Happy Hosting: Must-Have Bar Accessories According To This Wine & Spirits Expert

Intimate celebrations instead of extravagant parties, small soirees instead of big buffets have become the way of life. The last few years have taught us the value of spending time with people who matter and the joy of opening up our homes for these get-togethers. 

And a key ingredient in throwing these parties is setting up the perfect bar at home. A well-designed bar is as much a conversation starter as a piece of bar accessory or even the actual drink. Festivities like Diwali, New Year or even birthdays and anniversaries now start with a drink and the host showing off their bartending skills to their guests. Home bars have been prominent and ever so more since the pandemic. Whatever the occasion calls for, having the right kind of accessories helps us serve our guests better.

A good looking bar cabinet not just helps raise the oomph factor of the room but helps store your curated collection of beverages, glassware and accessories to showcase them better.

Pro-Tip: Check out this list of bar cabinets you can buy online across budgets.

From bronze Cocktail shakers, silver bar spoons, and glass stirrers to designer strainers, designer metal stoppers, to wine glass identifiers, there is a whole range of accessories that are now easily available in the market to take your game up a notch. 

Pro-Tip: We've curated a list of homegrown brands for fancy barware here, so don't stress about hunting for options. 

There is no real party without ice. Certain drinks are always served chill or need to hit the rocks and an elegant ice bucket comes to the rescue for this. It also acts as a great centrepiece to capitalize on your bar aesthetics. Of course, you could use some fun metal ice cubes to ensure your rocks don’t melt and ruin your ‘on the rocks’ experience of a premium malt. If it's for a specific occasion like a birthday or Valentine’s Day, you could have fun with LED ice cubes that glow in the glass or ice in the shape of various messages and symbols.

Decanters to store and pour your wines, trays, coasters, and corkscrews may all seem insignificant compared to the grandeur of other barware but these finishing touches add up to the entire experience of giving it that touch of luxury.

All this aside, the most important item here of course is the glassware. A foundational component of any bar is good glassware. For a sensational drinking experience, the ultimate accessory is the glass and every beverage has its own glass that is considered the right type. A drink is not enjoyed until it has been smelled, savoured, and relished. The flavour and aromas of potations are largely determined by the vessel and thus every individual liquor has a specially crafted design to suit it best. Each type of wine has a particular requirement of the bowl (the part where the drink is held) size depending on how much it needs to be aerated. Champagne, demands uniqueness allowing the bubbles the space it requires. 

Pro-Tip: Check out our curation of the best types of glassware for the home here.