Cocktail/bar supplies in Minneapolis?
My husband's birthday is coming up and he wants some bar supplies. He's looking for a hawthorne strainer, the stir stick (not the technical name, but it's a long silver stick to stir drinks with), a muddler, and some pour spouts.
Does anyone know of a store in Minneapolis that sells good (as in substantial and long-lasting) bar supplies? I ask because I bought him some pour spouts from Crate & Barrel last year and they were AWFUL, but the ones my husband has his eye on right now are $200 a set at some fancy bar tool website!
Should I go to a kitchen supply store? (Never been to one!) Or would I be better off at a place like Sur La Table? Or maybe France 44?
Also does anyone know where I can get Bittercube bitters in town? And has anyone tried them?
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AnneInMpls
Dec 2, 2011 09:57 AM
The only restaurant supply store I've been to (Hockenberg's) doesn't have anything upscale; I've never seen much cocktail-related stuff except basic glasses, plastic beer mugs, and the like.
Have you tried Williams-Sonoma? They have a long-stick stirrer for $12, and might have a few other things that he would like. You can scope them out online, then head to a mall for your purchases.
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You can get most of what you want on Amazon for very reasonable prices. I'd recommend starting with cheap-ish stuff and then upgrading when you realize what you have is no longer cutting it. When you buy a muddler, either get an unvarnished wooden one or a metal one with a rubberized bottom. Plastic is weak (and who needs more plastic in their food?) and varnish will eventually flake off.
You also can get almost everything you're looking for at a well-stocked liquor store, or even just Target (in kitchen supplies section, where I got most of my stuff originally)
I do have some Bittercube bitters and they're pretty good. I'm not really sure how to compare them - they're different. I'm not sure I like the orange bitters, they use dried corriander in it and I find it a little odd. My friend gave them to me as a gift so I'm not sure where he got them, but I think it was in town so I'd try the bigger liquor stores like Surdyks and France 44.
Surdyks does carry a whole bunch of Fee Bros bitters so if you can't find Bittercube you can at least get something other than Angostura there.
