H e l l o!
Up on the blog this week, it's all about the at home bar. If you regularly host holiday gatherings, dinner parties or after-work happy hours, chances are you’re often mixing up drinks for guests. And if these events are a regular occurrence at your home, it might be time to learn how to set up your own bar. Building a home bar might seem like a complicated and potentially expensive undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Work with your existing interior design style as a start but keep reading for some of my tips.
Shakers
All shakers “technically" do the same thing. There are very cheap and very nice versions so there’s really no superior option when it comes to function. That said, many professional bartenders use Boston-style shakers, which are basically two cups that fit into each other and form a tight seal to keep liquid from splashing all over you.
Mixing Beakers
You know how James Bond always ordered his martinis shaken, not stirred? Well, if you were to ignore Mr. Bond’s order and make a stirred martini — or any other stirred cocktail, like a Negroni or a Manhattan — you’d set aside the shaker to use a mixing beaker instead. A mixing beaker is essentially a large vessel in which you dump your liquors and mix your drink. And though you can purchase handsome crystal ones for hundreds of dollars, they’re kind of superfluous for a basic bar kit. Since they are the most broken item behind the bar, you should stick to a well-priced option.
Pitchers
Finding vintage martini pitchers is very easy, and they are perfect for making large batches of cocktails. Plus, they’ll look more visually striking on your bar cart. This one is even pretty enough to use as a vase when it’s not filled with punch.
Mixing Spoons
If you’re making a stirred drink, a mixing or bar spoon is also necessary. Three basic styles exist: the American bar spoon has a twisted handle and, usually, a plastic cap on the end, the European bar spoon has a flat muddler/crusher, and the Japanese bar spoon is heavier, with a weighted teardrop shape opposite the bowl.
Strainers
You don’t necessarily need a strainer if you’re using a cobbler shaker, since it’s already got a strainer built into the lid. But if you’re using a Boston-style shaker, you should get what’s called a Hawthorne strainer to make sure the ice you used to chill your drink doesn’t end up in your glass and dilute the cocktail.
Collins - Highball Glasses
Though it’s easy to want to get a different type of glass for every type of drink you make, that’s really unnecessary when you’re first starting out. You can make 90 percent of drinks into a good, all-purpose cocktail glass like a rocks or a collins glass.
Rocks Glasses
For a rocks glass, the ideal size is between eight and ten ounces. That’s enough where you could put a decent-size chunk of ice in there if you like making the fancy ice.
Coupe Glasses
If you’re looking for glassware beyond the basic collins and rocks glasses, I suggest adding some coupe, or bell-shaped, glasses to your setup, because they’re more forgiving than a V-shaped martini glass. The curve on a coupe holds the liquid in a little bit more, so if you get jostled, the liquid is more likely to slosh within the glass but stay in the glass. They’re sleek, they’re smaller, and they look a lot classier than a martini glass. A coupe glass should be somewhere between six and eight-and-a-half ounces.
Complete Bar Sets
Building a barware collection at home is no small undertaking. There are various styles of shakers and jiggers to choose from, bar spoons at all different lengths, strainers for this and that, and much more (not to mention the storage and display options to consider). Whether shopping for yourself or for a gift, opting for a set can make things easier than designing a collection from scratch. Bar sets are a great way to get all the essential bar tools in one convenient package.
Additional Fun Items
Once you have tools, glassware and alcohol for your bar, you can add a few more items for a well-rounded display. Here are a few options that serve both functional and aesthetic purposes.
I just bought these adorable festive pumpkin ice cube trays. Now I just need to have a little gathering to use them.
A classic bar bottle worthy of your homemade bitters. The petite glass vessel etched with nested diamonds in an elegant argyle pattern makes a retro-inspired addition to your bar.
Classically retro yet timelessly now, the Pryce ice and champagne bucket is made for us exclusively by the artisans at Krosno, a renowned European glass collective dating back to 1923. Made of blown glass in wooden molds, each bucket is finished with a handpainted band in gleaming platinum.
In addition to being a Philadelphia Multifamily Interior Designer, I also design boutique hotels, fitness centers, office spaces, residential development projects, other commercial spaces such as office and retail spaces, and the senior living community throughout the tri state area. We work here in Philadelphia, the main line, and even Nationally!
About the Interior Designer
Tina Delia, a native of Ocean County, NJ, current resident of Philadelphia, is the Founder and Principal Interior Designer of Delia Designs. For the past eleven years, Tina has been steadfast in her vision and continues to develop herself personally and professionally. She is dedicated to excellence and insistence on forward thinking design. At the forefront of her designs is the idea that our spaces have the ability to transform our lives. She is looking to move us, inspire us to see, think and create freely. After all, it's not only about creating beautiful spaces.
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