There is a world of cocktails out there and their accompanying glassware can be seen as overwhelming in variety. Which styles will make the cut of your bar cart’s glass shelves? Weston Table offers a collection of barware and cocktail glasses from vintage to modern heirloom-quality pieces that will allow you to serve anything from a mountain of mimosas to a torrent of Tom Collinses. Adding a few vintage pieces to your bar cart will certainly add to its style and give it a cachet that guests will find intriguing and certainly jump-start the conversation. Modern pieces should also be both beautiful as well as serve their purpose. As with all barware and drinkware, there are reasons why a rocks glass or double old fashioned is named as such and why you should curate a selection of styles to partner up with their intended beverages. Weston Table lets you choose from gorgeously etched pieces that reflect a bit of your personality as well as classic styling and quality that will make sure your drinkware will be in rotation for years to come.
Have you ever been astounded by the range of drinks that a good bartender is able to serve up? That could be you with some help from Dale Degroff – the King of Cocktails – and his book The New Craft of the Cocktail by your side. It would be worth your time to hunker down with this tome and have fun learning the handful of drinks that are often chosen by your crowd. You can start to experiment with base liquors or ingredients that you like to expand your repertoire. The original release of this book was revolutionary in the industry, so you’re in good hands as far as having a guide with such a good pedigree. As a bonus to the hundreds of recipes in this cookbook for cocktails, you are given a brand guide to which of the dizzying array of spirits you should choose for your bar cart.
When stocking your bar cart, do you always reach for the same brand on the shelf? How long has it been since you’ve tried another maker’s contribution to a line of spirits? Just as craft brewers have greatly broadened the assortment and quality in their market, craft distilleries are reviving old recipes, perfecting processes, and raising the bar, as it were, for what you should have on your bar cart. For example, have you tried a consciously crafted, award-winning gin with botanicals sourced from along the migratory path of the California gray whale? Besides having extraordinary flavor, every purchase. And who knows, this new kid on the block may soon take the place of your old standby. Shake it up!
Not every weapon in your bar cart’s arsenal needs to be a potent potable. Certainly you need a selection of mixers available – otherwise how are you going to make that thirst-quenching G&T with your new favorite, Gray Whale Gin? Did you know there are other options that allow you to craft alcohol-free cocktails that have the flavor punch of their more fiery cousins? Seriously, Nolo is a thing: a no & low alcohol cocktail concept to crafting and drinking beverages. You want to be able to serve everyone who sidles up to your bar cart, and, for those who can’t or don’t want to imbibe, their only option shouldn’t be a Shirley Temple or a Rob Roy. You can expand your non-boozy horizons with the help of the non-alcoholic spirits from Seedlip. With their three different Seedlip potions and help from your bar cart, you’ll soon be making memorable mocktails that can stand as the star of the show.
So put your best wheels forward — it’s time to take your bar cart out for a spin. Now prepared for whatever drink order comes your way, you’ll have a grand old time making sure that all your guests have a grand old time with one of your refreshing beverages in hand. Your bar cart is a chance to embrace the old, your prized collection of vintage glassware for classic concoctions, as well as usher in the new, with your menu of craft cocktails made with artisan spirits. Enjoy the social aspect of being the bringer of the bar cart and having the privilege of chatting up every guest that needs your help to whet their whistle. With everything you need within an arm’s reach, feel confident that you shrewdly stocked your trolley and have the libations under control at your next shindig, soiree, or social scene.