Welcome back to The Woman At The Bar, everyone!

It’s Tuesday, which means it is time for the inaugural installment of Tools & Tricks Tuesday! This is where we clue you in on some tricks that will turn up your mixology game, and tell you about some tools that can make things easier AND fancier for you! Lets get to it then, shall we?

Since our Monday Funday cocktail included a grated nutmeg garnish, we here at The Woman At The Bar decided there would be no better tool to start this off with than a Spice Grater!

A spice grater is just that: a grater for spices. Like the adorable tiny cousin of a cheese grater. Fancy and complicated, huh? Well, let me tell you, this little thingamabob will seriously improve your drinks (and as a bonus, can also be used in the kitchen to do things like “bake” and “cook food.” Interesting, right?)

Here is the reason that a spice grater is going to take your drinks up a notch: It lets you use fresh whole spices! Spices come fresh and whole? Why YES, they do! That is our Trick Of The Day: fresh whole spices are WAY better than pre-ground. If you buy ground spices, they are already pretty dried out and have lost some of their flavor, and as time goes by they just get worse. Whenever you can buy the whole version (whole cloves, whole nutmeg etc), do it! The flavor and scent are stronger, and that is just what you need when you are using spices in your drinks!

I got my spice grater by the check out lines at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and I am pretty sure it cost me about $2. If you want to get fancy, go for this $10 version.

BONUS: If you want to read a really great article by a super smart lady about how to up your spice game, click here!

The other tool I want to talk about today is a long-stemmed bar spoon with a muddler end. Everything sound so fancy today, right?

Well it is fancy! But also, it’s not. In reality, it is just a long metal spoon with a hammer on the back end — but oh boy how it will change your drink-making life!

Be honest, how many of you currently use the end of a wooden spoon or the back of a table knife to muddle? Come on, show of hands. I know you’re out there. Well, no more! Not only is this spoon the perfect size to use in a shaker or cocktail glass to stir drinks (tableware and cooking spoons are both too short and too wide to get the job done effectively — stop using them to stir drinks right now!), but the weighted hammer end is both small and powerful enough to actually get your herbs and fruits muddled instead of just poking at them.

This is a great option, and as a bonus it is only $8!

So there you have it! Two great tools to add to your collection, and a free tip to boot!

Don’t go away, The Woman is never too far from The Bar.

See you soon, my dears!