As elegant as it is essential, chic barware elevates home entertaining, and also makes the perfect gift for any occasion. Grand ice buckets and vintage glassware make a statement. Mix and match a high-low selection from our splurge/steal holiday list for the merriest cocktail mix.

 

Cocktail Trolley

What’s more retro-chic than a bar trolley?

Splurge: Restoration Hardware, $2,246

Steal: Linen Chest, $132.95; Wayfair, $127

Ice Bucket

Metal keeps ice coolest and Lucite looks lovely.

Splurge: Williams Sonoma, $189.95

Steal: S’well, $50; Micheals $12

Shaker

Martinis, whisky sours, margaritas … no bar is complete without a good shake.

Splurge: Georg Jensen, $185; Tom Dixon, $243

Steal: Libbey, $18

Utensils

Strainer, zester, jigger, standing sets are best to keep things organized and off surfaces.

Splurge: Gluckstein Home, $100; Williams Sonoma; $167.95

Steal: Cresimo, $47.95

Glassware (sets of four)

Rocks and highball glasses can be weighty (or not) but wine, flute and martini should be lithe.

Splurge: Rocks, Baccarat, $630; Highball, WestElm, $75; Martini, Waterford, $554; Wine, Wedgewood, $210; Flute, Amara, $134

Steal: Rocks, Crate and Barrel, $35.80; Highball, CB2, $59.80; Martini, Ssense, $80; Wine, Luxbe, $60; Flute, WestElm, $54

Wine Decanter

Pour good (if inexpensive) wine into decanters. Stylish and saves on bar costs, well worth the investment.

Splurge: Waterford, $359; Spieglau, $300

Steal: Kitchen Stuff Plus, $15; Trudeau, $10; Reidel, $49.

Vintage Collectables

Source one-of-a-kind pieces and coveted sets online.

Check out the The Hour, or Etsy. Need a tutorial on what to look for, there’s Antique Trader. Looking for Baccarat?

Whisky Lovers

Show off your savvy with artful selects …

High-end whisky drinkers on your Christmas list will appreciate this award-winning glass from Norlan, $49 each or Tom Dixon’s copper band version, $163 for a set of two.

Cool Coupes

Champagne coupes (over flutes) are back in vogue. Look for tall stems and a generous bowl like these, $127 a pair. On a budget? Ikea stocks this version for $3 each.

Pretty Pints

Ditch the beer mugs for slim, sleek glasses. On the high end, Waterford does these, $127 for a set of two. A set of four from Spiegelau is $43. A dozen footed lager glasses is $52 at Chef Equipment. Crate and Barrels stylish ‘beer can’ take on glassware are $6 each.

 

Do you have something in your own collection that you think might be worth a few bucks? Looking to buy or sell? Browse the Zone Classifieds and post your ad here.