Stylish Bar Carts and Cocktails to Make Your Spirits Bright

A new book on the art of the bar cart shows how to dress up your entertaining station and mix seasonal drinks to match

Annie Thornton December 27, 2017

Houzz Editorial Staff

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All it takes is a festive drink recipe, some ornamental glassware and a few curated accessories to transform a corner of the coffee table or a folding TV tray into a special bar cart or table for the holidays — or every day.

In The Art of the Bar Cart, design director, party-planning expert and bar cart aficionado Vanessa Dina breaks that down by pairing 20 easy-to-adapt bar cart ideas with complementary cocktail recipes. She also lists some of the essential tools to stock your home bar and includes techniques to help you perfect your drink-making skills.

Chronicle Books

Photos by Antonis Achilleos except where noted

We’ve pulled four of our favorite bar carts featured in the book, along with their accompanying cocktail recipes, to inspire your next gathering or party. “[Bar carts] give your friends a place to get together, like a kitchen does, making a little nook or a space for you to entertain,” Dina says.

Tequila Cart

Bright Otomi-inspired wallpaper, a succulent container and a bowl of citrus on a rustic metal-and-wood bar cart create a festive display that nods to the Mexican heritage of tequila, the primary liquor used in this cart’s paired cocktail.

Houzz photo by Nick Klein

Paloma. This light and refreshing tequila-based cocktail is a beautiful drink to serve, thanks to the pink grapefruit juice it contains. It’s also an especially seasonal cocktail, as winter is prime grapefruit season.

Juice of ½ red grapefruit
1½ ounces (45 milliliters) reposado tequila
1 tablespoon agave syrup or simple syrup, optional
½ cup (65 grams) flaky sea salt
½ lime
1 ounce (30 milliliters) club soda

1. Combine the grapefruit juice, tequila and syrup, if using, in a mixing glass and stir until well-combined.

2. Cover a small plate with the sea salt. Rub the lime along the rim of a tall glass and press it into the salt until well-coated.

3. Pour the grapefruit-tequila mixture into the glass, add ice and top with club soda. Squeeze any extra lime juice into your drink and enjoy.

Find industrial-style bar carts

Chronicle Books

Wine Cart

Wine is a beverage for all seasons, and this warm-hued wood cart evolves with them. For winter, cozy blankets add color and warmth, earth-toned glassware reflects the time of year, and bare or berry-laden branches frame the cart with natural elements. These seasonal accessories can be swapped out as the year progresses.

Houzz photo by Nick Klein

Wintery Mulled Wine. For winter, the drink is mulled wine, with pepper, fennel and nutmeg adding spicy flavors. “It’s very woodsy and earthy,” Dina says. This recipe serves five.

2 teaspoons black peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 small nutmeg
1 bottle (750 milliliters) fruity red wine, such as zinfandel or merlot
1½ cups (300 grams) dark brown sugar
3 bay leaves
Strips of zest from 1 orange
¼ cup (85 grams) honey

1. Put the peppercorns, fennel seeds and nutmeg in a large tea ball or wrap them in cheesecloth and secure them with kitchen string.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the aromatics with the wine, brown sugar, bay leaves, orange zest and honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.

Chronicle Books

Whiskey Cart

The end of a solid wood console table serves as this whiskey cocktail’s launchpad. Attractive copper barware, glass decanters and leaning framed art create an elegant and lived-in vignette. A petrified tree slice anchors the bar area.

Houzz photo by Nick Klein

Whiskey Warmer. A dash of whiskey always warms a fire in the belly, and this cocktail adds some apple flavor and a dash of sour. “It’s a very homey drink,” Dina says, and the bar reflects that.

1½ ounces (45 milliliters) rye whiskey
1 ounce (30 milliliters) applejack or Calvados
¾ ounce (22.5 milliliters) fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce (22.5 milliliters) simple syrup
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Splash of club soda
Lemon twist for garnish

1. Combine all the ingredients but the club soda in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake for about 30 seconds.

2. Pour into an ice-filled rocks glass, top off with club soda and stir.

3. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Chronicle Books

Holiday Cart

During the holidays, especially at parties, it can be fun to dress up the bar cart for the festivities. Here, it almost resembles a Christmas ornament, also mirroring the shape of the round Chambord bottle, one of the liqueurs featured in the cart’s paired cocktail. Gold- and silver-accented barware complement the red champagne flutes and liqueur.

Houzz photo by Nick Klein

The Candy Cane. Gin, a dash of champagne and a candy cane or maraschino cherry come together for a sparkling taste of the season.

1½ ounces (45 milliliters) gin
¾ ounce (22.5 milliliters) Chambord or cherry liqueur
Splash of sparkling wine
1 small candy cane or maraschino cherry for garnish

1. Combine the gin and Chambord in a shaker, add ice and shake until combined.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with the sparkling wine.

3. Garnish with a candy cane or cherry.

Info: The Art of the Bar Cart by Vanessa Dina (Chronicle Books, September 2017)

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