How To Style the Perfect Bar Cart for Any Party

Most of us don’t have a built-in bar at home, but we do like to throw parties. Right? Here’s how to style the perfect bar cart for any party whether it’s year round entertaining or a holiday. A chic bar cart is the “co-host” of the party for serving drinks to finger foods to dessert and when not in use it can be a stylish side table. 

How To Style The Perfect Bar Cart For Any Party

How to style the perfect bar cart for any party

The Perfect Party Host

Be your own bartender by setting up a chic bar cart with a few essentials. Don’t break the bank to fill your cart with what you think you should have, instead think about what you like to drink and serve. For your first party, keep it simple and come up with two to three recipes that require only a few ingredients so you don’t have to man the cart all night.

First – Get a cool bar cart 

bar-carts

Clockwise starting from top left: 1- Safavieh Dane Bar Cart from Bed, Bath & Beyond, 2- Sterling Industries Mirrored Bar Cart  from Bed, Bath & Beyond, 3- Madison Park Lauren Antique Gold Bar Cart, 4- Sunpan Avondale Unique Bar Cart from Overstock, 5- Harper Blvd Mattox Stylish Bar Cart from Overstock, 6- Sterling Industries Retro Bar Cart, 7- Hip Vintage Bar Cart in Black and Silver Stainless Steel

bar-cart-set-up-with-alcohol
 Stock it with the essentials for just about any drink you or your guests would enjoy from vodka, tequila, whisky bourbon, various liquors, etc

On our bar cart:

Crystal Head Vodka (CrystalHeadVodka.com) – from comedian/actor Dan Aykroyd and John Alexander it’s blended with pristine water from Newfoundland, Canada and filtered through layers of semi-precious crystals, it has no additives, no sugars

Four Roses Bourbon (FourRosesBourbon.com) – Award winning brand that’s known for its mellow flavor. My husband likes a good bourbon or whiskey. 

 Somrus (Somrus.com)- an Indian cream liqueur that’s gluten-free and some say is better than Bailey’s – perfect to addition to coffee and chai latte to end the night or even create a whiskey cocktail.

Drink Recipes

Print up two of your favorite recipes and frame them so it adds to the chic appeal. Swap out recipes for each party. 

More Of

How To Style The Perfect Bar Cart For Any Party

More bar carts we love.

society-social-bar-cartbar-carts-society-social-silver-devlin-bar-car

chalkboard-paint-bar-cart

The three photos above are courtesy of @SocietySocial. 

Don’t overpack your cart. Part of the appeal of serving cocktails from a bar cart is to keep it visually appealing and manageable.

cloth-napkins-with-a-message

Cloth cocktail napkins are a small touch that can go a long way. These Kate Spade cocktail napkins at a bit of whimsy to your cocktails.kate-spade-cocktail-napkins

hostess-gifts-fancy drink recipe

Send guests home with a little gift. Get mini versions of the main alcohol ingredient and tie the drink recipe to it with a bow.

Here are some basic tools and glassware essentials to have handy: 

Tools: Shaker, Jigger, Ice Bucket, Strainer, Muddler, Juicer, Bottle Opener, Corkscrew

Glassware: Highball, Lowball, Champagne Flute, White Wine Glass, Red Wine Glass, Cordial Glasses, Pilsner. If you like Moscow Mules then get some copper mugs as well.

Skip The Sit Down Dinner – Have an App (Appetizer) Party 

Use a bar cart as your food hosting station to get people out of the kitchen. You save on prep and cooking and get to spend more time with your guests. Set up the cart with a variety of small dishes, finger foods, snacks and treats. When it’s time for dessert, just wheel it back into the kitchen and swap the savory snacks for sweets. I love having a drinks and dessert party set up in our living room where we play games like Celebrity, Match Game (I’ve created an at-home version) and Pictionary where we use a large dry erase board on an easel. 

how to style the perfect bar cart for any party

best-appetizer-foodsappetizer-party-bar-cart-essentials

Voilà, less fuss in the kitchen and more time with your friends. bar-cart-side-table

If you don’t want to use it 24/7 as a bar cart it can be just as stylish as a side table. (courtesy of @societysocial)

 

Style Expert Alison Deyette is a TV + digital host and Los Angeles stylist who was recently named one of the top stylists in Los Angeles by Variety, WWD, Angeleno, and Modern Luxury magazines. Known as “The Fixer,” she can help you solve your fashion conundrums, take the reins of a home decorating transformation, or hand you the hottest trend without breaking a sweat. After starting her career as a fashion & beauty director on national magazines she transitioned into television and digital work. Alison appears regularly on Good Morning America, TODAYAccess HollywoodThe RealThe ViewSteve Harvey and is the Style Expert for KTLA’s Morning News. Alison is currently host of the AOL series, The Savings Experiment, one of the lead style hosts on Joyus.com and the style expert for HSN. She is a contributing fashion editor for Real SimpleLife & StyleIn Touch and Closer Weekly.  She was the host of Pocket the Difference, a co-host of TLC’s 10 Years Younger and TBS’ Movie and a Makeover and the weekly Style Contributor on Hallmark Channel’s Marie.  In addition, she has hosted several web series including: AOL’s In the KnowHerSay with Soleil Moon Frye, Playtex’s Bra Makeover series, A Secret Worth Sharing. These web series collectively have more than 100 million views.

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