The Vintage cocktail making kit, piece by piece
The Bars Vintage cocktail making kit is a twelve piece station in stainless steel with the Vintage finish, which has an aged look: three shakers, a mixing tin, a strainer, three jiggers, a jigger tray, a bar spoon and a bottle opener. These are the same pieces as in the matt black set and the Tiffany set; what changes is the finish, and the kind of bar it suits.
The bar for a Vintage cocktail making kit
The American bar with a wooden back bar, the bistro that makes the classic cocktails, the hotel bar furnished in 1920s style. In these bars polished steel clashes with the interior, and the Vintage finish follows it instead of contradicting it. The list is usually the period classics: Sazerac, Clover Club, Tom Collins, Old Fashioned, Martinez.
At home it is the kit for anyone with a bar cabinet on show who wants the tools to be part of the furnishing, even when they are not in use.
The twelve pieces of the cocktail making kit
- Boston tin, 840ml (28oz), Vintage
- Half tin, 600ml (20oz), Vintage
- Parisienne shaker, 900ml, Vintage
- Cobbler shaker, 500ml, Vintage
- Iron mixing tin, 600ml, Vintage
- Vintage Hawthorne strainer
- Three Vintage Japanese style jiggers: 15/30ml, 30/45ml and 30/60ml
- Round jigger tray, Vintage, 145mm diameter
- Hoffman bar spoon, 45cm, Vintage
- Bottle opener, Vintage, in AISI 304 stainless steel
A classic list, drink by drink
Old Fashioned: built
It is built in the serving glass. The 30/60ml jigger gives the whiskey measure, and the 45cm bar spoon stirs over ice without the fingers touching the rim. The bottle opener stays on the bar top for the soda and beer that come in on the same round of orders.
Sazerac and Martinez: stirred
They are stirred in the 600ml mixing tin with the bar spoon, and strained with the Hawthorne set on the rim of the tin. The mixing tin does not break if it falls, which is why many bars prefer it to glass during service.
Clover Club and Tom Collins: shaken
The Boston, 28oz tin and 20oz half tin, is the everyday shaker. The 900ml Parisienne, with its capacity, comes in when two Tom Collins arrive together. The 500ml cobbler strains through its cap and frees the Hawthorne for the other shaker.
What the cocktail making kit does not do
The Clover Club is usually fine strained (double strained), and the kit has no fine strainer: it needs adding. Also missing are a muddler for muddled drinks, a julep strainer, pourers, ice tongs, glassware and a case.
The jiggers are for cocktail specs, in 15ml steps: they are not stamped measures for single spirits, which in Great Britain are served in 25ml or 35ml.
Why buy the whole station
Twelve pieces bought one at a time, from different suppliers, arrive in three shades of steel and with different weights in the hand. The cocktail making kit starts out matched, and the bartender learns one size of shaker and of jigger.
When a piece goes missing, you buy back just that one, in the same Vintage finish, and the station keeps its look. The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item, which helps anyone with two or three identical stations to fit out.
Care of the Vintage finish
The supplier does not declare whether it is dishwasher safe, so our advice is careful: lukewarm water, mild detergent, a soft sponge and a dry cloth straight after. Scourers and abrasive powders wear the finish. Ice and citrus are cleared at the end of service, not the next day.
FAQ on the Vintage cocktail making kit
How is it different from the matt black and Tiffany sets? Not in the pieces or the sizes: only the finish changes.
What measures do the jiggers take? There are three Japanese style jiggers: 15/30ml, 30/45ml and 30/60ml.
Do I need a mixing glass as well? No, the 600ml mixing tin does the same job for stirred drinks.
Is it a good gift for someone who makes cocktails at home? Yes: it has everything for shaking, stirring and building. For a fine strain, add a fine strainer.
Dispatched from Rome, Italy.
To compare the kit with the other sets there is the cocktail sets category.
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