Best Bartender Kits: 5 Bar Tool Sets Worth Buying

 

Table of Contents

What to Know Before You Buy
Best Bartender Kits at a Glance
Best Bar Set for Beginners
Best Professional Bartender Set to Grow Your Skills With
Best Professional Beginner Set
Best On-the-Go Bar Set
Best Cheap Amazon Starter Kit
What Bar Tools Do You Actually Need?
How Much Should You Spend on a Bartender Kit?
Is It Better to Buy a Set or Individual Bar Tools?
What Should Beginners Skip?
Which Bartender Kit Should You Buy?
Final Thoughts
Frequently Asked Questions About Barware Kits

Buying your first set of bar tools should be pretty simple, in theory: You need something to shake with. Something to measure with. Something to strain with. A real bar spoon wouldn’t hurt.

And yet somehow you search for a bartender kit… and five minutes later, you’re staring at a 27-piece set containing three bottle stoppers, four pour spouts, ice tongs, a corkscrew, twelve cocktail picks, and what appears to be a tiny pair of pliers.

Do you really need all that?

Well, depending on where you’re at in your cocktail-making journey, more pieces don’t necessarily make a better bartender kit. For this guide, I’m much more interested in which tools are included, whether they’re tools you’ll actually use, how they’re designed, and whether the set makes sense for the person buying it.

A brand-new home bartender obviously has different needs from a professional bartender. And someone shopping for a gift has different priorities, too. So instead of declaring one universal winner, I’ve picked sets for different kinds of cocktail-makers.

Spoiler: Yes, one of ours is on the list. No, it doesn’t win every category.

 

What to Know Before You Buy

Before we start comparing sets, I want to explain how I’m judging them because number of items is not my main criterion. In fact, it’s pretty far down the list.

First, I’m looking at whether a set contains the tools you actually need to make cocktails: a shaker, jigger, strainer, and some way to stir drinks. From there, tools like a muddler, fine mesh strainer, Julep strainer, bottle opener, pourers, and cocktail picks may be useful, depending on what you’re making.

I’m also looking at materials and construction, measurement markings, shaker design, ergonomics, ease of cleaning, price, and how useful the set will remain as your cocktail skills improve. That’s the last part people sometimes overlook. A six-piece set can be a better purchase than a 20-piece set if those six tools are the ones you’ll actually use and continue to use.

I’m also not assuming that the most expensive set is automatically better. Cocktail Kingdom, OXO, A Bar Above (that’s us), and the other brands in this guide are approaching the category differently. Some prioritize simplicity. Some give you more specialized bartender tools. Some are primarily designed to make getting started as easy as possible.

Finally, the obvious disclosure: I co-founded A Bar Above, and one of our sets is in this guide. I’ll tell you why I think it earns its category, and I’ll tell you its drawbacks. I’m also giving other brands the win when I think their sets make more sense for a particular person.

Best Bartender Kits at a Glance

*Prices checked October 2026 and may change.

 

Best for Beginners: OXO Steel 6-Piece Barware Set

Best for: Someone making their first cocktails who values simplicity and easy measurements

I already gave OXO’s angled jigger the “Best for Beginners” slot in our jigger guide, so it makes sense that their steel beginner barware set lands in a similar place here.

The current six-piece set includes a single-wall cobbler-style cocktail shaker, muddler, angled jigger, fine mesh strainer, and two shot pourers. The shaker has two silicone gaskets, a built-in strainer, and a cap that can also be used for measuring. All of the pieces are dishwasher-safe, and the current listed price at the time of publishing is $79.99.

The jigger is probably the biggest reason I’d recommend this set to someone who’s brand new. Instead of trying to read measurement lines from the side while you’re pouring, OXO’s angled design lets you look down into the cup. And the cobbler shaker simplifies things further because the strainer is built in.

If you’re giving someone their first bar set and they’re more interested in making a good Margarita this weekend than learning exactly what equipment they’d encounter behind a cocktail bar, there’s a lot to like here.

