You suddenly get an invite for a stock the bar party from your friend, but you’re not sure what this means. As your friend talks about how exciting it’s going to be, you start to sweat.
What is a stock the bar party? Do you bring a gift? What kind of gift?
Take a breath.
We’ll explain what kind of party it is and offer some great gift ideas. We got you covered.
What Is a Stock the Bar Party?
A stock the bar party is a spin on the classic bridal shower, though some people throw them as engagement or housewarming parties as well.
Typical bridal shower gifts are geared towards home goods so that the couple can set up their new home. But what if the couple already has everything they need?
Because people are getting married later in life, most of the time they have all the home goods they need. So what are you supposed to get the happy couple?
Giving money is nice, but many people prefer to put more thought into their gifts. That’s where a stock the bar party comes in. During this form of party, invitees give the couple alcohol or bar tools for their home bar. You’re helping the happy couple put together a fully-stocked home bar, and you get to enjoy a fun party (and perhaps a drink or two) at the same time.
Great Gifts for a Stock the Bar Party
You’ve been invited to a stock the bar party, and you have no idea what to get the party throwers. They don’t have a registry, and you don’t want to go with an obvious choice. What can you get?
Don’t panic; we’ve got you covered.
Alcohol
This is obvious, but the easiest item to bring to a stock the bar party. You can get a bottle of a standard liquor like gin, whiskey, or vodka, or you can surprise them with an apéritif or digestif.
Apéritifs are a fantastic addition to any home bar because they bring great flavor but have a lower ABV than traditional alcohols like gin or whiskey. They’re wonderful for whetting the appetite before a meal, and they make delicious inclusions in cocktails and mixed drinks as well.
If you want to give your host a variety, we offer a sample kit that contains four 200 milliliter bottles of your choice flavors.
A Bartending Kit
If your friends are hosting a stock the bar party, that probably means they like to drink. Why not give them a chance to mix their own drinks?
A bartending kit will especially come in handy after being gifted a ton of alcohol. Plus, this is a particularly versatile gift, as you can find options that are suited for beginners, experts, and everything in between. The prices will range widely as well, so you can customize this gift to your specific needs.
A typical bartending kit should include:
- Mixing spoon
- Shaker
- Muddler
- Jigger
- Strainer
These are the essential tools you need to make a cocktail or mixed drink. More advanced options might also include additional tools.
If you decide that a bartending kit isn’t for you, you can also buy the tools individually and create your own gift basket. This is a wonderful way to put your own spin on this gift.
Special Glasses
Specialty glasses make for a thoughtful, useful gift. Get the glasses engraved with their last name, the date of their wedding, or something else meaningful to the couple.
There are many types of drinking glasses, including:
Martini Glass
A martini glass looks like an upside-down cone with a stem. The wide mouth allows you to take in all the aromas of whatever you’re drinking.
Flute
A flute glass is slim, tall, and ideal for serving carbonated drinks. The narrow bowl of the glass keeps the bubbles alive for longer. Plus, a flute glass just makes you feel fancy.
Old Fashioned Glass (Lowball)
An Old Fashioned glass is a short glass with a thick bottom.
Highball Glass
This style of glass resembles the average glass you’d find in the kitchen. Drinks that are poured over ice are served in a highball glass.
Wine Glass
Wine glasses are wide and long because wine needs to be aerated. They also feature a deep bowl so you can swirl your wine without spilling.
This type of glass also has a long stem so that your body heat doesn’t warm up your wine.
There are also separate red and white wine glasses. Red wine glasses tend to be fuller and rounder, while white wine glasses are taller and slimmer, although not as slim as a flute.
Margarita Glass
The Margarita is the only drink you’ll serve in this glass. The Margarita glass has a wide mouth that narrows into a half-sphere shape that’s attached to the stem.
Pint Glass
Pint glasses look like standard drinking glasses, but they narrow down a bit more at the base. They have round rims, so the foamy beer keeps its head. This glass holds a pint of alcohol, hence the name.
Cocktail or Mixed Drink Recipe Book
For a slightly more out-of-the-box option, consider a cocktail recipe book as a gift for a stock the bar party!
We offer a deluxe cocktail kit to help you get started. The deluxe kit features a book with over 20 drink recipes. It also has samples of our favorite Apéritifs: Citrus Flower, New Fashioned, Grapefruit Jalapeño, Rose Rosé, Lemon Lavender, and Pomegranate Rosemary.
A Quality Bottle Opener/Corkscrew
Essential but often overlooked necessities for any bar are a bottle opener and a corkscrew. Of course, there are ways you can open bottles without a tool, but why use all that extra energy?
Bar Towels
Bars are messy — that’s just the way it is. Gift the party throwers some special towels just for their bar.
Find options in fun patterns or order personalized embroidered towels to really make it special.
Cocktail Ingredients
If the party throwers want to stock their bar, why not give them some common cocktail ingredients? As with the bartending tools, these lend themselves well to a gift basket.
Some commonly-used cocktail ingredients include:
- Club soda
- Angostura bitters
- Lemon juice
- Simple syrup
- Sugar
- Salt
- Basil
- Mint
- Limes
- Lemons
- Oranges
- Cherries
Ice Trays
Ice plays a huge role in alcoholic beverages. Not just any type of ice will do, though. Depending on the drink, the size and shape of the ice will change.
Ice cube molds are a unique gift to bring to a stock the bar event. You can look for trays that create large ice cubes, spherical ice cubes, or even fun novelty shapes like lobsters or flowers.
Your Favorite Alcohol
Okay, this may be a little bit of a selfish idea, but you can give the party throwers your favorite alcohol. After all, it must be delicious if you like it.
The fact that they’ll have it on hand is a bonus and totally not planned at all.
Other Great Gift Ideas
Here are some other gift ideas that could work if none of the above appealed to you.
- Coasters: Drinks sweat, and no one likes those pesky water rings on their table. Find some unique coasters that match the style of the host’s home for a fun and functional gift.
- Storage: The couple will be getting a lot of gifts and may need somewhere to put all their new options. Find something for them to store their bar tools in or a rack to display all the bottles they get.
- Decanter: If your friend is a wine or whiskey lover, a decanter will make a lovely gift. Decanters will all your alcohol to breathe, thus improving its flavor. They also come in cool shapes and colors that will really spice up a bar and impress any guests that the couple has over.
You Are Going To Rock This Party!
After reading all this, you should feel confident about going to your first stock the bar party.
While some of these gift ideas are pretty basic, they’re classic options for a reason. That said, if you’re excited about the idea of a stock the bar party and want to mix things up, don’t be afraid to be bold!
Sources:
The Average Age of Marriage in the US In 2020 | The Knot
35 Different Types of Drinking Glasses & Their Uses | Worst Room
How to Stock a Bar Cart, Essential Home-Bar Tools | The Strategist
