Have you caught the home cocktail bug? You’re not alone — retailers are reporting surging sales as customers get set to ring in the festive season with a bang. “We are seeing a huge trend in drinkware at the moment as customers prepare for Christmas,” says Charlie Murray, a tabletop buyer at John Lewis.
Mixed drinks, bubbles and premium spirits are top of the agenda. Sales of cocktail glasses at John Lewis are up 75 per cent compared with this time last year; purchases of brandy and champagne glasses rose 45 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. At the online emporium Amara barware sales have continued to grow. “We thought they had peaked during lockdown, but year-on-year sales have grown by 221 per cent, with customers spending more on luxury products in particular,” says Sam Hood, the company’s co-founder and chief creative officer.
Remy Savage, Martell’s master mixologist, has designed a six-piece glassware collection in collaboration with Nude, a contemporary glassmaker. It includes everything the modern cocktail-mixer needs: coupetinis, “old school” pony glasses, and coupe glasses (from €20 for a set of two). His new designs are smaller than you might expect, which he says reflects an increased demand for premium spirits.
https://eu.nudeglass.com/en-gb/collections/remy-savage/products/savage-coupe-glasses https://eu.nudeglass.com/en-gb/collections/remy-savage/products/savage-coupetini-glasses https://eu.nudeglass.com/en-gb/collections/remy-savage/products/savage-coupetini-glasses Savage’s universal coupetini glass — a combination of the classic martini and modern coupette glass — can be used for everything from martinis to boulevardiers and daiquiris. The pony, orignally used for cordials and liquors, is ideal for punchy drinks such as Manhattans and sours, while the coupe — designed for sipping champagne and other sparkling wines the right way (begone forever flutes) — is often used for “up” drinks: chilled drinks, shaken or stirred until cold then served without ice.
Whether you are investing in your own barware collection or giving to a cocktail novice, check out our menu.
Advertisement
Save
Avoid unnecessary dilution with an extra-large ice-cube tray mould. Freeze with rosemary or rose petals for an extra-special flourish, £9.50; oliverbonas.com
Invest in a “Mexican elbow”, aka citrus juicer, for easy squeezing. With a three-year guarantee, £9.99; lakeland.co.uk
A playful leopard-shaped corkscrew, £24.95; mintandmay.co.uk
Not keen on metal straws? Try this multicoloured glass set from the Danish brand Hay, £30; selfridges.com
This gold-coloured mixology set from VonHaus offers everything you need for at-home cocktails: a 500ml Boston cocktail shaker, measuring jigger, double muddler/spoon, strainer and a glass pitcher, £34.99; vonhaus.com
Spend
Advertisement
A set of two handmade ruffled cocktail napkins from the Coco & Wolf collaboration with the food writer Skye McAlpine. In Liberty Fabric’s Carline Rose design, £45; libertylondon.com
Complete your drinks set-up with Soho Home’s Jermyn marble chopping board with a matching knife, £52; sohohome.com
This smart marble bar tool set is perfect for the style-conscious mixologist, £59.50; oliverbonas.com
LSA’s beautiful balloon glasses with hand-drawn stems have a finely fluted finish. Set of four, £75; lsa-international.com
Splurge
Anthropologie’s enamel cocktail tray in a plaster-pink shade, £108; anthropologie.com
Advertisement
Get the party started with this tortoiseshell cocktail set from Oka, which includes a tall glass tumbler with shaker lid and four martini glasses, £125; oka.com
Handmade in Myanmar, the Savoy Rattan Butler’s Tray on a wooden stand is available in brown or white, £180; kalinko.com
This Italian-made rainbow lacquered ice bucket is an instant talking point, £285; matildagoad.com
Neptune’s Coniston drinks trolley is a timeless design with three glass shelves and a black-bronze coated steel frame, £985; neptune.com
Lalique’s Bacchantes is a lavish crystal champagne and wine cooler with a steel interior, £2,100; lalique.com
