How to Stock Your Bar with Glassware for Every Occasion

Pick the right glassware for your drinks and your guests.

From tumblers to hi-balls to stein glasses, there are a variety of options for your home bar. Follow these easy tips to make sure that you're ready for whatever your guests may order.

Things You'll Need

• * A variety of glasses and glassware based on your own needs, preferences and events
• <br>* Garnishes
• <br>* Coasters
• <br>* Cocktail napkins
• <br>* Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Determine what kinds of events you typically hold in your home, such as dinner parties, cocktail parties, sports-related get-togethers, afternoon teas or wine and cheese parties.

2. Determine what drinks you typically serve and what your guests typically drink at your get-togethers. Also think about what you typically drink at home with dinner or when you have company over, as well as how any of these habits change during the holidays.

3. Stock your bar with basic barware essentials, such as pint glasses for beer, both thin and round wine glasses for red and white wine, champagne flutes and high ball glasses for mixed drinks or cocktails.

4. Add in any additional glassware as necessary, according to the types of events and drinks you typically engage in. For example, if you find that you mostly serve beer, invest in quality stein, pilsner and schooner glasses. If you serve a lot of novelty cocktails, invest in martini, margarita and hurricane glasses.

5. Buy a few novelty, high-end or holiday-themed glasses that you can use on special occasions. These should be purchase if your budget allows for them, after you've purchased the glassware basics (mentioned in Step 3).

Tips & Warnings

• Although it's great to use nice glassware, you want to make sure that you have a cheap yet durable set of whichever type of glasses you typically use during get-togethers. This way you don't have to dwell over broken stems or chipped rims.