If you fancy having cocktails, you’ve most likely invested in bar equipment. It goes without saying that in the bar game, bar tools surely come in handy. Whether it’s to measure your liquors, mix your desired drink, or strain a cocktail, having your own barware kit definitely pays off! These tools can range from affordable to expensive, regardless of that, you might want to keep them in tip-top condition for as long as possible. Let us give you a quick rundown on how to take care of bar equipment to maximize their lifespan.
Tips On How To Take Care Of Bar Equipment
- Have An Organized Set Up For Your Bar Equipment
- Follow A Cleaning Checklist
- Wash The Glassware
- Ensure That You Deep-Clean Regularly
- See To It That Open Wine Bottles Are Kept To A Minimum
- Make Sure That You Empty And Clean The Ice Buckets
- Wipe The Bottles On The Shelves
- Clean Portable Bar Equipment
1. Bar Equipment Should Have An Organized Set-Up
Whether you bartend for a living, or are a home bartender, having a designated place for all the equipment is a must! Having a set-up for your bar tools is important as it’ll save you a lot of time, especially when you’re bartending during a party. If your bar is not organized, you might end up making your guests wait.
Right from your liquors, garnishes, glasses, to other tools, all of them have to be organized well. After a long and tiring day, when you’re in a desperate need of a cocktail to cheer yourself up, you’ll know exactly where your things are. So, it’s time that you start putting all your bar equipment in their right place!
2. Follow A Cleaning Checklist
If you think that cleaning your bar once a while is enough to keep your equipment in a good condition, you’re wrong. To ensure that everything at your bar is arranged in an orderly fashion, you can make a cleaning checklist. This will help you feel accountable for the set-up you’ve made to maintain the hygiene of your bar tools.
For those who have a home bar, you can take up the responsibility yourself and decide a specific time for the cleaning process. But, bar owners can divide the cleaning responsibilities to all their staff members.
Here’s a sample cleaning checklist that you can follow:
- Wipe down all your liquor bottles.
- Clean the bar platform.
- Always have clean ice to keep your alcohol cold.
- Restock liquor that’s expired or over.
- Remove old garnishes and make new fresh ones.
- Stock up on supplies like straws, glasses, and napkins.
- Change the napkin holders.
- Ensure that the glassware is washed.
- Mop your bar floor.
- Empty the garbage bin.
Also Read: How To Choose A Wine Decanter
3. Wash The Glassware
One of the many important tools in your bar is the glassware. It may not be just to serve drinks, but also to add to the aesthetic value of your bar. There are some drinks, like specific cocktails, that need a certain type of glass. So, to entertain your guests for the upcoming party you’re going to host, you need to keep them in a good condition.
Ensure that each and every glass is cleaned after your drinking sessions. Any suitable washing liquid or detergent of your choice will do for cleaning the glasses. Make sure that you use a non-abrasive cloth or a sponge to scrub the glasses. Another way to clean your glassware is soaking them in white vinegar for 5 minutes and then washing them using warm or cold water.
Also Read: How To Say Cheers In Different Languages
4. Ensure That You Deep-Clean Regularly
As mentioned earlier, you need to deep-clean your bar regularly. Being consistent with cleaning is what’s going to keep your bar equipment tidy. This is when your cleaning checklist will come in handy. You can have a look at it before and after your cleaning process to ensure that you’ve done all the tasks listed down. All of this may seem like extra work to you, but it’ll definitely ensure the longevity of your bar equipment.
If you’re a bar owner, you’re most probably relying on the bar porter to clean and organize your bar. When we say organize, all the beer keg taps, ashtrays, and stone bar tools need to be cleaned, and alcohol bottles need to be restocked. Although these are the things a porter should ideally be taking care of, not always will you find them following a deep-cleaning process. You can allot this work to your bartenders in shifts, for maintaining your bar equipment.
Here are some of the things you should follow during your deep-cleaning process:
- Beer lines need to be changed.
- Refrigerators and freezers should be emptied and cleaned.
- All glassware and bottles need to be cleaned.
- Dusting of all cabinets and shelves needs to be done daily.
- All bar machines, soda guns, trays, coolers, and sinks also need to be cleaned.
