High End Barware Set: Essentials for Those Sipping in Style
High End Barware Set: Essentials for Those Sipping in Style
Spring and summer are upon us, and seasonal libations will have us sipping in style this year. From a rich and hearty Banana Rum Old Fashion on a chilly spring evening, to light and refreshing Cucumber-Rose Gin Spritz in the heat of a sunshiny summer day, nothing is more in fashion than fabulous spirits with friends and family.
What Makes the Perfect High End Barware Set?
Although it might seem like a good idea to purchase an existing pre-created bar tool set, generally, those sets are often made with lower quality materials and aren’t meant for long term use. The perfect luxury barware set is a carefully curated collection of high quality pieces that you can use on a daily basis, for special dinner parties, small gatherings and on special occasions. These pieces are selected not only for function, but are beautifully created and meant to last a lifetime.
Barware Essential #1: Cocktail Shaker
The cocktail shaker is the number one essential piece to every barware collection. The shaker is indispensable because it not only allows you to put a lid on it and shake and mix a cocktail to perfection, but it also functions as a chilling component for every drink. Shaking a cocktail quickly lowers the temperature of your drink much faster than simply stirring because it allows the beverage to touch the surface of the ice multiple times at a quick rate. And utilizing large ice cubes is preferred because it allows for beverages to chill, without being completely diluted with the water from the melted ice.
The Julia Knight Classic 9.25” Cocktail Shaker has three components to it: the shaker cup, the lid with the built-in strainer and the cap to top off the strainer, to keep everything closed while shaking. It’s ideal for making one, two or three cocktails at a time. Simply fill the shaker tin with 2/3 of ice, add your cocktail ingredients and shake! Once properly chilled and blended, grab your favorite cocktail glass, hold the strainer in place and pour!
Barware Essential #2: Ice Bucket and Scoop
The number two essential to every barware collection, isn’t a single item but the perfect pairing for the perfect cocktail. Whether you prefer the Julia Knight Classic Ice Bucket/Wine Chiller for your dry white, sweet red or bubbly beverage. Or you like to take your ice on the go in the back yard, on the boat or even simply to the dining table, the Classic 8” Double Walled Ice Bucket with Tongs is the perfect! Both of these pieces are great but are totally elevated with the addition of the Classic Ice Scoop.
Chilling the entire bottle quickly and easily, is truly effortless. I know, since it’s called an “ice bucket” everyone thinks that you drop some ice in the bucket, covering the bottom and the side and that will be enough to quickly cool down an entire bottle. But the challenge with filling your ice bucket this way, is that it takes longer to cool it down and it doesn’t cool down the beverage evenly.
Since no one has probably shared with you the correct way to fill an ice bucket, we will share a couple tricks to chill the bottle down in a quick and easy way. Add water, yes water, to the bucket. Then, use the Julia Knight Ice Scoop and add enough ice to submerge 60% of your bottle. Adding water and ice allows the entire surface of the bottle to be “bathed” in icy water. Whereas, when you only use ice as the chilling component, an abundance of cubes is perfect, but will leave “air baths” in between the ice and the container, which slows down the cooling process.
Barware Essential #3: Cocktail Pick Set
Cocktail Pick Sets are the most overlooked item for a home bar but they are our number three essential tool for everyone’s curated high end bar tool set. A beautiful cocktail pick will elevate your garnishes and take you from a nice drink to a “wow” craft cocktail in minutes. Whether it’s cherries or olives, stacking a selection of sweet or savory garnishes onto a classic or whimsical cocktail pick and dropping it in your perfect highball or martini glass will look much better than just dropping them into the drink or onto a toothpick. The real mixologists know it’s all about the details.
Barware Essential #4: Citrus Bowls
Sweet and petite, the Lemon and Lime Citrus Bowls are the perfect pretty addition to every home bar. These lovely bowls are the ideal size for precut lemon and lime wedges, making it so easy to access these citrusy garnishes when needed. The Lime Citrus Bowl comes in the fresh Mojito finish and the Lemon Citrus Bowl is a sunshiny Lemon Ice. Both have the beautiful mother of pearl and enamel finish, giving off an iridescent glow, while adding the perfect dash of whimsy and function to your bar.
The Secret to Any High End Barware Set
The secret to creating a fabulous yet functional bar set is to look at your inner mixologist and assess what you might need to complete your home bar. Then determine what style you prefer. Due to quality concerns, avoid the prepackaged bar tool kits, and focus on building your barware collection, piece by piece. Or finding a beautiful collection that you can buy into and find true enjoyment throughout your life.
Quality and Craftsmanship
As mentioned above, if you focus on quality and craftsmanship, you will be able to enjoy your pieces for years to come. The Julia Knight Collection is hand crafted by artisans. They start wish sand cast aluminum and lovingly hand finish each piece. The stunning sheen is created by fusing mother of pearl with enamel, and then hand applying the Julia Knight signature thumbprint swirl on each piece.
One-of-a-Kind Design
Due to the step-by-step process and the hand-crafted nature of each individual piece, the Julia Knight Collection, is truly one-of-a-kind. From hand finished metals to the hand applied artisanal thumbprint swirl, there are no two pieces alike.
Timeless and Cohesive Design
With style and panache, Julia has created her entire collection to be unabashedly timeless. Each collection has a wild array of pieces that can be uniquely gorgeous all by themselves, layered and styled within each collection or married into a variety of other collections. The entire Julia Knight Collection was designed and created to mix and match pieces to create a viewpoint that is bold, beautiful and you!
