Annabella Shore’s love of cooking shows in her cocktails. The lead bartender at Birch (459 E. Pleasant St.) was raised in a family with Puerto Rican and Dominican ancestry. “I try to [incorporate] things that I was raised eating and drinking,” she says, as well as unexpected ingredients like ube (purple yam) and pandan (a Southeast Asian herb). You don’t need to go overboard in your home bar. But you do need some basics. Here are her staples:
Shaker Tins
Every home bar needs at least one and preferably two shakers. This type, a cobbler shaker, works fine, but Shore recommends two-piece Boston shakers (the ones that look like an inverted cup fitted into a cup).
Mixing Glass
Used for a stirred, not shaken, cocktail. The stainless steel ones will keep a drink really cold, but Shore prefers glass, with a heavy base and narrow spout, from the brand Cocktail Kingdom.
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Swiveled Bar Spoon
You want a long one that reaches the bottom of the mixing glass, and the swivel design serves an important purpose: If you pour a carbonated beverage slowly down the spoon’s swiveled stem, the soda will not fizz over. Test it out for yourself!
Shot Glass
An aesthetic must. “Spend a little money on a really cute [one].”
Jigger
This dual-sided measuring cup helps ensure consistent cocktails. “They have lines in them to let you know exactly how much you’re pouring and what you need.”
Drinking Glasses
Go thrifting and buy what strikes your fancy. “You’re always gonna find the coolest stuff, the very unique stuff.” For glassware in general, Shore sticks to this: juice glasses (for wine, any type), 8- to 10-ounce rocks glasses, and a bell-shaped Glencairn glass for sipping scotch and mezcal.
Shore’s Liquor Case Favorites
VODKA
Absolut Elyx – “The flavor is rich and beautiful … the only vodka I can drink.”
RYE
Rittenhouse – “The only [whiskey] I put in my Manhattans.”
BOURBON
Old Grand Dad – “Consistent flavor. The Old Grand Dad I had in 2001 tastes exactly the same as the one I have right now.”
GIN
Citadelle – “Absolutely stunning. I don’t have to put anything in it. I can just sip it.”
BITTERS
Angostura, Peychaud’s and an orange bitters like Regan’s – for Manhattans and old fashioneds.
VERMOUTH
Carpano Antica (sweet) and Dolin (dry)
WILD CARDS
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, for margaritas
Fernet-Branca, served neat or in cocktails
