Guest Picks: Bar Essentials
A lemon squeezer is important for adding fresh juice to your drinks. One in the signature color will add a pop to your bar accessories.
The best places to look for great midcentury bar carts are at flea markets or online through vintage and antique sites. This chic, midcentury bar cart is a fabulous option for storing your barware and quality liquor.
You must have a set of old fashioned or lowball and highball glasses for every bar. The Longchamp design features these glasses in a style that is reminiscent of the gilded age. It is beautiful motif for a classic bar.
These tools are necessary for opening your alcohol.
Reidel wineglasses are some of the best glasses on the market. The Vivant collection provides all of the essential styles for the perfect bar. When building your wineglass collection, it is important to have a set of each: red wine, white wine and champagne flutes.
Three classic necessities for your bar are a jigger, a strainer and a shaker. The Lenox "Tuscany Classics" martini shaker set is sleek and timeless.
A wooden muddler is needed to crush your fresh ingredients like mint for mojitos and bitters or sugars for your specialty cocktails.
An ice bucket is extremely important for hosting an evening of entertaining, and how gorgeous is this Gatsby ice bucket? Evoking an era of pure luxury and entertainment, the designs of the Gatsby collection from Crate & Barrel entice me to build my barware collection with an art deco twist.
An ice scoop to go with your ice bucket is so necessary. This scoop design features draining holes to leave melted water behind.
It's fun to mix and match decanters on your bar, and this sophisticated motif by Ralph Lauren resembles a plaid pattern. It is the perfect accoutrement for a stylish bar.
For the designer, these Barchitecture napkins are a fun take on cocktail napkins. Other styles of glasses (from wine to pilsner) are featured as well.
A twist, or should I say a slant, on a classic design makes these shot glasses much more interesting.
A classic beer mug is essential for a night of entertaining. When hosting guests for a special occasion, the beer bottles and cans just don't do. These mugs can also be monogrammed, which is so chic.
Brandy snifters are designed to release aromas of quality brandy and cognac. The large surface area of the glass allows for the aroma of the contents to rise and be concentrated at the narrowest mouth.
Once you've built your bar with the perfect tools and accessories, mixing the perfect drink is just as important. This book is filled with classic cocktails and gorgeous photographs. It would also be a great addition to a party for guests to flip through and choose their drinks.
I've always had a thing for equestrian-themed pieces, and this champagne cooler with horse handles is so chic and timeless. It's the perfect accessory for Derby Day.
A wine bottle stopper is essential for the bar. These crystal toppers would be quite the party showstoppers.
A stirring spoon is crucial for an at-home bar. They're typically made with an extra-long handle and a small spoon head to reach deep into highball glasses. This stirrer spoon is especially fancy for the bar.
A tray is necessary to hold your liquors and alcohol so that they don't stain your tabletop. Or it can be used to serve your guests their drinks. A sleek, lacquered tray in a chainlink pattern would be a glamorous addition to the chic Hollywood-inspired bar.Next: 10 Elements of a Great Home Bar
Add whiskey stones to your favorite bourbon. The cubes of soapstone will chill the liquor without diluting it because they are non-porous, odorless and tasteless.
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