Bar Cart Styling and Bar Cart Essentials for Your Next Cocktail Night
When I first started re-organizing my living room, I came to the conclusion that I had just enough room to put a bar cart in my dining area. Considering 2020 had me doing most of my entertaining from home, it seemed like a necessary progression. To be completely transparent, I am in no way an expert at crafting cocktails so this is my beginners guide to stocking your at home bar, while also making it look aesthtically pleasing.
As a newbie to the cocktail world, I did extensive research on all the bar cart essentials. My starting off point was the most important component, the bar cart!
Bar Carts
It is no secret that I love gold. Since I already have a gold mirror in my dining area, a gold bar cart fit in nicely with the aesthetic I was going for. I went with a gold bar cart from West Elm, however, depending on the aesthetic of your home there is an assortment of fun options. I love the look of the modern acrylic ones, dark wood, and minimalist matte black styling. There is definitely a bar cart that can suit every home. It seems obvious, but I have to stress measuring. Since I am such an avid online shopper, measuring has become my best friend when it comes to piecing together projects without going to a physical store.
Bar Cart Accessories
The next step is deciding the layout for the cart and how to style it. I decided to continue on with the gold theme, I put together some gold accessories that are practical and functional. I was able to find a gold cocktail set from Amazon that matched nicely with my cart. I already had a gold tray, napkin holder, and bottle opener. I thought using the tray as a berverage station to house the liquor bottles and drink accessories was a clean way to organize the card. I also purchased an antique mixing glass for mixing my cocktails.
Essential Glassware
I may have been more excited to purchase glassware than I was to purchase booze…what can I say, I like pretty cups. I rarely have martinis, but wine, highballs, and champagne are a staple in my home, so I tried to stick to glasses that I would use on a regular basis. I like the look of antique glass, but I have also recently gotten into geometrical glasses and squared-out wine glasses. It is also an added bonus when there are some nice gold touches.
Finishing Touches
It is really the pretty little things that bring me joy, like circular ice cube molds, skinny reusable straws, or pretty floral napkins. They aren’t essential but it was a nice way to elevate handmade cocktails. I like the look of having natural elements as well, so I have some dried flowers displayed on my cart.
Stock the bar
The fun part is filling the bar with drinks! I got a little caught up in buying liquor with nice labels and didn’t really pay attention to the taste or have any rhyme or reason behind what I was purchasing.
Once I started looking up drink recipes I was able to get a better idea of the essentials needed to keep my bar fully stocked. I could also get creative with the display by purchasing liquor decanters from the thrift store or Homesense. That way, if I didn’t like the look of the bottle, I could transfer it to a different container.
Non-Alcoholic Essentials
Soda water, flavoured pops, and tonic water don’t go bad, so it is easy to have them on hand as a bar cart staple. I would also recommend having some lemons and limes on hand for garnish. I decided to up my cocktail game and get really fancy with some bitters.
The Good Stuff
I didn’t really know where to start when it comes to buying alcohol but if you stick with the basics, it is possible to make the majority of the usual suspects, gin and tonic, old fashioned, or vodka soda.
Staple Alcohol
Gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila and rum. Maybe some vermouth if you are into a martini.
Liquors
St. Germaine, Benedictine and Cointreau. Campari if you like negronis.
Happy Hour Ready
The next step, learn how to make cocktails. I really can’t help you there, but that is my next project. I will keep you posted when I am able to master a few recipes. Happy cocktail shaking!
