Essential Tools for Cocktail Parties

Shaker Most cocktails are either stirred or shaken. Why? Those delicious ingredients need to meld. For that you will need a shaker, preferably the elegant, efficient, easy to use Parisian shaker. As a rule cocktails with citrus juice are shaken; those without, like martinis, should be stirred in the bottom half of the shaker to maintain their clarity. WMF Parisian shaker, $63 cocktailkingdom.com

Strainer There are all sorts of strainers out there, but the Hawthorne strainer, with its tight metal coil, is the only one you need. Why do you need one? To keep bits of fruit pulp and shards of ice out of shaken drinks. AG Hawthorne strainer, $12; cocktailkingdom.com

Jigger Making great drinks is about precision and consistency: It’s not a splash of Champagne and a dash of lime. It’s one ounce here, two ounces there. Rather than a double-ended jigger, keep a small 2-ounce measuring cup on hand, which will accommodate most recipes. Mini angled measuring cup, $6; oxo.com

Muddler User your muddler like a pestle to extract aromatic oils and juice from ingredients, such as mint for a Mojito or lime wedges for a Caipirinha. While the end of a thin rolling pin or the bowl end of a wooden spoon will get the job done, a handmade wooden muddler separates the players from the pretenders. PUG muddler, $35; wnjones.com