Toasting Handmade, Recycled Glass Barware

In the beginning, there was the “appletini,” which lured the classic cocktail away from a simple gin-and-vermouth preparation. And now that such fallen delights as pomegranate, caramel and white-chocolate martinis are par for the first course, could exotic glass barware be far behind?

La Mediterranea’s Bedside Bottle and Glass ($16) is a marvel of invention. A two-piece set that comes in two subtly different styles, it is small-batch crafted of 100% reused material (the company’s parent distributor, bluehouse, is a carbon-neutral operation). And while the bottle-and-glass twosome is both rustic and arty in its design, it is nevertheless passionately functional. The vessel holds the spirits, the jigger acts as a cap when the drinking’s done. This is stealth refreshment of a high order — think Dorothy Parker, not Otis of Mayberry.

Those with less to hide will opt for Anchor Hocking Everton’s 6-Ounce Champagne Flutes($29.99), a wedding-toast staple in a set of 12. Rare for bar glass, they’re dishwasher-safe, and they get extra points for being made in America. In a recent online statement, the company — which has trademarked the slogan “Raise a Glass to Planet Earth” — said it plans to redesign its packaging to be more eco-friendly, and that it currently claims 25% of its waste glass to reuse as furnace fuel.

Speaking of sustainability, the Rosanna Venetian Red Wine Glass ($73.40), an eight-ounce goblet which comes in a set of six, is handmade of recycled glass. Though fashionable in their craftmanship, their look is retro. And not mid-century modern, either — more like oh-no-is-that-hemlock medieval. Heavy and serious, done in a fetching vampiric shade, they beg to be displayed on an antique oak sideboard and should be filled with high-end Barbaresco.

Wine carafes, on the other hand, are getting tech-ier all the time. Numerous varieties of complicated vacuum, funnel-style and aerating casks are available for the serious connoisseur. But the grape-festooned, 32-oz. Viva Terra Etched Wine Decanter ($49) looks plucked from some heirloom Tuscan vineyard. This splendidly classic cruet is artisan-like in the traditional sense — crusty-bread thick and eager for rough handling. (Matching tumblers are also available, with nary a twee stem in sight.)