The drawback is that this isn’t a particularly complete set for someone who wants to learn how to use traditional bartender tools or to make a variety of cocktails. There’s no bar spoon, Hawthorne strainer, or separate mixing vessel, and the shaker experience is different from working with Boston tins.

I also don’t love the spikes on the muddler because they can bring out the bitterness in your mint. And I don’t know if beginners really need those pour spouts or a jigger plus a cap that is… well, also a jigger.

(Pro tip on the pour spouts: You can also use them for olive oil, etc. instead of on your liquor bottles if you prefer.)

This isn’t a bad set at all. It’s popular with beginners, but it’s just better suited to easy entry into home cocktail making than to replicating a traditional professional bar setup. It doesn’t have everything you need, and it even has some things you probably don’t. But it’s a good start.

 

Best Pro Set to Grow Your Skills With: A Bar Above 14-Piece Bartender Kit

Best for: Someone learning cocktails who doesn’t want to replace their basic tools as their skills improve

This is the category where I think our 14-Piece Stainless Steel Bartender Kit makes the most sense.

The silver set is currently $98 (a little more for colored options) and includes a Boston shaker, Japanese jigger, bar spoon, hardwood muddler, Hawthorne strainer, Julep strainer, fine mesh strainer, and six cocktail picks. The metal components are made from 304 stainless steel, and the tools use reinforced welds at critical connection points.

And yes, technically six of those fourteen pieces are cocktail picks. I’m telling you that because this is exactly why you shouldn’t shop by piece count.

But the reason I’d buy this set isn’t because fourteen sounds more impressive than nine. It’s because the core tools are the same types of tools someone can continue using as they learn more advanced cocktail techniques and add to their collection. These are professional-grade bar tools, and you can use them if you’re a pro or just getting started.

You can learn to shake with Boston tins. You can practice different straining techniques with Hawthorne, Julep, and fine mesh strainers. You have a Japanese-style jigger for measuring and a proper bar spoon for stirred drinks.

I don’t want to call this a “beginner set” in the sense that you’ll use it for six months and then graduate to the real thing. These are the kinds of tools we’d want someone learning traditional bartending techniques to get comfortable using, which is why it’s great for all skill levels.

 

Chris’s Take

If I were buying a bar set for a friend who told me they really wanted to learn cocktails, I’d rather give them a smaller number of tools they can keep using as they improve than a giant box of accessories they’ll never touch. I’d want them to learn on Boston tins, get comfortable with a jigger, understand the difference between a Hawthorne and Julep strainer, and have the basic tools to make both shaken and stirred drinks.

The drawback is that this isn’t the cheapest way to find out whether you even enjoy making cocktails. At $98-122, you’re spending more than you need to spend if your only goal is making the occasional Cosmo at home.

It also doesn’t include a mixing glass. You can stir in one of the shaker tins or another suitable vessel when you’re starting, but you’ll most likely eventually want to add one.

If you’re cocktail-curious, there are simpler choices. But if you’re actually planning to learn the skill, this is the set I’d choose.

 

Best Pro Beginner Bar Set: Cocktail Kingdom Essential Cocktail Set

Best for: Someone who wants to make all kinds of basic cocktails, both shaken and stirred, without getting too fancy

Cocktail Kingdom gets a very real win here: Its stainless-steel Essential Cocktail Set contains a seamless 550 ml mixing glass, Hoffman bar spoon, 1-ounce/2-ounce Japanese jigger, a set of Koriko weighted shaking Tins, and a Koriko cocktail strainer (Hawthorne style).

It has everything you need for shaken and stirred cocktails without any extras, avoiding the “twenty accessories because twenty sounds better than seven” approach completely. I respect that.

The drawback is the price and narrower tool assortment. At the current $139.99 price, it costs more than the $98 stainless ABA set while omitting tools such as a Julep strainer, fine mesh strainer, and muddler. Also, the colored versions are not dishwasher-safe.

But I wouldn’t compare them based on piece count. I’d compare them based on what you want to learn and what you already own.

