By Alexandria Heinz, FTD
An everyday, basic bar cart may not have all the glam and pizzazz as one that’s decorated for a party — but it should still sparkle with basic bar cart essentials that reflect your own personal style. No matter what you choose to accessorize your bar cart with, there are a few things to consider to make it a decorative yet functional staple in your home.
Style the shelves
The top shelf of your bar cart should be stocked with the essentials. Do you pour yourself a glass of wine or whiskey after a long day at work? This is where you’ll place your wine glasses, whiskey glasses, decanter, or any other everyday essential.
Don’t forget about the bottom shelf! Here is where you can store extra supplies such as liquor bottles, glasses, and other accessories. You can also use this space to store cocktail mixing accessories such as muddlers, shakers and an ice bucket. When choosing bottled ingredients such as bitters and mixers, opt for bottles that have a vintage-inspired look to add a touch of class.
Include fresh ingredients
Fresh fruit will make your bar cart pop with bold color. Citrus such as lemons, oranges and limes are ideal to have on hand because they’re often key ingredients in creating many types of drinks. Because they can stay fresh for so long, you won’t need to worry about replacing them. Remember to keep a vegetable peeler handy so that you can easily jazz up your favorite drinks with twisted lemon or orange peel.
Now’s the chance to show off your collection of glassware, instead of having it collect dust in your cupboard. Combine different types of glasses to add diversity and make it visually interesting. A small plant such as a succulent is a great way to add color and freshness.
Include fresh florals
Arrange a simple bouquet consisting of one or two types of flowers to give your bar cart a touch of life. These hydrangeas are perfectly lush and eye-catching while also being minimally chic. A taller vase for the top shelf is ideal to free up valuable table top space.
Accessorize with essential bar cart supplies
A cocktail shaker, strainer, wine, bar spoon and bottle opener are the essentials when it comes to stocking your home bar cart. Add a touch of your own personal style with trendy coasters!
Now that you know how to style your very own bar cart, it’s time to get started on creating one of your own! If you’re like me, you’ll be glad you did especially after the crazy holiday season! Having a well-stocked bar cart for your home is certainly a great way to unwind and relax.
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*Even though I don’t often have guest posters here, Alexandria emailed me last week with a few essential bar cart ideas that you can easily create on your own and I thought it was a really fun idea to share with you, especially just before New Year’s Eve when you’e prepping for parties and let’s be honest, searching for fun cocktail tips. Alex enjoys writing on a variety of topics including gardening and interior design. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the beach or hiking.
In other words, she’s lucky that she isn’t in Chicago this week because trust me, no one is beaching or hiking.
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How to Stock Your Basic Bar Cart for Entertaining
March 21, 2017 at 10:20 am[…] talked about how to style a basic bar cart for your home, but how do you make stock your basic bar cart to make it practical and functional, […]