No bar kit required
Cocktail making without specialist tools
Every tool has a kitchen equivalent. Here's the full swap list, and the drinks that need the least gear in the first place.
Bar equipment is designed to make one job slightly easier, not to make it possible — a shaker is a jar with a nicer seal, a jigger is a measuring spoon with the maths already done for you. Nothing in a cocktail recipe requires purpose-built kit; it just requires something that holds liquid, something that measures it, and something that separates ice from drink at the end.
The table below is every piece of equipment referenced on this site, matched to the household item that does the same job. Below that is a list of cocktails that need almost no equipment at all, so you can start there if you'd rather not improvise a substitute for anything.
| Tool | Use it at home instead |
|---|---|
| Cocktail shaker | A secure jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid works well. Shake firmly with both hands over the sink the first time. |
| Jigger | Use measuring spoons or a small kitchen measuring cup — 1 tbsp is roughly 15ml, useful for scaling most jigger measures. |
| Muddler | The handle end of a wooden spoon does the same job.⚠ Press and bruise ingredients gently — do not pulverise herbs, as this releases bitter compounds. |
| Fine strainer (tea strainer) | A small kitchen tea strainer held over the glass works just as well. |
| Hawthorne strainer | A slotted kitchen spoon held across the shaker opening, or the shaker's built-in strainer cap if it has one. |
| Mixing glass | A clean measuring jug or any sturdy glass jug works for stirring. |
| Bar spoon | A long-handled kitchen spoon or chopstick works for stirring; pour slowly over the back of a spoon to layer drinks. |
| Citrus juicer | Squeeze citrus by hand, or press with a fork over a bowl to catch pulp and pips. |
| Ice crusher / Lewis bag | Wrap ice cubes in a clean tea towel and crush gently with a rolling pin. |
| Blender | A food processor can work in short pulses, though the texture will be slightly less smooth. |
| Channel knife / peeler | A regular vegetable peeler makes a wider citrus twist that works just as well. |
| Cocktail pick | A clean toothpick or bamboo skewer is a fine substitute. |
| Boston shaker | Two nesting containers — such as a jar and a sturdy cup — that seal together firmly work the same way; see the cocktail-shaker entry for general shaking guidance. |
| Cobbler shaker | Any secure jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid works the same way — see the cocktail-shaker entry for general guidance on improvising a shaker. |
| Bottle opener | The edge of a sturdy spoon, a key, or the cap of another bottle can lever a cap off in a pinch.⚠ Avoid anything that could slip suddenly under pressure — grip firmly and lever away from your hand and face. |
| Corkscrew | A proper corkscrew is hard to truly substitute. Driving a screw into the cork and pulling it out with pliers is a common improvisation, but it's fiddly, doesn't always work cleanly, and risks pushing the cork into the bottle. |
| Ice mould | Silicone muffin trays or small containers freeze larger-format cubes that work almost as well. |
| Martini glass | A coupe or any small stemmed glass does the same job with less spillage. |
| Hurricane glass | A large wine glass or any tall tumbler of similar capacity works. |
| Tiki mug | Any tall opaque tumbler. The drink is unaffected; only the presentation changes. |
| Champagne flute | A small white-wine glass keeps bubbles nearly as well and shows aroma better. |
| Coupe glass | Any small stemmed wine glass works well as a substitute. |
| Rocks glass / Old Fashioned glass | Any short tumbler works fine. |
| Highball glass | Any tall glass works fine. |
| Wine glass | Any wine glass you already own. A standard 350ml one works; you simply use less ice. |
| Copper mug | A highball glass. The drink is identical; you lose the cold-metal sensation and nothing else.⚠ Unlined copper should not be used with acidic drinks such as lime juice. Check the mug is lined before serving anything citrus-based in it. |
| Heatproof mug | A normal ceramic mug. It is the safest option in the cupboard and the only visible loss is seeing the layers in an Irish coffee.⚠ Never pour boiling liquid into an untempered glass. If you are unsure what a glass is made of, use a ceramic mug instead. |
Minimal gear
65 cocktails that need almost no equipment
Two tools or fewer — usually just something to measure with and something to stir with.
Shirley Temple
Ginger ale and grenadine with a maraschino cherry — a bright, fizzy classic mocktail.
Ginger Lime Fizz
Ginger beer, lime and soda over ice with mint — a spicy, fizzy CocktailHQ original.
Espresso Tonic
Chilled tonic water over ice with a fresh double espresso poured on top — bittersweet, fizzy and cold.
French Connection
Cognac and amaretto, built over ice — a simple, warming two-ingredient sipper.
Death in the Afternoon
Absinthe topped with ice-cold Champagne — a stark two-ingredient drink credited to Ernest Hemingway.
Vietnamese Coffee Cocktail
Dark rum stirred into strong iced coffee and sweetened condensed milk — a spirited take on Vietnamese cà phê sữa đá.
Kombucha Mule
Ginger kombucha and lime over ice — a tangy, faintly funky alcohol-free take on the Moscow Mule format.
Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail
Tart cranberry juice lengthened with soda and lime — a bright, festive-looking three-ingredient mocktail.
Roy Rogers
Cola and grenadine with a maraschino cherry — the cola-based sibling to a Shirley Temple.
Virgin Sunrise
Orange juice and grenadine, layered so the colour bleeds from red to gold — the Tequila Sunrise without the tequila.
Alcohol-Free Bellini
Peach purée topped with alcohol-free sparkling wine — two ingredients, and the same drink the original always was.
Virgin Sea Breeze
Cranberry and grapefruit over ice — the Sea Breeze's dry, tart half, which was always the interesting part.