“Horray! It’s Jason Day! We’re gonna talk about drinking. We need an applause button.” -Elizabeth

Jason’s magic wand is back, and this time he’s waved it at Elizabeth’s bar cart, long hidden away in the basement, and brought it to LIFE! Brigid, Elizabeth and Jason cover all of the details you need to know about bar carts! A few takeaways:

• They’re more than just booze-holders! Bar carts can be a (movable, yay) spot to mix up elixirs, additional storage for kitchen items, serving spots for appetizers and snacks, and Brigid’s favorite option, a place to theme out for a season, holiday, or event!
• The gist: make it your own! If you or your family don’t drink often, focus more on stocking items that you will use, or displaying your tableware, or even just displaying some pretty decanters!
• If you do drink...
• The essential liquor list: vodka, rum, scotch, Canadian whiskey, bourbon and gin. Ask for premium or call liquor and you can’t go wrong!
• The essential mixer list: seltzer water, soda water, tonic water. There’s a difference, we swear! Specialty mixers, if you’re fancy: sweet vermouth (for Manhattans) and dry vermouth (for martinis), and aromatic bitters (for Old Fashioneds). If you’re extra-fancy, simple syrup. Add in a small jar of maraschino cherries and stuffed green olives, and you’re stocked! (Oh, and some limes, lemons, or oranges, if you like!)
• Pretty it up with a lovely ice bucket and scoop, some decanters (the options are endless!), a small pine cutting board and paring knife, and fun beverage napkins(cloth or single use, whatever strikes your fancy).
• The right equipment for the job: lowball (rocks) glasses, highball (Collins) glasses, and ups (martini) glasses. A jigger (because we 100% need to be accurate when pouring liquor, wink wink), a shaker, and an ice strainer. And also, wine glasses if that’s your jam.
• If you’re not so much into the booze …Use your bar cart to display and store larger platters or serving pieces that don’t fit in your kitchen cabinets!
• Be like Brigid and decorate with books and plants, and then when you need to use as a serving station, make room for some apps and pretty napkins.
• Did we mention decanters? They’re just SO pretty, even if you fill them with water, or leave them empty! Download a copy of all of this top-shelf info, some possibly sourced from Wikipedia, some definitely sourced from personal experience, by subscribing to our newsletter! And don’t forget to check out some of our favorite bar cart items!