone ice tray. 

    I like that it has a cover that makes it easy to stack in your freezer. It also protects your ice from absorbing the "freezer odor." In addition, removing ice from these trays is a cinch. The silicone mold is soft and allows you to push the ice out easily. No need to struggle! I also love the perfectly square-shaped ice this tray creates.
    $12.00