How To Stock A Bar Cart

Whether you’ve been dabbling in cocktails while at home or getting ready for a party, keeping your bar cart fully stocked will make practicing mixology and entertaining a whole lot easier. But with so many tools and ingredients necessary to keep a bar cart stocked, it can be difficult to keep track of all your accouterments. To make sure you’ve got all the essentials, read through our guide to make sure you’ve got everything listed in our guide to fill up your cart.

What Is A Bar Cart?

A bar cart is a serving cart that can be used to store liquors and bar tools. They were popular in the midcentury and would be placed in personal offices or the living rooms of family homes. Many of them have wheels attached so you can take them wherever the party is at your house.

Why A Bar Cart?

A bar cart is a great option if you have a small space and no room for a home bar. Plus, you can use them to store bottled drinks and barware instead of having to search your drawers for mixing spoons and other tools. Not to mention, their versatile design can fit almost any decor.

How To Stock A Bar Cart

To stock your bar cart, you must first take a look at your budget and figure out what you can afford. If you have a small budget you can start off with the supplies for making your favorite drinks and stock your bar cart slowly over time.

Once you have gathered all the ingredients for making the drink of your choice, make sure have the have essential bar equipment at hand for techniques such as mixing, shaking, or layering. Take a look at our following list of bar equipment to learn more about them.

Basic Bar Tools

Jigger

For measuring the amount of alcohol to be added to your drink, a jigger is a perfect tool for making sure you don’t under-pour or over-pour cocktails. Jiggers have an hourglass shape and each end will hold a different amount of alcohol. For instance, one end may hold 1 ounce and the other end will hold 2 ounces. There are even jiggers small enough for holding milliliters, but these are better suited for shots rather than cocktails. You can find jiggers of different designs, such as the Japanese or bell style, some are also copper or gold plated to match the finish of your bar cart. Check out the video below to learn more about jiggers:

Cocktail Shaker

A cocktail shaker is a vessel for, as the name states, shaking the ingredients of your beverages. They are usually made out of a type of metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or tin and they are available in different sizes. The size of your shaker should depend on how many people you typically serve. There are three types of cocktail shakers:

Boston shakers are the largest of the shakers so you can serve several guests at a time. They are used in conjunction with a mixing glass and can be used to either shake or stir cocktails.
• Cobbler Shaker - Cobbler shakers consist of three parts: the metal container, strainer, and cap. Because they come with a built-in strainer, you won’t need to purchase a separate strainer to keep ingredients from being poured into your drinks. The cap can also be used to measure ingredients and eliminate the need for jiggers.
• French Shaker - Also known as a Parisian shaker, these shakers have only recently gained popularity. They have a similar silhouette to the cobbler shaker and include a cap but do not have strainers.



 

Bar Strainer

If you opt for a Boston shaker or a French shaker, you will need to purchase a bar strainer or cocktail strainer. A bar strainer is usually made out of metal and is used to keep ice or other ingredients inside the shaker from being poured into drinking glasses. They are placed over the opening of the shaker after the drink has been prepared and only allows the liquid to pour out of the shaker. There are three types of cocktail strainers:

Hawthorne strainers have a coil along the edge for straining messier ingredients such as herbs and other large ingredients.
• Julep strainer - These strainers were first used to sieve drinks from a mixing glass but can be used with mixers as well.
• Mesh strainer - Great for double-straining cocktails, the mesh sieve of these strainers catches smaller ingredients such as citrus pulp or tiny bits of ice.

For expertly mixing ingredients, a bar spoon can be used to stir, layer, and add ingredients to cocktails. They typically have twisted handles and spoons that measure around 5 millimeters. However, with a variety of designs available, a bar spoon can also serve other functions. There are three types of bar spoons:

• Muddler bar spoon - Muddler bar spoons have a disc on one end that can be used as a muddler to crush fruits and sugar cubes.
• Trident bar spoon - The differentiating feature of trident bar spoons is their fork that can be used to fish out cherries from jars.
• Japanese bar spoon - The Japanese bar spoon has a tip that is in the shape of a teardrop to give you more weight when you want to evenly stir ingredients.

Muddler

Even if you have a muddler bar spoon you will still need to have a traditional muddler for crushing harder ingredients such as ice cubes. Some muddlers will be designed with teeth on one end for extracting juice from fruits, but all muddlers typically have the same basic design. Muddlers come in several sizes and can be up to 10 inches long. They are usually made out of different types of materials or a combination of these materials:

• Wood - Wooden muddlers look great and are long-lasting. They tend to be a favorite amongst bartenders because they have been around since practically the beginning of bartending.
• Stainless steel - A muddler made out of stainless steel can endure constant use while still retaining their high-end appearance. Plus, they’re dishwasher-safe!
• Plastic - Similar to stainless steel, plastic muddlers are dishwasher-safe and won’t get stained from fruits and herbs or absorb aromas.

Cocktail Ingredients

While the ingredients store in your bar cart will depend on the type of drink you want to make, here is a list of essential ingredients you can check off to make sure you have all the essentials for making multiple cocktails.

• Spirits
  • Whiskey
  • Brandy
  • Vodka
  • Rum
  • Gin
  • Tequila
• Bitters
• Liqueurs
• Mixers
  • Tonic
  • Club soda
  • Cranberry juice
  • Ginger beer
  • Ginger Ale
  • Lemon-lime soda
• Syrups
• Fruits
  • Oranges
  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Cherries
• Sour mix
• Sugar

Classic Cocktails

Now that you have everything you need, here is a list of a few classic cocktails you should consider learning how to make. These cocktails are classics for a reason and are most likely going to be requested by your guests. You’ll be the life of the party if you can master these cocktails:

• Manhattan
• Martini
• Cosmopolitan
• Piña colada
• Bloody Mary
• Daiquiri
• Whiskey sour
• Mojito
• Margarita
• Old fashioned
• Negroni

Where To Put A Bar Cart In Your House

Since bar carts have built-in wheels, you can roll them to any room in the house or even outside. But most of the time, your bar cart will have a designated parking spot in your home. If you’re having trouble deciding where to put your bar cart, ask yourself where it will be the most convenient for you. Here are some suggestion to consider:

• Entryway or Home Office - These are great places to keep your bar cart if you’re just coming home from work or if you work from home. This way, your bart cart will be more accessible if you want to unwind after a long day.
• Living Room or Kitchen - For entertaining, keeping your bar kart in either of these rooms allows you to easily serve lots of guests. If you’re having a tough time deciding between the two, observe where most of your guests tend to linger.
• Special Corner - You can tuck your bar cart away in its own special corner so guests will always know where to go if they want a drink.

No matter where you choose to place your bar cart, as long as it contains all of the essential tools and ingredients, you will always be ready to serve the next drink.