Holidays are about parties and meetings with friends and relatives, jokes, and tasty and beloved beverages. Whether you are planning a large holiday party or curling up with a few friends and some wine, the proper glassware is important. 

Setting the mood for the holiday season begins with a stocked bar, and to get that right one needs to have the tools to make, serve and consume some of the drinks. Here are the barware items that are a necessity during the holiday season to ensure that your indulgences are phenomenal.

Glassware: Foundation of Home Barware Essentials

Every home bar must also have the right glasses to complement the drinks that the bar is offering to its customers. Cocktails and wines should be served in different glasses and having a collection of glasses makes it easy to prepare any type of drink.

1. Cocktail Glasses

It is impossible to imagine a home bar without the all-purpose cocktail glass and home bar essential set. It is usually a large bowl on a thin stem, and is ideal for cocktails that are shaken and stirred such as the martini, cosmopolitan among others. It is suitable for containing cold drink, the wider rim enables one to decorate it easily.

2. Highball Glasses

Highball glasses are tall and straight. They are ideal for mixed drinks that require more volume than a standard cocktail, such as gin and tonic or whiskey soda. There is plenty of room for ice and mixers, which makes them perfect for light, long drinks.

3. Old Fashioned Glasses (Rocks Glasses)

Slightly shorter and wider than the Collins glass, the old fashioned glass is used to serve spirits straight, or with ice, as in the Old Fashioned cocktail or a Negroni. Due to its construction with a solid base and a wide mouth it is suitable for mudding the ingredients right in the glass.

4. Champagne Flutes

Bubbles are associated with celebrations, and champagne flutes are utensils that help to improve the situation. This tall and slender design retains the bubbles and enhances the bouquet, which is why each sip is a toast.

5. Wine Glasses

No matter whether you are serving red, white or sparkling wine, you must have a set of wine glasses. Red wine glasses are usually larger at the top in order to aerate the wine whereas the white wine glasses are narrower to preserve coolness. The glasses are also considered to be an essential part of the home barware items.

The Art of Mixing: Home Barware Items

Alas, creating cocktails that will impress requires not only the correct ingredients but also the correct instruments. Bar tools are crucial home barware essentials. While it is more fun to spend time choosing which bar tools to use, it is wise to invest in good bar tools for a better mix and outcome.

1. Cocktail Shaker

To create great cocktails you need a good cocktail shaker and the following guide will help you to choose the best one. It is one of those important home barware items that are used for mixing the cocktails that are shaken, not stirred and it comes in two types; the Boston shaker and the Cobbler shaker. It helps to combine, cool and temper your ingredients before compounding them to form the right proportion of a good cocktail.

2. Jigger

Cocktail making is an art and a jigger comes in handy when you are measuring out your ingredients. Most jiggers are double sided, one side usually has different measurements from the other so that you can balance your cocktails properly.

3. Mixing Glass

A mixing glass is a must when stirring a cocktail, as in the case of a Manhattan or Martini. It has a large mouth opening that facilitates stirring and has thick glass that retains the temperature of the contents as one stirs.

4. Bar Spoon

The long and twisted bar spoon is ideal for stirring cocktails in your mixing glass or in the glass itself. The twisted handle allows for creating a smooth stirring motion and the flat part of the spoon is suitable for layering the drinks.

5. Strainer

If you shake or stir your drink, a strainer is then used to prevent the ice from falling into the glass as you pour the cocktail. Hawthorne strainers, equipped with coiled springs, are placed tightly over a shaker or a mixing glass, and fine mesh strainers are suitable for filtering small ice crystals or pieces of fruit.

6. Muddler

A muddler is necessary to use in cocktails that need the release of oils and flavors from ingredients such as mint, citrus or sugar. It is especially helpful in preparing drinks such as mojitos or old fashioned because mudding is a crucial process in these kinds of beverages.

Garnishing Essentials

Garnishes are not just the accessories of cocktails; they are flavors, aromas, and appearance of the cocktails. Preparing garnishes is one of the most fun tasks in preparing cocktails; having the right utensils makes the task much easier.

1. Citrus Zester

A citrus zester is great for making thin ribbons of zest, which can be used to garnish cocktails and add a bit of citrusy flavor to them. You might be putting a lemon twist on a martini or an orange peel on an old-fashioned—a zester is an essential utensil.

2. Peeler

Another tool that is also vital is a good peeler since it will be used to create larger citrus peels to be used as garnish or to add oils to your drinks. It is most advantageous when preparing garnishes like lemon twists or orange wheels.

3. Paring Knife

A sharp paring knife is a must for slicing fruits and other garnishing items that are required to be served. From cutting limes to garnishing a margarita or making elaborate designs such as citrus twists, a sharp paring knife is a must.

4. Rimming Dish

If you have a cocktail that requires the rim of the glass to be salted or sugared, a rimming dish is very useful in ensuring that no mess is made. It is usually designed with holders for your rimming ingredients and a sponge to wet the rim of the glass.

The Serving Essentials

That is why, presentation of your drinks is as crucial as the preparation of the drink itself. Serving essentials are more important as they enhance the class of the home bar and the guests feel much wanted.

1. Ice Bucket and Tongs

An ice bucket is useful when you want to serve ice to your cocktails, and tongs are perfect when you don’t want to use your hand. This not only refines the ice but also avoids contamination with dirt from the surroundings.

2. Wine Opener

A decent wine opener is part of the essential home barware items kit. Whether you use the old-fashioned corkscrew or the new-fangled electrical wine opener, you can be sure that you will be able to open a bottle of wine for your guests as soon as possible.

3. Decanter

If you are a fan of spirits or wine, a decanter will not only enhance the appearance of your home bar. Wine decanting allows the wine to be exposed to air so as to allow it to release some of its vapors, which improves on its taste and smell while decanting spirits like whiskey or brandy gives the drink an improved appearance.

4. Coasters

Keep your tables and bar counter safe and enhance the look of your home bar with matching coasters. They’re necessary for avoiding water rings and spills, and they can be a simple method of bringing your identity into your bar area.

Closing Note

Setting up a home bar for the holiday spree is all about stocking the right tools. Glassware, bar tools, garnishing equipment and serving tools are all necessary and vital in making your cocktails not only tasty but also eye-appealing. 

When you’re planning for the festive season, it is important that you equip your home bar with these basics, and you will be set to host memorable celebrations that will get your guests toasting. Visit Smokey Cocktail to discover the best barware for your home.