Contemporary bar ware adds a fresh twist of humor to a jigger of retro style

The gown and tux are back from the cleaners. The menu is planned from canapé to crème brûlée. The iPod is docked. The wine cellar’s stocked.

Now all you need for the perfect holiday bash is the right bar ware.

Since the days of Nick and Nora Charles and their swank soirees in The Thin Man films, evening entertaining has been about style. The cocktail shaker was invented way back in the 1840s by a clever bartender who realized he could fit one cup over another and shake, rather than stir or pour liquids back and forth. But shaker design didn’t become an art until the Deco era. In the 1920s and ’30s, shakers took on the form of airplanes and zeppelins, roosters and penguins, lighthouses and skyscrapers. They sometimes came in glass, but more often in sleek, elegant metals.

And that streamlined, bullet-shape design never grew old. The newest barware lines raise a glass to the Jazz Age, but also add contemporary ergonomics and heightened functionality to their products. There is also a revival of whimsy in the new party accessories, reminiscent more of a 1950s rec-room tiki bar than a 1920s hotel lounge. But even Myrna Loy – a k a Nora Charles – had a sense of humor.

At Fosters Homeware, an urbane shop at 4th and Market Streets in Philadelphia, there is a blend of what’s hip, retro and novel when it comes to mixology. Manager Ken Avella said the store looks for barware and entertaining products based on their quality and affordability.

Rather than glass, the predominant medium is metal. There is, of course, a range of modern metal-and-rubber bottle openers, bottle stoppers, corkscrews and tongs. But there are also shakers, martini glasses, beer mugs, mini-flasks and ice buckets made of stainless steel, and they are increasingly popular, according to Avella.

Among the more graceful lines are those made by RSVP International. Sales coordinator Cheryl Walczyk said the stainless-steel glasses in a variety of shapes are best-sellers for the Seattle-based company, although a shortage of nickel has resulted in a cutback in some styles. RSVP is still pouring out steel wine, martini and margarita glasses, which have brushed exteriors and polished interiors. “And the beer mugs are really hot for us. They’re double-walled, so they don’t sweat.” All the steel glasses also maintain the temperature of the drink inside, whether hot or cold.

The stainless steel bar and party ware is aimed at all age groups, Walcyzk said, although certain products seem to appeal to specific age groups. The beer mugs, for instance, are popular among younger chuggers, and they make great gifts because they can be engraved.

“The martini glasses have been going well for the last couple of years, and I’m sure that’s due to the new martini bars everywhere,” Walcyzk said. Many bars and restaurants are also purchasing the RSVP glasses.

But people are again making the old-time drinks at home, she said, and martini and margarita tools are essential to achieve the perfect concoction. A particularly desirable item right now, Walcyzk said, is RSVP’s new mojito muddler, which can mash fresh fruits, seasonings and ice for classic cocktails.

The steel products are dishwasher safe and won’t break, so they’re used by sophisticated boaters and campers, and at poolside as well.

The other top-shelf line at Fosters Homeware is made by OXO International, the New York company whose SteeL – with a capital L – products are all about form and function and brushed stainless steel.

The OXO barware consists of higher-end and “presentation-worthy” pieces, said production manager Amy Goldsmith. “There are a lot of design factors. They’re very functional, but we realized they will not be super-utilitarian; they’re not used every day.”

OXO launched its entertaining products just four years ago with the bar basics: a cocktail shaker with a distinctive Deco ancestry, an ice bucket and a strainer, all made and packaged with a “family look”; in other words, they look like they belong together.

The inspiration was not so much any vintage design as it was purpose and comfort, Goldsmith said. “We definitely wanted to add our ergonomic aspect.” The shaker was made with comfortable curves, an easy-grip jigger cap and built-in strainer.The ice bucket includes a caddy to store the tongs, and it has a moat at the bottom that allows ice to melt but not sit in water.

As for style, “it is sleeker, more modern, but not super-modern. We still wanted it to be functional.”

OXO sells the shaker, bucket and a bottle opener together, as well as larger bar collections with “a similar design language.” The company is also expanding its party line to wine and cheese accessories, and an ice crusher for homemade frozen drinks.

Back at Fosters, manager Ken Avella pointed out the other hot selling bar tools: conveniently designed magnetic bottle openers by Stash, which can adhere to the refrigerator; and Big Ear corkscrews and bottle tops by Josh Owen that are easy to grip and turn – all reflective of the modern, multi-tasking, practical consumer.
But there’s a quirky side to party products, and its name is Fred.

Fred is a division of Easy Aces, Inc., a company based outside Providence, R.I., and its mission seems to be bringing humor back into drinking. Fred’s products include Cool Jewels, “the dazzling diamond ice cube tray,” and voodoo doll and magician’s assistant toothpick holders. A series of “photo-realistic” paper cups is emblazoned with different sized profiles; party-goers are invited to “Pick Your Nose.” The Wine Lines are tags that can be attached to glass stems so tipplers can find their misplaced goblets; they read “woozy,” “unglued,” “befuddled” and “bemused.”

“I would definitely say that the attitude toward parties and partyware in the 1950s and ’60s has been an influence on us,” said design director Jason Amendolara. “There was a sense of fun and whimsy in party items back then. Everything from character stirrers and shakers to toothpick holders, all said something about the party and the host. I think people enjoyed showing their silly side when they threw a party. I think our items help to do the same thing today.”

While the company makes a variety of seasonal novelty and gift items, in addition to a nature-based children’s toy line, the products for entertaining are its most popular.

“Our aim is to be clever and funny, but still maintain a useful functionality. If you just do funny, you are limited to a certain audience,” Amendolara said.
“When someone has a choice of buying a simply functional scrub brush or one that also blows bubbles, we think they would choose the one that puts a smile on your face. By doing this, we seem to be reaching more people, some whom I’d never expect to. We don’t even bother with the humorless people.”