It can be hard to replicate the magic of going out to a restaurant or bar, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good cocktail or glass of wine at home. Here are the essentials for every home bar, and how you should be using them to bring the bar experience to your living room. The best part? You can order all of them online from the comfort of your home right now.
The Essential Cocktail Set
There are a lot of bar tools and gadgets on the market, and while we love collecting those, it’s important to start with high-quality basics. This cocktail set from Cocktail Kingdom includes everything you need to make bar-quality cocktails at home. After all, these are the tools the pros use at your local watering holes.
How To Use At Home: All classic cocktails, including Negronis, Daiquiris, Martinis, etc.
Price: $100
Danuta Silver Trimmed Double Rocks Glasses
We love fancy cocktail glasses more than anyone, but every bar needs a strong set of rocks glasses. When you don’t have a line of coupes or martini glasses waiting in the wings, these rocks glasses are the ultimate catch-all for any drink you’re ready to mix up and are big enough to hold a large cube of ice for reflective sipping.
How To Use At Home: Old Fashioneds, Boulevardiers, Martinis, Sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh citrus
Price: $32
Spiegelau Universal Wine Glasses
Just as it’s beneficial to stick to your normal routine when working from home (ie. shower and put real pants on) using real glasses to enjoy those bottles of wine you’ve been saving provide a sense of normalcy. These crystal glasses from the pros at Spiegelau are fit for any type of wine you have lingering on the shelf.
How To Use At Home: Open that special bottle you’ve been saving and pretend you’re at a fancy wine bar. Most importantly, throw in dishwasher when the bottle is done because these glasses are dishwasher safe.
Price: $39.99
Wine Breather Decanter
This wine decanter combines the technology of an aerator and a standard decanter into one. It rapidly integrates oxygen, opening up the wine to its full potential in under two minutes. Whether you’ve got a $60 Barolo or $10 Cabernet Sauvignon, this decanter works wonders.
How To Use At Home: Use aerator top for young wines that need oxygen to take them to the next level. For older wines that are more delicate, use just the carafe to help with sediment and more gently open the wine.
Price: $77.40
Stainless Steel Wine Bottle Chiller
It’s little touches that help you remove yourself from “eating all of your social-distancing rations earlier” than planned to “an upscale night in.” Having a bottle of white wine keep its chill on the table instead of going back and forth from the fridge to the table is one of those touches.
How To Use At Home: Simply put refrigerated wine in the double-walled vessel and slowly enjoy your chill-friendly wines like Beaujolais, Assyrtiko, or Chardonnay.
Price: $40.99
Whiskey Sphere
Just as every wine bottle could use a chilling companion, life is too short to drink warm whiskey. These spheres keep it simple, which is really what we need in these trying times.
How To Use At Home: Place sphere in the freezer before your morning check-in meeting, enjoy cold bourbon for hours by 5 PM.
Price: $16
Acacia Cheese Board
Whether your rations consist of some decadent gruyère or some sticks of string cheese, everyone deserves to enjoy an Instagram-worthy cheese board. This acacia board is the perfect canvas for your next grazing spread.
How To Use At Home: Raid your fridge and cabinets for any snacks, cheeses, and cured meats to create the ultimate, social-distancing-approved charcuterie board.
Price: $36
Bar Cart
When minds wander at home, you begin to really become acquainted with your surroundings. Maybe that end table would look better on the other side of the room? Or maybe there’s a better way to organize the bottles of bourbon you’ve been “collecting” for the past few years. This bar cart is the perfect place for all of your drinks essentials and, because it’s on wheels, is ready the twelve times you’re going to move it in order to find the perfect spot.
How To Use At Home: Mix bottles, glassware, barware, and books on the cart’s mirrored shelves to create the ultimate staging area for your libations.
Price: $230
