One way to support cocktail bars (during a crisis) is to shop their barware.
With more people playing bartender in the comfort of their kitchen, we’re sharing six funky and functional bar items from the nation’s top bars. Scroll, shop, and support now.
Navy Apron from Dante
Navy Apron from Dante New York City
With over 100 years of antiquity and awards, Dante certainly celebrates community by gathering over modern Italian plates and world-class drinks with others. Sadly, due to COVID-19, the century-old space now operates solely as a kitchen, cranking out to-go orders and cocktail kits for New Yorkers to savor at home.
One way to hold on to the cafe’s true-to-Italian heritage (with little global influences) is sporting its navy namesake apron at home. Available for purchase, at $45.00, the super-functional, super-comfortable apron proves that anyone – near and far – can partake in Dante’s Negroni Sessions.
Fijian Mermaid Tiki Mug from Three Dots And A Dash
Fijian Mermaid Tiki Mug from Three Dots And A Dash Chicago
The Painkiller drink sometimes hits harder than a pandemic – hence, the great preparation to be poured into one, including dark (and deadly)rum, freshly-squeezed juices, and an insane tiki mug.
At Three Dots and A Dash, tiki drinks light up the retro Polynesian-island lounge beneath Chicago’s buzzy Clark Street. Literal flaming tiki drinks, crafted with one or more of its 200+ bottled rums, are served in mortal mugs customized for the tropical bar’s Signature Series (of collectible glassware). The limited-edition Fijian Mermaid tiki mug – in cobalt blue and teal colors – was chiseled by Tiki Farm and sits for sale, at $60.00, in the online “Mug Shop.”
Story told is The Fijian Mermaid (sometimes referred to as Feejee or Fiji Mermaid) was a hoax promoted by P.T. Barnum in the 1840s as a sideshow gaff. The odd-looking creature was presented to spectators as a mummified “half-mammal, half-fish” wonder, but in reality, it was the torso of a monkey sewn to the tail of a fish… and is typically full of spirit.
The NoMad Cocktail Book from The NoMad Bar
The NoMad Cocktail Book from The NoMad Bar New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
Thanks to the internet, we have the power to be anything we want (while locked indoors) – perhaps a plant-based yogi, better yet a James Beard Award-winning mixologist. With one simple click of a cursor, we can purchase an illustrated collection of nearly 300 cocktail recipes from the acclaimed NoMad Bar, with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
The NoMad Cocktail Book, by award-winning bar director Leo Robitschek, lays out every type of beverage – from aperitifs and classics to light, dark, and soft cocktails – plus syrups and infusions. The comprehensive guide also shares the secrets of Robitschek’s top cocktail program, which celebrates classically focused cocktails; even large-format drinks to replicate at home.
Bitters from General Store by Amor y Amargo
Bitters from General Store by Amor y Amargo New York City
What started as a micro bar with only eight seats and a mighty obsession for bitters recently stretched into three connected spaces wrapping the corner of East 6th and Avenue A.
The updated Amor y Amargo, by praised beverage director Sother Teague and restaurateur Ravi DeRossi, links the original bitters-based bar; a new speakeasy-style bar called Reserve for a “hidden” tasting menu experience, and a General Store, offering one of the country’s largest in-store selections of bitters.
Essentially “Amor y Amargo on-the-go,” General Store sells the back bar of the bar, including artisan bitters to dash into cocktails at home. “It’s all the things we’ve kind of wanted to do in the old space, which was simply too small to do it,” Teague told GrubStreet. “Now we have space to do it.”
East Villagers can also find branded merchandise like rocks glasses, bar tools, t-shirts, and a 1,000-piece puzzle.
D&Co Cocktail Journal from Death & Co
D&Co Cocktail Journal from Death & Co New York City, Denver, Los Angeles
Another East Village mainstay that since (2006) evolved into a full-scale experience in both Denver and Los Angeles.
The dark and moody Death & Co attracts all curious cocktail connoisseurs… and also encourages all to shake and stir at home (until bar bans are lifted). With the help of the D&Co Home Cocktail Journal, rising home-tenders can log their cocktail creations in the top-grain cowhide soft-back with a leather buckle closure, for $59.00 online.
Don’t be afraid to scuff it, break it in – skin oils actually shape the high-quality leather over time. Handle it along with suspenders and a bowtie like a steady speakeasy bartender.
Raised by Wolves Hawthorne Strainer from Raised by Wolves
Raised by Wolves Hawthorne Strainer from Raised by Wolves San Diego
Between old-world decor and oak-clad walls, this secret cocktail bar has a sense of wild mystery and great opulence.
Thankfully, those ornate elements trickle into the stacked retail shop supported by San Diego’s Raised by Wolves. Californians can pop-in to peruse one-of-a-kind Raised by Wolves Single Barrel Select tequilas, and purchase a limited-edition Hawthorne strainer, for $28.00. The customized wolf head shape was cut in collaboration between the top-notch cocktail bar and notable Cocktail Kingdom. Available for pre-order, nationwide (almost every credit card is accepted).