 

Best Portable Bartender Kit: Barillio 17-Piece Travel Bartender Kit

Best for: Traveling bartenders, events, and anyone who wants to keep a larger tool collection together

If your bar isn’t always in the same place, Barillio has put together one of the more interesting kits on our list. Rather than pairing its tools with a countertop stand or presentation box, this 17-piece set comes in a waxed-canvas bartender bag designed to roll up and travel with you.

The tool selection is pretty darn comprehensive, too, although it’s another case of “I’m not sure you need all of this.” You get 18- and 28-ounce weighted Boston shaker tins, a double jigger, muddler, mixing spoon, Hawthorne strainer, julep strainer, fine-mesh strainer, ice tongs, citrus squeezer, zester, peeler, ice pick, garnish tweezers, corkscrew bottle opener, three liquor pourers, and a recipe booklet.

I particularly like that the kit includes all three of the strainers I’d expect in a more comprehensive bartender setup. The additional citrus and garnishing tools also make more sense here than they do in some of the oversized kits I’ve seen, especially if you’re packing for an event and don’t know exactly what you’ll need when you get there.

The drawback is that the colored versions aren’t dishwasher-safe. The tools are made from 304 stainless steel, but Barillio recommends hand-washing its colored finishes because they are coated, not heat-treated like ours.

And at a regular price of $173.49, you’re paying substantially more than you would for a smaller collection of core bar tools. That extra cost makes the most sense if you’ll actually use the expanded tool selection and portable canvas bag.

For someone who wants a basic setup that lives permanently on a home bar, this is probably more kit than you need. But for a bartender who regularly takes their tools on the road, the combination of a genuinely useful tool assortment and purpose-built storage makes this Barillio bar set stand out.

 

Best Amazon Budget Find: KITESSENSU 24-Ounce Cocktail Shaker Set

Best for: Beginners who want an inexpensive, basic cocktail setup from Amazon

If you’re looking for a (really) inexpensive way to start making cocktails at home, it’s hard to ignore this little KITESSENSU set. At around $12, it gives you the basic tools you need to measure, stir, shake, and strain a drink, and it has earned a 4.7-star rating from thousands of Amazon customers.

This is also a cobbler shaker rather than a Boston shaker, which can be approachable for someone making their first cocktails because the strainer is built right into the shaker. The included 0.5- and 1-ounce jigger covers very basic and small measurements, so it’s definitely not what I would prefer using, but it’ll get the job done. Plus, the included bar spoon gives you an option for stirred drinks.

The drawback is that this is a very basic set. You aren’t getting a separate Hawthorne strainer, fine-mesh strainer, muddler, mixing glass, or the broader collection of tools you’ll find in the more complete kits on this list. And while 18/8 stainless steel is a perfectly appropriate material for barware, material alone doesn’t tell us how a $12 set will compare with heavier-duty tools in construction, balance, fit, or long-term durability.

Still, that’s not really what this set is trying to be. If you’re curious about making cocktails, don’t want to spend much, and value the convenience of ordering through Amazon, the KITESSENSU set offers a remarkably low-cost place to start. Just know that you’ll probably be replacing these tools sooner rather than later, particularly if you decide you enjoy making cocktails often.

 

What Bar Tools Do You Actually Need?

This is where bartender kits get unnecessarily complicated, depending on your skill level and how often you make cocktails. If you’re setting up your first home bar, I would prioritize four things:

Cocktail shaker
Jigger
Hawthorne Strainer
Bar spoon

That’s enough equipment to start learning an enormous number of cocktails. From there, I’d add tools based on what you actually make:

A muddler becomes useful if you’re making drinks with herbs, fruit, or sugar that needs muddling.
A fine mesh strainer is useful when you want to double strain small ice chips, pulp, fruit, herbs, or other fine particles.
A Julep strainer is traditionally useful for stirred cocktails, although a Hawthorne can handle plenty of home-bar duties.
A mixing glass is lovely once you start making stirred cocktails regularly, but you can absolutely learn to stir in another suitable vessel first.

