Nima Oberoi-Lunares Luxury Bar Collection

Signature Barware that Captivates.

Why do we go out to a beautiful classic cocktail bar?

Certainly, for the quality of drinks and ingredients. Certainly, for the camaraderie of friends, old and new. However, we go, perhaps without even realizing it, for the ceremony. We go for the ritual.

It's exciting, watching a crystal-clear gin slide through space and time, hitting a strainer and then flowing over ice. There’s something romantic in a bartender’s elbow cocked upwards; a nice suit; a perfect manicure. You get dressed for the occasion of a stirred Manhattan, watching a barspoon, moving like a hypnotist’s watch. Everyone stands together, shoulder-to-shoulder for the show to see a drink creation, and it’s that performance art that sets certain bars above all others.

We invite you to bring that ritual home. It's time to upgrade your home bar with custom tools, provided by the legendary, acclaimed artisans at Nima Oberoi-Lunares. It will improve your home entertaining game immeasurably, making craft cocktails a ritual for a standard weeknight or big events to mark milestones.

This collection is unlike any existing on the market, made entirely for you in a foundry in India. Designed by one of the world’s premiere artists – Nima Oberoi.

From the barspoon in black aluminum to the shaker featuring nickel and gold plating, there are moments of masculinity and touches of inviting feminine mystique. It’s, most importantly, ultra-functional and will last forever.

Now, read on further, settle on in and get ready to ultimately raise a glass to the Ritual of the Drink.

“Why, when making cocktails at home, would you not want the whole ritual you get in a nice cocktail bar,” asks Nima Oberoi, founder of the namesake brand – a wildly successful, stunning line of home goods, from sophisticated sculptures to creative serving pieces.

“There’s something wonderful in the presentation,” she says, “of making a great drink in the comfort of your own home. You bring out the nice shaker, the different, premium spirits, the ice. There’s a pageantry in creating a beautiful cocktail. And, for the same reason you are using the best ingredients, you need the best tools at home.” 

We asked Nima and her team at Lunares to make a custom bar kit — featuring a shaker, a bar spoon, a jigger and, for fun and stunning presentation, (we do adore the artistry of setting a fabulous table) — a small bowl for olives or cherries, almonds or chocolates.

Rather than your typical silver, we wanted something... shall we say, brooding. It needed to be alluring, a little masculine, but still have touches of femininity woven in. We wanted a shaker that would stand as a conversation piece and one that would stand the test of time. Nima brought us a true moment of luxury in every single piece with this collection.

Nima Oberoi grew up in India, but today resides in San Francisco, and she founded the company with her brother, back in 1996. They run Lunares from both locations. Nima creates each design at her office in California. Then, it comes to life through her brother’s artistry, using specialized, proprietary techniques with aluminum, back at the foundry in Rajasthan.

This team crafts items with a renowned eye for panache and detail; collections that are both functional and fabulously beautiful.

From serving platters to cheeseboards, ice cream cups to napkin holders, the company’s mission is Luxe Casual. From limited-edition sculptures made from aluminum and finished in gold to larger, conversation-starting accent tables that feature sculptural design elements, Nima’s artistic sense is always at the forefront. It makes her pieces both functional and highly collectable.

The company works often in aluminum – which is a very sustainable, unbreakable, long-lasting material. In fact, they were among the first to use this malleable metal with processes that include covering it colorful enamel.

The Shaker

“It’s made of aluminum,” says Nima, “and is black nickel and gold done in a special enamel that looks like plating but will not erode. I have a collection of shakers at home. I think without even realizing it, I’ve been collecting them. This was the first and only shaker I’ve ever designed and the fact that I have 8 or 9 of them, that I use all the time, helped me design one with the home bartender in mind.”

We wanted something that would stand out on a bar cart. The base has a texture that not only feels great in your hand, but also helps you grip it when shaking. There’s an Art Deco appeal to the coloring of midnight nickel and that top pop of brilliant gold. We like to think this is a piece of functional art that Bruce Wayne would purchase... if only he could get his hands on one.

The Jigger

A jigger is an absolute necessity when bartending. 

Pouring drinks without measuring results in unbalanced cocktails, every single time. But, a jigger is also part of that ritual. When using one, always fill it to the brim, whether you’re using the ½ ounce side or the full ounce side. There’s no guess work in a drink recipe when using the proper tools, but there can be a moment of lovely presentation.

The etymology of the name “jigger” for these handy contraptions is a fun bit of trivia to share with your guests, as well, as you whip them up a round of Vieux Carrés or Negronis.

It’s believed the name comes from sailors in the British Navy. They were given a daily ration of booze to keep scurvy at bay and spirits high. The jigger is named for the jiggermast on the oldest of tall sailing ships.

“My brother is a big Scotch drinker,” says Nima, “so including a jigger of the proper size, with a two-ounce side, was a big deal to him. The one we made is aluminum with bronze plating, and gold to divide it.

 

The Barspoon

Let’s use this moment to discuss not only this barspoon but also the difference between using a barspoon to stir a drink and using a shaker to shake one.

You want a shaker when drinks need emulsification. If you add citrus to a drink, you will want to shake it, to combine the spirit, the sugar and the citrus properly. Shaking with ice – a wet shake – properly chills a drink but it also gives it a little dilution, as some of the ice melts, creating the balance of flavors.

Dry shaking is called for when you add in egg whites, and it’s a first shake without ice in the shaker, followed by that second wet shake – just to ensure everything is properly blended.

Now, When making a stirred drink – one without citrus, like a Manhattan or Old Fashioned – you’ll need that bar spoon, which Lunares crafted in black aluminum with chocolate enamel ends.

You use a long barspoon to keep the heat of your hand away from the drink as you’re making it. Likewise, you stir a cocktail only in a glass mixing vessel, never metal. Metal grips cold. When stirring something, you want as much of that ice to connect with the liquid as possible.

The Bowl

“When you entertain,” Nima says, “you want those little touches. It’s all about glamour and soul, and this little bowl is from our Bianco Nero collection. It’s one of the most popular collections on our website, and it’s made with a very difficult technique. It’s crafted inch-by-inch, applying enamel in white, then black. It’s shaken around, and, finally, it’s held over a flame. Because of the hand-crafted nature, no two are ever alike.”

A heat chamber is used at the end to bake the enamel, making it food safe. The final result looks like porcelain, but it’s metal and will never break.

“I think this little bowl is great for almonds or small chocolates,” she says. “Little foods to give guests as you’re making them a drink. But you can also put a garnish for the drink, like an olive or a lemon peel in it, and then garnish the drink and hand it over. Again, those little rituals you find pleasing in a bar are also so pleasing for guests in your home.”