Bar carts, once a staple in American homes, offices and restaurants, have been resurrected from the past and are making a trendy comeback. Used for entertaining, bar carts allow guests to participate in an approachable manner, instead of having their drink poured. And bar carts bring a dash of glitz and glamour into the space.
Create your bar cart with these essentials.
Cocktails and Mixers
Whether top shelf or the basics, every bar cart should have the following liquors: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey and scotch.
Seeing that we can’t all be like Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway and drink our favorite libations "neat," juices, sodas, tonic water, simple syrups and bitters (even better if homemade!) should all be in attendance.
Gadgets and Gizmos
The secret language of mixology may be a tricky one, but here are the cocktail gadgets to have on hand.
Boston shaker: A Boston shaker uses a large glass and metal tumbler to shake the ice amongst the cocktail ingredients, fully mixing the cocktail and deeply chilling the drink with the ice.
Jigger: Whether measuring ounces
or ml, this little metal piece measures perfectly and creates a tastier drink.
Muddler: Used with a shaker, a muddler (think: a pestle) is used to muddle or mash fruits, herbs and spices to release flavor.
Other gizmos to have on hand include a bottle opener (for obvious reasons), decanter, and an ice bucket and tongs to chill the wine.
Bits and Pieces
No bar cart would be complete without serveware.
Highball and Collins (slightly taller than a highball) glasses are good for gin and tonics, vodka and club soda, and tiki drinks.
Coupe glasses have replaced the better-known Martini glass as the go-to for cocktails.
Single rocks glasses are best served for anything neat.
Score bar cart essentials from GoodThings
2184 Fourth St.
shopgoodthings.com
- Shake it up with a 5-in-1 cocktail shaker ($36.95). You can mix, juice, measure, strain and open with this versatile bar accessory.
- Create delicious and refreshing cocktails with Stonewall Kitchen's blueberry lemon mint mixer ($11.95). Packing a punch of perfectly pucker-y flavor, this easy-peasy mixer is your new go-to.
- Chill it down with a set of whiskey stones ($19.95). Each set of drink chillers comes neatly packaged in a wooden box.