Bottle pourers? Useful in certain setups, but mostly professional ones. Six decorative picks? Nice to have to give your cocktails that elevated finish, but not necessary. Twenty-seven different pieces? I’m going to need to see those twenty-seven pieces before I get too excited.

 

How Much Should You Spend on a Bartender Kit?

There isn’t one correct number: It totally depends on what you already have, what you need/want, and what you’re going to make. For someone who’s simply curious about making drinks at home, I wouldn’t insist they spend $100+ before they’ve shaken their first Daiquiri. A simpler starter set may be all they need.

Once you know you’re going to keep making cocktails, I think it makes sense to pay more attention to the individual tools inside the set than the total price. Spending more doesn’t automatically make your drinks better, but you can add to your barware kit with fun accessories that you’ll use to make your drinks kinda fancy.

I’d rather see someone spend $80 on tools they enjoy using and put the rest toward good citrus, decent spirits, and enough ice than spend $200 on a kit that contains a bunch of stuff you’ll never use.

 

Is It Better to Buy a Bartender Set or Individual Bar Tools?

Honestly, it depends on how opinionated you already are. If you’re starting from zero, a well-chosen bartender set is convenient. You get compatible tools in one purchase, usually in a matching finish, and you don’t have to research seven different pieces individually.

If you’ve already been making cocktails for a while, buying individually gives you more control and the ability to mix-and-match. Maybe you love OXO’s angled jigger but want Koriko shaker tins. Maybe you prefer our Hawthorne strainer’s ergonomic handle. Maybe you want a completely unnecessary but extremely beautiful pink mixing glass.

Welcome to barware.

There’s no rule that your tools need to match. For a beginner, I’d start with a thoughtfully assembled set and add pieces as you up your skill level. Once you develop preferences, replace or add individual pieces because they solve a specific problem, not because somebody told you your current set is no longer serious enough.

 

What Should Beginners Skip?

This may be more useful than telling you what to buy. Don’t choose a bartender kit solely because it has the highest piece count. A set can get from eight pieces to eighteen very quickly by adding bottle stoppers, pourers, straws, picks, tongs, brushes, and other small accessories.

Some of those things are genuinely useful to the right people, so you have to assess if they’re right for you. I’d also be cautious about buying a giant set because you think you need every possible piece before making your first drink. You don’t: Learn to measure accurately. Learn how to shake. Learn how to stir. Learn how dilution changes a drink. Learn how to use fresh citrus.

Those things will improve your cocktails considerably more than owning three kinds of ice tongs.

 

Which Bartender Kit Should You Buy?

Again, this is really personal based on your cocktail skills, how often you make drinks, budget, and what kind of drinks you want to make. If you’re brand new and want the easiest possible introduction, I’d start with the OXO Steel 6-Piece Barware Set.

If you’re serious about learning traditional bartender tools and want a set you can grow with but that has everything you really need to make shaken and stirred cocktails, I’d choose our A Bar Above 14-Piece Bartender Kit.

If you already know you are just starting out or need to replace your basic bar tools, I’d choose the Cocktail Kingdom Essential Cocktail Set. It doesn’t include anything fancy or extra, so eventually you’ll need to add more. If you know you want to muddle and have pretty garnishes, I’d say go for our 14-piece set (which is also more affordable) instead. But if you just want the absolute basics for now, start here.

For true beginners, try that budget Kitessensu kit and see what you think about making cocktails before you commit to a higher-quality kit.

 

Build a Bar You’ll Actually Use

The best bartender kit isn’t the one with the most pieces. It isn’t automatically the most expensive one, either. It’s the set that gives you the tools you need for the drinks you want to make, without making you pay for a box full of things you won’t touch again after opening it.

While it’s not fun to waste money on tools you need to replace quickly, remember that you don’t need to buy your forever bar on day one. You need enough good tools to make your first drink properly. Then your second.

After that, I’m afraid the growing barware collection is between you and your available cabinet space.