8 Tips for Collecting Chic Vintage Barware

I subscribe to the idea that enjoying a cocktail should always feel like special occasion, whether you’re sipping a French 75 at a chic rooftop bar or enjoying a gin and tonic on your back deck. But no matter how much time, effort and premium booze you’ve poured into your glass, it still feels a little funny to sip an adult beverage from the same glass your kid drank juice from that morning. Collecting a set of vintage barware is a great way make your cocktail feel special without a big price tag.

Here are eight tips for curating a chic collection of vintage barware.

1. Know the big guns. The mid-20th century is considered the golden age of cocktails, so it’s smart to seek out popular, high-quality brands from the era, then comparison shop within your particular market. Dorothy Thorpe, George Briard, Couroc and McKee are all great names whose pieces are relatively easy to find.


2. Look at where it’s made. Glasses made in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and the USA are generally the most valuable. Don’t spend more than a couple bucks per glass on items made elsewhere.


3. Consider different shapes. While it’s easy to fall in love with an elegant set of martini glasses, you’ll never use them unless you’re regularly shaking up batches of cosmopolitans.

Instead, start with what you’ll use most often, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. A coupe, for example, can accommodate a gin fizz or martini as beautifully as it does champagne.


Midcentury Silver Rim Barware Set, Cheeky Chic Vintage - $138 4. Get a caddy. Nestling your glasses into a nostalgic cocktail caddy will instantly create a beautiful display on a bar cart or side table. It will also help protect glasses from chipping and cracking.


5. Add a martini pitcher. Thanks in part to James Bond, we generally think of martinis as shaken, not stirred. But a pitcher will allow you to mix and serve several cocktails at once — martinis or otherwise — while doubling as an elegant vessel for serving guests.


6. Know your sources. Fortunately, the popularity of midcentury cocktail culture makes vintage barware easy to find. A good flea market is your best bet for finding screaming deals, but you can’t beat the web for variety. Etsy and Ebay are great places to start, but I also love browsing the online selection at The Hour, a cocktail-centric vintage shop in Alexandria, Virginia.


7. Inspect each glass carefully. Before you buy, hold each glass up to a light to look for hairline cracks, and run your finger along the lip and base to inspect for chips.

Keep in mind that any wear and tear is an opportunity to haggle, so speak up if you notice any noncritical damage.


8. Have fun searching! From caddies to ice buckets, punch bowls to swizzle sticks, there’s an exciting range of vintage cocktail accoutrements to hunt for. Your quest for a full collection will likely take more than just one trip to the flea market, but that’s the fun of it. So enjoy the search and display your hard-won finds proudly!

More:
How to Create a Built-In Home Bar

Browse bar carts in the Products section

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