DIY Portable Bar Cart For Your Next Party: Design Hacks From Basic To Brilliant

Preparing a portable bar cart for an outdoor summer gathering or a pool party? Turn this into a fun DIY activity and craft an elaborate structure that will contain all the essential ingredients required to shake, stir and blend multiple cocktail mixes. Bar carts are an excellent party hack especially when you want to create cocktail stations outside the home or on the patio.

If done right, they can accommodate a wide range of mixers, liqueurs, spirits and bar accessories necessary for crafting complex drinks. Such a portable cart is handy especially if you are hosting a themed party because you can then decorate it using those items which fit the overall motifs of the gathering.

One of the biggest perks of a bar cart is being able to present your drinks and mixes in a more stylish and functional way to make good use of the space where your party will be held. When you are designing the bar cart bear in mind that it is a practical as well as artistic element which will add flourish to your gathering. And it is quite easy to design such a bar cart, right from a basic contraption to a more detailed affair.

Read on below to know more about some of the ways in which you can design your bar carts:

Define Your Style

The first step in designing your bar cart is to narrow down your signature style. If the cart is being prepared for a party like a tiki gathering or a Monte Carlo night, you can design it in colours and tones that fit into this theme. But if the bar cart is being set up for adorning an intimate cocktail evening, you can add your own flourish to it. If you prefer elegant and sophisticated designs, go for carts with a metallic tinge but if you enjoy a slightly boho feel, you can opt for a mobile wooden or bamboo cart.

Stock Up Spirits

A bar cart is undoubtedly a space where you would showcase your spirits. So, it should be designed in such a way that the shelves are able to display the different liquors you want to offer guests. One way to do that is to adopt a zigzag design for shelves to then use them to stack spirits so they are always visible. Stock up on premium drinks like bottles of Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, Ketel One Premium Distilled Vodka, some Johnnie Walker Gold Label and a Signature Premium Grain Whisky so you have an array of liquors in store.

Fresh Ingredients For Design

Adornments for your bar cart can include fresh ingredients like limes, oranges and berries which add a vibrant pop of colour to the structure. When you go with these fresh, seasonal and natural ingredients, not only do you cut down on artificial decor to make your design more eco-friendly, but you are also able to utilise the limited space in ingenious ways. Accessorise the bar cart with fruit bowls, olive bowls, herb planters, floral liqueurs, edible flowers and bright assorted garnishes. Remember that the bar cart has to be functional above all else so your decor should complement this feature without getting in the way.

DIY Shelves

When you are going to design your bar cart at home, you would also do well to build it up yourself for the full experience of a DIY activity. Putting the shelves together on your own is one such way to engage in this process. You can either order a ‘build it yourself’ cart from a furniture store or you can design and build the shelves yourself by upcycling wood or other recyclable materials.

Mixology Needs

A bar cart has to be one which can be moved from your home bar or liquor cabinet to your study, den or garden without much fuss. As well, it has to be so designed that it can accommodate the ingredients required to make an old fashioned, a classic martini or other signature cocktails you enjoy. When designing your bar cart, consider these conditions and add those touches to the structure like an extra shelf, a drawer or a glass holder which meet these mixology requirements.