Together with a cocktail shaker, a mixing glass is a pretty essential bar tool, and until recently, I didn’t have a good one. A mixing glass is better for making stirred drinks, like a Martini or Manhattan, but I’ve just been using a regular pint glass for those. A cocktail mixing glass, though, give you both a wider bottom (insert Spinal Tap joke here) and a pour spout. By far, the most popular mixing glass is the Yarai (pictured above), which sells for about $40.

Being a bit of a cheapo, I looked for a more affordable alternative and I found 500ml Low Form Breakers on Amazon. Like the Yarai, these beakers are 500ml and have a pour spout, but they are considerably less expensive (I got a 6-pack for $15). Outside of the obvious elegance factor with the Yarai, the only other difference is that the beakers have a slightly wider mouth, though your strainer will still fit. They match the Williams Sonoma beaker jigger, too (shown above).