Bar Cart Essentials for Easy Entertaining
These bar cart essentials are exactly what you need to create the perfect drink making station at home! Start with these basics and then build on to have your own fully stocked bar.
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My sister gave me a fairly large bar cart for Christmas a few years ago so I am lucky enough to be able to display a good variety of alcohols and fun glasses. With each party I have I tend to add to my collection of drink glitters, cute straws, and specialty flavored mixers.
For those starting out with a smaller version we’re gonna go over just the basics you’ll need to host a great gathering.
This post is all about the bar cart essentials you should have on hand for easy entertaining!
Bar Cart Essentials
Liquors
Vodka– one of the most versatile spirits that works beautifully in a wide range of cocktails. Because it doesn’t have much of a flavor it can be used with any mixer to make a quick drink so you don’t need to buy anything special to go along with it.
Some common drinks that use vodka are vodka cranberry, vodka lemonade, vodka tonic, cosmo, and martini.
This is one spirit I would definitely opt for a bigger bottle of, because it tends to go much quicker than others!
Rum– I would personally have a bottle of both white and dark rum on hand because they serve different purposes.
White rum is what you find in all those fun, tropical, fruity drinks. Think neon straws and paper umbrellas!
Spiced rum is my go-to if I’m mixing with Coke because it taste like vanilla Coke. Why people prefer Jack and Coke I will never understand.
Tequila– who doesn’t love a good marg? If you have friends who have been into the spicy cocktail trend this liquor is a no brainer!
It’s also the most popular spirit to do shots of, so depending on the crowd you have this could be one you have to restock a lot.
Gin – this one is more of an honorable mention than an essential just because it can be so polarizing. I think it tastes like a Christmas tree, while other people really enjoy it.
If you love it, or have people who will come over frequently who do, then add it to your cart. If not, I would skip this one.
Mixers
Club Soda – Great everyday mixer that is essentially flavorless but adds a nice bubbly quality to your drink. A tip I use a lot is to just keep flavored seltzer on hand. It gets drank during the week and then on the weekends you can just add a shot of vodka and you have a 2 second, flavorful drink!
Coke– Everyone loves a rum and coke. I personally get a 6 pack of the mini cans so they don’t take up too much room!
Juice– This is another item I try to buy small cans/bottles of. I’ve wasted so many big bottles of juice by opening them for a few drinks and then letting them sit in the fridge. Keep one or two small bottles of juice on the cart and then replace each time they’re used. Saves space and money!
Simple Syrup– For those drinks that need a hint of sweetness. This one by Collins is the perfect size.
Again, these are just the basics! There are so many other great things you can add like grenadine, tonic water, and ginger beer.
Other Drinks
Wine– A lot of bar carts now come with little wine holders attached. I would keep a red and white on hand since people tend to have very strong opinions on wine!
Champagne– Every day is a celebration so you’ll never know when you’ll want to pop a bottle to celebrate.
Glassware
Wine Glasses– For a small bar cart, two should be just fine, but if you have the room or know a lot of people who drink wine, you may want to opt for a bigger pack. This 2 pack is perfect and less than $15!
Shot Glasses– Whether you’re throwin one back or pouring a shot to add to a mixed drink, these are definitely bar cart essentials! I wish I was in the market for some because these textured ones are so cute.
Rocks Glasses– Since we are trying to keep it to the basics these glasses are a great choice because they can be used for many cocktails. Also known as old fashioned or whiskey glasses, these are the short glasses you see drinks come in.
Highball Glasses– These are the taller brother to the rocks glasses and can also be used for most cocktails. This gorgeous set comes with 4 of each style so you’ll be fully stocked!
Bar Tools
All in One Kit– This is the exact one I have and it is so useful! Kits like these come with all the bar cart essentials like a shaker, jigger, muddler, strainer, corkscrew, and more! It’s so much cheaper to buy a kit like these than all the items separately, and you get a bamboo stand to keep it all on.
Cocktail Recipe Book– This is a great way to get some inspiration for new drinks and to add some cute decor to your bar cart. You can find so many great themed ones around shows or if you’re looking for a classic, grab The Art of Mixology.
Extras
As I mentioned in the beginning, there are some things on my bar cart that I have acquired just through hosting different kinds of gatherings. While they are not essential at all, if you have a little extra space on your cart you might want to add them just for fun.
- Paper Umbrellas
- Fun Paper Straws
- Rim Salts and Sugars
- Cocktail Glitters
I am a huge fan of Brew Glitter. They make incredible glitters and rimming salts and sugars in every color imaginable! My family is having an event in a couple weeks and we are making pomegranate margaritas and will be using this rimming sugar and this glitter from their brand.
Another tool that is not necessary but will make rimming margaritas and other cocktails SO MUCH EASIER is this 3-tier bar glass rimmer tool. It has a section for a sponge that you pour lime juice in, a section for salt, and a section for sugar. It gets rid of all the mess you create when you try to free hand it, and when you’re done you can just pour the extra salt and sugar in the trash. Who doesn’t love an easy cleanup?
Bar Cart Styling
Because a bar cart is something you have out all the time instead of just stashing bottles of liquor in your cabinet until you need them, you want it to look nice. Think of it as a functional statement piece. Here are some tips on how to style it and make it fit your home decor.
Choose a theme. Some common ones are vintage, glamorous, and tropical. The theme will help you decide which liquors and accents deserve their spot on the top shelf.
Choose your top shelf liquors. These will be ones that go with your theme, are the most used, ones that have pretty bottles you want to display, or those expensive bottles you got as gifts that make you look fancy. All the rest can go down bottom.
Choose your top shelf mixers. Cans of tonic and Coke can definitely stay down bottom, but if you have pretty bottles of things like grenadine or simple syrup, you may want to keep them up top where they’re easy to reach.
Bar tools go up top. If you get one of the kits I suggested earlier they are really easy to keep everything together and take up minimal room!
Sort your glasses. I keep most of my glasses down bottom because they can be easy to knock over when you are reaching for tools or liquors , but if you have any beautiful glasses you want to display the top shelf is the perfect place. Having a few shot glasses up top is handy for mixed drinks.
Fun elements like straws, umbrellas, and glitters should be up top. People won’t use them if they can’t see them!
Now that you’ve decided what’s going on each shelf, arrange them in a way that looks nice but is also accessible. Keep taller items in the back and items that are used a lot up front so you can easily grab them.
If you have any room left on your cart accessorize it with plants, cocktail books, or cute, framed cocktail themed art prints!
These are all the bar cart essentials you need to provide your guests with a variety of drinks!
For more inspiration, check out my bar cart board on Pinterest.
