Barware and Beyond: Everything You Need for Your Next Happy Hour

Whether you love to throw cocktail parties or just enjoy the occasional nightcap, Williams Sonoma has all of the barware you need. From glasses and decanters to bar carts and cocktail picks, the collection includes all of the home bar essentials you could ever need. Whatever your drink of choice, you'll find glasses and accessories to complete your barware collection. If you're building your bar from scratch, Williams Sonoma has you covered there too with a wide array of bar carts and wine racks.

The Details

When shopping for barware, you'll need to think about what you'll be serving most often. Oenophiles may want to invest in multiple sets of wine glasses so as to always have the ideal shape for the varietal being poured. Beer drinkers also have choices to make. In addition to classic beer steins, Williams Sonoma carries pint glasses as well as glasses specifically designed for pilsners, stouts and hard ciders. If martinis or margaritas are your preferred drink, you'll obviously want a set of glasses designed for your favourite cocktail. Highball and Old-Fashioned glasses are versatile barware staples that work as well for mixed drinks as they do for ice water and lemonade.

Barware extends beyond just the glasses that you stock. There are plenty of accessories available that will help take your bartending experience to the next level. Once again, you'll want to consider which drinks you'll serve most often. Craft cocktail enthusiasts will certainly want a cocktail shaker, a muddler and maybe even a juicer on hand. The adventurous may also want to experiment with a smoking gun or cloche that can be used to add a savoury, smoky flavor to drinks. Those who want to keep things simple should check out Williams Sonoma's collection of delicious cocktail mixes. Wine lovers will want to make sure that their collection of bar tools includes a reliable corkscrew, a chilling bucket and an aerator. For whiskey drinkers, Williams Sonoma carries several varieties of whiskey stones as well as specialty ice molds perfect for chilling your drink without watering it down.

Once you've picked out all of your home bar essentials, you'll want to make sure that you have somewhere to display and use them. Williams Sonoma's stylish bar carts are perfect for organizing your barware, and since many of them are on casters, they can be moved from room to room, making them ideal for entertaining. Depending on which bar cart you choose, it may have racks for holding glasses and bottles of wine or a small shelf that's perfect for cocktail napkins. If you want something stationary, opt for a bar cabinet with shelves for storing glassware and bottles of wine of liquor and a surface large enough for pouring drinks and serving snacks.