Hostess or Girl Scout, the key to success is the same: Be Prepared. That’s because earning your hosting merit badge requires meeting the needs of all your guests, whether five or 500. The first need, of course, is a cocktail. Greeting your guests at the door with a freshly mixed drink is the perfect welcome — and one that’s made more genteel when said drink is whisked from a gorgeous bar cart.
So, how do you set up a bar cart to ensure you have everything you need? The good news is that a well-stocked bar cart doesn’t require buying out your local liquor store. Here, professional bartenders provide step-by-step instructions for what you need (and what you don’t), and how to arrange your bar cart for optimal service and aesthetics.
I keep my alcohol in a cabinet in my kitchen. Why do I need a bar cart?
You don’t. Cabinets function. But being a good hostess isn’t all about function — it’s about the marriage of function and form. And bar carts exist in that intersection. Descended from Victorian-era tea trolley, the bar cart as we know it today became popular in the 1950s, when having a drink at the office was not only normal in some circles, but encouraged. The cart’s mobility allowed Mad…
