I just went on a hunt for small martini glasses and discovered some great used stuff. The antique store at the market (the one on post alley) had some cool sets as did the giant mall on lander at 6th.

If you are going for new, OXO always gets the best reviews and they make some nice bar-ware pieces. B,B and beyond has an exhaustive selection. As for what tools to get: Martini shaker, ice strainer, wine opener, lemon twister and martini glasses are the basics.

Sometimes Fireworks has some really awesome bar tools. A friend gave us this amazing mid-century-looking glass shaker and ice bucket from there.

What a great 21st b day gift!

Online there are some fun options: Cocktail Kingdom has cool stuff and UberBar Tools has a great bartender roll up kit that is more than 100 bucks – but they have a muddler that is super!

Most restaurant supply stores also have great barware basics – if you live in Seattle, you can check out Bargreen Ellingson or Seattle Restaurant Supply.

I would get your brother the following: a Boston shaker set up (tin and glass), a hawthorn strainer, muddler, jigger and stirring spoon for the basics. (I have muddlers and the Boston shaker tin and glass available at Dish D’Lish Ballard.)

For a cocktail book, Robert Hess’ The Essential Bartenders Guide is great! It would be fun to throw in some bitters too.

-Kathy Casey

Not so much of a baby anymore:-) High quality bar tools are easy to come by online but be careful, as there are many cheap ones as well. My favorite sites for bar tools are WMF and Kegworks. 

For Hawthorn strainers look for tight coils, I like the OXO’s.

For Boston shakers and other tins it's a matter of preference but I like a little weight. 

For bar spoons I’m a BIG fan of these japanese barspoons from cocktail kingdom, another good resource.

A lot of bartenders have multiple muddlers depending on what they are muddling.  For just starting out or a gift just start with a basic muddler.  Look for one that does not have a stain on it as it can slowly chip away into your drinks.

Have fun checking out all the equipment on those sites above, all three of which should have pre-put together bar tool sets that might be perfect, cheers.

 Mark Sexauer

Bed Bath and Beyond has some very nice barware sets, including a stainless one by OXO (recommended by Kip), all well under your $100 budget.

So, you could get him a nice set, and also a book of classic cocktail recipes. I recommend the Bartender's Black Book or the old Bartender's Bible, as both have great guides for setting up a bar as well as classic recipes, as opposed to a bunch of frou-frou "martini" recipes.

You could also help him set up his bar by buying him some of the non-booze essentials, like Angostura Bitters, orange flower water, sour mix, Rose's Lime and Grenadine.