Bottle opener

The bar blade is the standard behind the bar: a flat piece of metal you work with one hand and that fits in your back pocket without you sitting on it. They come in stainless steel, copper and wood, and in a version with a vinyl grip that stays less slippery with wet hands. If you work somewhere with plenty of spillage, that grip is worth considering.

A wall-mounted model screws on beside the tap station and is quicker when you open in series. A version with a cap catcher saves bending down and keeps the floor clean. There is also a tool that cuts the whole lid off a can, so you drink from the can as if it were a glass and a slice of citrus still fits. For bottles with a cork, look at the corkscrews.

A crown cap does not come off by pulling hard but by using the rim as a pivot. Hook the opener under the crimped edge, rest the lip on top of the cap and tilt. Do it right and you hear a click while the cap stays flat. Pull upwards at an angle and the cap bends out of shape, leaving a sharp edge.

Catch the cap if you want to keep it, because crown caps on a floor behind a bar are slippery. With bottled beer, temperature then matters more than the opener: beer poured too cold gives off barely any aroma, which you notice straight away with craft 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 mostly open beer, you will find the matching glassware in the beer glasses, where each style shows which shape holds the head. For bottles with a wire cage, 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 the bar tools, where the equipment is arranged by task.