Barware

I'm thinking of getting a barware set for a friend as a Christmas gift and was wondering if there are any particular tips I should know about beforehand (i.e. which tools are most useful vs. which just look pretty? which size shaker--bigger the better or stick w/ 16-oz?). This would be mostly for individual use and the occasional guest rather than entertaining.

I found a 7-piece tool set at Bed Bath and Beyond that looks pretty handy.

Would still need to find a cocktail shaker to go with, though. I want an 18/10 stainless steel shaker and am looking to spend no more than $25.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

There are places that carry the traditional and some carry funky barware.What would your friend like?

Since it's for a guy, I would say the simpler, the better.

Also wondering if the two-piece "Boston" style shaker is better than the classic 1-cup metal shaker?

When I was in their store the other day, I noticed this:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/itemgroup ... ion=Search

Not sure if it's 18/10, but it would hold enough for 2 drinks.

I would vist Pierce's Chef Mart on 55th street 2 blocks east of LaGrange road. They carry all of the bar utensils you could want. Including the 18/10 shakers and strainers at a reasonable price.

What a coincidence. I just walked into Crate and Barrel last night and saw that shaker. They also had two other ones--a plain metal and one w/ a square-ish shape that was on sale for $14.95. Both of those hold 22 ounces.

I'm leaning towards the one that's on sale, but am wondering if maybe it's too big? I'm not sure what the standard size is, but 22 ounces seems like a lot.

22 oz does seem like a lot at first, but 2 drinks is about 16 oz and you want enough room for lots of ice and the ability to shake it thoroughly!

A few years ago, my girlfriend gave me a Stelton Bar Set for Christmas. I have since purchased a few of them as gifts. I realize that the price may preclude its consideration, in this instance, but I can say that it makes for a very treasured gift.



Stelton also makes coctail shakers, ice buckets, and bar trays. I can heartily recommend Stelton for these items, too.

Good Luck,
Erik M.

Flip wrote:I would vist Pierce's Chef Mart on 55th street 2 blocks east of LaGrange road. They carry all of the bar utensils you could want. Including the 18/10 shakers and strainers at a reasonable price.

Thanks for the suggestion. I guess I should have prefaced my post by saying that I don't have a car, and I live just west of downtown, so anything outside of the city is not going to be very accessible for me.

Erik,

Wow, yeah, a bit out of my price range, but they are sleek and nice to look at. I wonder, though, why their products are only 18/8 stainless steel? For those prices, I'd expect at least 18/10 and maybe diamond cuttings and monograms!

As someone who actually makes a lot of cocktails at home, I can tell you what I find useful and what is just for show. I received a barware set as a gift years ago - ice bucket, tongs, stirrer, bar knife, can/bottle opener, strainer, and maybe another piece or two. Other than the strainer and the stirrer, I don't use any of it. It's for decoration and someone that cares more about having a unified looking set for that 1 - 4 times a year they make cosmos for guests.

What is useful for the person that really wants to make cocktails?

Essentials:

Shaker, normal bar size. Not one of those mini jobs. They just don't work, even for single drinks. They don't hold enough ice and they don't shake well enough to really mix ice and contents to a nice effervescent consistency. I prefer a boston style. You can just buy a regular shaker and toss in a good glass that forms a tight seal.

Strainer. Not a cheap light weight feeling number.

Bar spoon. Works better than the stirring rods and allows you to do "floats" if you want.

Paring knife. It's nice to have one dedicated to bar use. The ones that come in sets suck.

Muddler. NOT varnished. The varnish WILL come off during initial use and you'll end up with little flakes of wood varnish in your drinks.

Zester. Garnishes are an essential part of the drink, not just decoration.

Measuring glass. Jiggers are a pain, particularly the ones with handles. They're awkward. The pyrex/tempered glass measuring glasses with increments marked on the side - half teaspoon, teaspoon, tablespoon, half ounce, ounce - up to 2 or 4 ounces are MUCH better. They look like shot glasses. They don't look fancy but they work. If you get a 2 - 4 oz capacity you can measure multiple ingredients into the glass at once.

Bottle opener/wine key. The "waiter's friend" style is so much better than the winged corkscrew type.

That will allow you to make pretty much everything. After that you may want a juicer and some other odd tools ... but I find glasses and books - Dale Degroff's (sp), Joy of Mixology, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, etc - a better way to spend money than on odd tools.

If you bought a each of those things separately you'd probably save money and have a much better set of tools than if you bought a set. It wouldn't look like a pretty set, but it would actually be useful for making drinks. So, the question is are you buying it for a person that cares more about making good drinks or having a pristine looking set?

Buon natale.

rien

Janet C. wrote:Erik,

Wow, yeah, a bit out of my price range, but they are sleek and nice to look at. I wonder, though, why their products are only 18/8 stainless steel? For those prices, I'd expect at least 18/10 and maybe diamond cuttings and monograms!

