Bottle opener

The bar blade is the standard behind the bar: a flat tool you operate with one hand that fits in your back pocket without sitting on it. They come in stainless steel, copper, and wood, as well as a version with a vinyl grip that becomes less slippery with wet hands. If you work in an environment where a lot gets spilled, that grip is worth considering.

A wall-mounted model is screwed in at the bar station and works faster when you open bottles in batches. A version with a cap catcher saves you from bending down and keeps the floor clean. There is also a tool that cuts off the entire lid of a can, allowing you to drink from the can as if it were a glass, with room for a slice of citrus as well. For bottles with a cork, look at the corkscrews.

A crown cap does not come off by pulling hard, but by using the edge as a pivot point. Hook the opener under the ridged edge, let the lip rest on top of the cap, and tilt. If you do it correctly, you will hear a click and the cap will remain flat. If you pull upward at an angle, the cap will bend and the edge will become sharp.

Catch the cap if you want to keep it, because crown caps on a floor behind a bar are slippery. With bottled beer, the temperature afterward matters more than the opener: beer served too cold releases hardly any aroma, which you can taste immediately with specialty beer. A kopstoot or a cuba libre simply starts with a bottle or a can that opens neatly.

Stainless steel is the safest choice if the opener gets wet and is left lying around. Copper takes on a darker patina over time, which some people like and which a polishing cloth brings back. Wipe openers with a wooden handle dry and never leave them in a rinse sink, because wood that soaks up water starts to move and works loose from the metal.

Check now and then whether the hook is still sharp enough. An opener that has stretched no longer grips the cap properly and slips, and that is exactly when people cut themselves. Tighten wall-mounted models periodically, because the leverage slowly works the screws loose.

If you mainly open beer, you’ll find the matching glassware under beer glasses, where each style indicates which shape retains the foam. For bottles with a muselet, the champagne sabres and openers are listed separately. If you first want an overview of everything that should be within reach on a bar, start with bar tools, where the tools are arranged by task.