Great Gifts for the Party Maven, According to Eboni K. Williams and Julia Momosé

What do a Real Housewife and a bar owner have in common? They know the best gifts to get for anyone who loves to throw a party.

Design by Chineme Elobuike for Thrillist
Design by Chineme Elobuike for Thrillist
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‘Tis the season for party mavens to really shine. We all know at least a few bon vivants who not only know how to pull together an extra-special celebration, but are experts at making sure everyone feels welcome and is having a blast. So it only makes sense to bring them a gift that matches their sensibilities—something that can elevate the get-togethers they love to host.

To help you get started, we tapped none other than Eboni K. Williams—cast member on The Real Housewives of New York––and Julia Momosé, the partner and creative director at Chicago’s acclaimed Japanese drinking den Kumiko for recommendations on what to get the lives of the party in your life.

Glassware sets

Every good party maven knows the importance of having a variety of glassware on hand. Williams is a big fan of Waterford crystal champagne flutes, which serve as an elegant addition to any dinner tabletop. “You also want your standard rocks glasses and some people like a Collins glass,” says Williams. For Momosé, she loves to source vintage glasses from local antique stores or from Etsy. “Having glassware with history gives whatever you're drinking more meaning,” she says.

Spirits and top-shelf bottles

For them, it’s happy hour at any hour, so the best gift you can give them is a top-notch spirit that they can pop open whenever they decide the party starts. Momosé recommends that you get them a brandy, whether it’s a Calvados or Cognac. “Brandy is a really fun spirit on its own, and it also opens up a whole world of cocktails,” she says.

Williams recently became a fan of Roku Gin, which she used to host a cocktail party recently. Other brands she loves for cultivating a good party vibeare Veuve Clicquot or Laurent-Perrier champagnes, Hibiki whiskey, and Don Julio tequila. “For winter I always [reach for] the whiskey,” she says.

Bar accessories

To get the party started and whip up some amazing cocktails, they’re going to need the right tools. Williams believes that an ice bucket, ice, and tongs are a good start. “You cannot have a great successful party without plenty of ice,” she says, “then you need your standard cocktail mixing elements like a juice squeezer, cocktail shaker, and a nice good jigger, just because it'll give you a nice balance to pour.”

Momosé recommends always having a good cocktail book on hand, just in case they want to expand their recipe repertoire. “I don't think my co-author Emma Janzen would let me get away if I didn't [recommend] our debut book, The Way of the Cocktail. To me it's more than a book of recipes. It speaks to the beautiful drinking and eating culture of Japan. It's the type of book people can pick up throughout the seasons and enjoy year-round,” she says. When it comes to bar accessories, she swears by the Sizzler, a flip-top bottle opener from Japan. “Not only does it open your bottles, it also keeps them sealed! They're really a lot of fun.”

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