Home bar accessories [potential gifts]

burntheladle

My boyfriend wants to set himself up a little bar at home, and since his birthday is coming up, I figured bar related things are the way to go.

Problem is, I don't drink very much, and have no idea what sort of things would be useful.

He doesn't drink beer or wine, this is strictly a spirits operation. I don't think glass sets would be that good, since he'd only really use one or two glasses at a time, but I could very well be wrong (possibly if he had friends over he'd need more, I suppose?).

I also figure I should help him expand his drink collection - I know he likes Slate burbon and Smirnoff Vodka, but that's about all I know. He drinks Malibu as well, but I suspect that's only when he's making drinks for me as well.

My budget is about $150-$200 (AU), so I could probably get lots of things and put him together a bar pack.

Suggestions? Thankyou.

Specularity

Maybe a nice decanter, if he likes cognac, whiskey, bourbon, etc? It might not be something he'd buy for himself (I know I'd rather spend that money on booze...), but something he could appreciate. They look nice and are useful, too!

Or maybe, if he doesn't have one, a nice snifter or two? It's hard to find another use for them, so it'd be something he could devote to the area. I'm not sure if he likes brandy, but that'd be a good option if he does/wants to get into it. Similarly, martini glasses, etc.

If he likes mixed drinks, maybe you could get him a book on drink recipes, and some ingredients (limes, mint, sugar for mojitos, e.g.).

This site:

http://www.liquorsnob.com/archives/cat_bar_accessories.php

looks like it has some interesting ideas (and some good ideas of what not to give). Maybe see what other liquor people would like to have!

tony_important

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Bar-Book-Comprehensive-Cocktails/dp/0811843513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202308969&sr=8-1

My girlfriend got me that book for my birthday last year. It's full of recipes and general knowledge regarding anything bar related. It even covers the various glassware/supplies needed to get started.

DiscGrace

I second the recommendation of a drink recipe book, those are always fun. Another handy thing would be a cocktail shaker set (something like this).

A starter set is also a nice idea. Some good stuff to include would be some whiskey, light and spiced rums, tequila, triple sec, and mixers like club soda, sour mix, lime and lemon juice, and grenadine.

tony_important

I'd like to second the idea of a drink shaker, but in addition to that shaker I'd also recommend a Boston Shaker.

They're very useful.

witch_ie

If he doesn't already have one, a blender. Also, if you pick up one of those drink recipe books, you could bookmark a drink for you guys to try the night of his birthday and then supply him with the necessary ingredients.

whuppins

Around Christmas, I saw several places selling a stainless steel bar tool set that included a strainer, double jigger, cheese knife, bottle opener, and ice tongs, all with a slick stainless steel stand you can use to display them when they're not in use. It was such a good deal and I try to maintain a functional bar myself, so I bought it. Despite only being $25 or so, it's high quality stuff, but there's still a fancy Williams-Sonoma version if you want to go that route. If your boyfriend is seriously interested in a bar of his own, this could help out a lot. The strainer alone has been worth the price for me, keeping me from having to fiddle with the built-in strainer caps on my shaker sets.

Unless you're really sure that glassware is out of the question, I'd take another look at it. Most of the time, people keep bars so they can entertain visitors. If four people want martinis, that's a hundred bucks or so of glassware you can get him (for the good stuff), and you can still get them at places like Target (or the Aussie equivalent thereof). Other stuff I'm glad I have enough of (even though I don't drink much besides whiskey): wine glasses, champagne flutes, brandy glasses (snifters), shot glasses.

What about a hip flask? I'm sure you can Google up a site that will let you personalize a stainless steel hip flask with leather case for him. Not exactly bar stuff, per se, but someone who's fond of bourbon will probably like to take a nip from his own flask from time to time.

Basically, you could probably get him anything from the top half of this page, preferably a non-overpriced version. As an aspiring mixologist myself, I would certainly appreciate being given, say, a fruit muddler (Old Fashioneds FTW), but that might be because I have my life's priorities out of order.

Dalboz

You could get a set of bar tools relatively cheaply (usually include a bottle opener, strainer, stirring rod, corkscrew, etc.). He'll need a nice shaker, and a ice bucket is good to have around. Also, a supply of cocktail napkins and skewers are often overlooked. Maybe some nice coasters, too.

For actual alcohol, I'm not sure what you can get in your area. For vodka, if you can find Ketel One or Vox, those are excellent vodkas. Knob Creek and Maker's Mark are good bourbons. Some liquers may be good to have around, like Cointreau or some other orange liquer.

DiscGrace

I'd say Woodford Reserve is a better dollar-to-bourbony-goodness ratio than Maker's Mark, even though it costs a bit more (I've never had Knob Creek). Ketel One is good, so is Grey Goose.

Another idea would be to get him a small, dormitory-size mini fridge to keep mixers and certain open liquor bottles in (like Irish cream or Kahlua). You can get suitably sized ones for ~US$50; or, when me and the mister made our bar, we found a pretty good sized one with a freezer on top that we could fit all our mixers and our home brewed beer bottles in, for US$120.

musanman

DiscGrace wrote: »

I'd say Woodford Reserve is a better dollar-to-bourbony-goodness ratio than Maker's Mark, even though it costs a bit more (I've never had Knob Creek).

This is a no brainer. Woodford is one of the best bourbons, period. The fact it's only $30/bottle pretty much makes it autobuy.

skyybahamut

Mr Boston is your friend.