Honestly, I do not know. I think that 18/8 can be rolled more thinly, and is thus considered more suitable for artful applications. I also imagine that it is just one of those quirky Danish things, you know. In any case, we are talking about the design vision of men like Arne Jacobsen, Peter Holmblad, and Erik Magnussen. It has happened to be good enough for The Cooper Hewitt, The Museum of Modern Art, the Kunstindustrimuseet, and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

All of my 18/8 pieces are temperamental. They don't hold their lustre as well as 18/10. I will admit to keeping most of it out of general circulation. When it does come out for entertaining, it requires some light polishing.

Don't get me started on the maintenance and care of my vintage Stelton fondue pot...



Regards,
Erik M.

Rien,

Thanks so much for your tips! It definitely made me reconsider that tool set. In the long run, my friend will probably care more about useability than looks, so I think I'll get the individual essential tools that you mentioned and spend the rest of the money on a good reference book.

Although one nice thing about the sets is that everything can be collected and stored/transported together. How do you store your individual pieces?

When you say get a "normal bar size" shaker, is that something like the 22-oz?

Do you have a one-stop shop where you buy your stuff?

HI,

I innocently bumped into this gift for the person who has everything and didn't know they needed more. The cost is rather dear as well.

Firstly, let me say hello to all you fine peoples! I have read this forum many times, but never had a need to post or comment. Now is that time! I am the brother-in-law of that wacky personality "Dmnkly", and while I will never reach his skill at cooking, I WILL totally destroy him in drink mixing. (That's right Dmnkly, the challenge is out there...do what you will with it)

That being said, here is my dilemma. I am looking to purchase some specialty glass barware in the Chicago area, or on the web. While it's easy to find the basics (Rocks, Collins, etc) it's proving to be more difficult locating Pony Glasses (Sour Glass as it's more commonly known), cordials, Parfait glasses that aren't sold only by the case. I'm looking for simple-elegant, cheap-not bank breaking. I don't want neon glasses with liquid activated LED's (Although, those are really darn cool) I just want simple, basic. So, Dmnkly swears you are the people to ask, and that I should have my answers fairly fast. I hope he's right. Thanks to anyone who reads this is has any suggestions!

Hey there Wachinagi!

I recently went to the big Crate & Barrel on North Ave. (near Clybourn Ave., in Lincoln Park), and found all sorts of specialized glasses for sours, cordials, etc., all for surprisingly reasonable prices (I was expecting something ludicrous like $8-10/glass and up, instead all but the fanciest/heaviest/artsiest glasses were in the $2-5/glass range). I was there looking for cocktail glasses like the ones they have at The Violet Hour, and found these:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=150&f=29549

Sure they're 8oz instead of the 5.5oz that they use there, but for $1.95 each, I wasn't about to complain.

I'm not sure if other Crate & Barrel locations will have the same selection as the North Ave. behemoth, other than maybe Michigan Ave.

Thanks Khaopaat, I hadn't thought something as "non-specific" as C&B might carry items like that, but it sounds like exactly what I'm after. And No, I'm not above hitting every Crate and Barrel in the Chicago Land area to find what I seek. I will have my shiney breakable vessels of drunkeness, no matter where they may hide! Thanks again, I'll let you know if I find everything.

Welcome, Wachinagi! Are you looking for a matched set of glasses, or are you OK with glasses that are slightly different (meaning your standard barware is one style, your parfait glasses might be slightly different but don't stand out as different) While I'll second Crate & Barrel, I've had luck finding barware in places like Marshall's or other off-price retailers. IKEA also has a big selection of glassware.

Welcome, Wachinagi!

I know this sounds odd, but I have the most fantastic luck finding specialty glasses at resale/thrift shops. The Picky Eater and I have so much glassware that we could probably open our own bar at this point as we can't stop ourselves from picking up something that "might" someday be useful. Most glasses come in around 50 cents, with pricey pieces costing around $2.00. The best part is, it doesn't matter if someone breaks something as it probably didn't cost much in the first place.

Thrift stores could be a good source, I hadn't thought of that either. As far as matching sets, heck I don't even care if my rocks glasses all look the same, let alone match my parfait glasses I think that the more varied, the better. If I were opening a professional bar, I'd probably want everything to match, or at least seem like a theme, but not for a home bar. I hadn't really considered it, but I think I'm going to go out of my way to get varied items. Since every drink is unique, I might as well try to find glasses that also compliment the colors and garnishes of the drink itself. Having a variety would leave my options open. Good ideas here! Thanks guys, you rock! Now...who's going to be my guinea pig as I test new drink ideas?

As a side note, I recently came across a liqueur at a tradeshow http://www.zenliqueur.com/ , and I have to give it very high marks. It's a green tea liqueur, which makes it a really neat idea, and it's from Suntory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_saLrADKqNM , which bumps it up to awesome. So far I've only found it available at Binny's.

I have bought a lot of really good glassware at Tuesday Morning. For instance, I bought a bunch of fantastic Czech crystal pilsner glasses for about $2.50 each (orighinally they were $12). They often sell glassware sets that have one broken glass. Unfortunately, you have to keep checking back to see what is currently in stock. Also the store closest to my house has closed (in Skokie). I have not been to the others.