Also Read: A Complete Guide On How To Serve And Drink Champagne
5. See To It That Open Wine Bottles Are Kept To A Minimum
Except for times when you’re organizing a big party or an event, you need to make sure that open wine bottles are kept to a minimum. If you’ve kept multiple bottles of the same type of wine open, you might end up getting confused. You might wonder which one of them is good, what should you try out first, or what you need to do if any of them goes bad? To keep them more organized, you can label all wines that have similar open dates. Such an organized set-up will help you verify the quality of your wines.
6. Empty And Clean The Ice Buckets
When it comes to bar set-up, ice buckets are just as important as other tools. After all, who doesn’t love a chilled glass of whiskey or cocktail? They can be considered as one of the many functional tools of your bar equipment. So, don’t forget to mention the task of emptying and cleaning ice buckets on your cleaning checklist.
Ice buckets are usually left open at a bar, that’s why they need to be disinfected. This will help avoid them from getting contaminated. So, see to it that you clear the ice from the bucket, after every drinking session is over. You need to scrub the bucket with a good quality scrubber and sanitize it.
Also Read: How To Strain A Cocktail
7. Wipe The Bottles On The Shelves
Whether it’s to get access to the most commonly served alcohol or to make the bar look more organized and decorative, most bars have alcohol bottles shelved. When you organize a party, you might take out several alcohol bottles to make different cocktails. While doing so, you might end up spilling some wine or beer on the shelf that may leave stains there. In the busyness of hosting your guests, you might not notice these stains.
See to it that you dust, wipe, and tidy the entire shelf and clean all the bottles after your party is over. Every time you serve a drink for yourself or your guests, pour the drink from a clean bottle. Another thing to be mindful of is cleaning all the nozzles and bottle toppers after every party or drinking session.
Also Read: How To Host A Cocktail Party
8. Clean Portable Bar Equipment
Grease damages portable equipment in your bar such as cocktail shakers, strainers, blenders, kegs, and juicers. If you have an oil fryer, it’s likely to spill some oil. So, see to it that you clean it at least once or twice on a weekly basis if not regularly.
If you forget or discard the importance of cleaning portable bar equipment, there can be a build up of mold behind any of your equipment, like for example your ice machine. Such unhygienic conditions will affect your drinks and cause you health problems. That’s why we stress on cleaning your portable equipment.
Summing Up
Sure, maintaining your bar equipment may seem like a daunting task. However, a clean and organized bar will definitely help you focus on enjoying your favorite drinks. Now that we’ve taken you through how to take care of bar equipment, it’s time you get your cleaning supplies and get to the task!
FAQs
How Do You Take Care Of A Bar?
Here’s how you can take care of your bar:
- Have an organized set up for your bar equipment.
- Follow a cleaning checklist.
- Wash the glassware.
- Ensure that you deep-clean regularly.
- Limit opening too many wine bottles.
- Make sure that you empty and clean the ice buckets.
- Wipe the bottles on the shelves.
- Clean portable bar equipment.
Why Is It Important To Maintain Bar Tools?
Your equipment and tools will suffer damage if left uncleaned. You don’t want to end up creating a huge hole in your pocket to buy new tools all the time, so it’s best if you maintain your existing ones.
How Do You Clean And Maintain A Bar Area?
You need to clean and sanitize the items in your bar such as the refrigerator, shelves, bottles, and other tools. Stock your bar with fresh cocktail garnishes and replace expired liquor.
What Are The Types Of Equipment Used In The Bar?
Many use bar tools such as shakers, strainers, muddlers, bar spoons, steers, jiggers, glassware, and bottle openers.
What Is The Most Important Equipment In A Bar?
Some of the most important equipment in a bar are mixing tools, corkscrew, bottle openers, blenders, and ice machines.
Why Do We Need To Keep The Bar Station Tidy And Clean?
Just like you clean and maintain the kitchen area, you also need to tidy and clean your bar station. It will keep all your tools in a good condition and you can serve drinks in hygienic conditions.
How Can I Improve My Bar Service?
One of the best ways to improve our bar service is by taking and delivering the orders on time. Apart from that, greeting your customers, paying attention to their feedback, and ensuring a smooth booking process are other important things you need to follow.
What Equipment Should A Bartender Have?
A bartender should have equipment like cocktail shaker, strainer, mixer, muddler, bar spoon, jigger, and bottle openers.
