Expert Tips On How To Assemble A Fabulous Outdoor Bar Cart For Summer

If you plan on hosting a backyard gathering this summer, you may already have the food and décor taken care of. But what about the drinks? After all, you don't want your guests to go thirsty or miss a chance to flaunt your beverage-making skills. So, how about you set up a fabulous outdoor bar cart to place your bottles of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, glassware, bartending tools, and other related accessories? An outdoor bar cart is extremely functional, and its range of designs and styles will seamlessly complement your backyard's design scheme.

Moreover, your mini-bar setup will allow you to whip up delicious cocktails and mocktails for your guests without having to make a hundred trips to your kitchen or dining room. The best part, though? This portable and temporary bar setup allows you to wheel out the cart when you're hosting and tuck it out of sight in your dining or store room right after your guests leave.

Your bar cart assembly journey begins with you finding a good quality bar cart. Hunt one in your local stores or order one online. But if you'd rather not spend money for a night of hosting, you can put your DIY hat on and repurpose your old TV stand and office cart into a bar cart. In case your DIY cart looks too basic and doesn't fit your party's theme or outdoor design style, just apply a different layer of paint, and you'll be good to go.

After you buy a cart or prepare a DIY one, you'll need to begin adding items to it. The first item you can place is a bottle or three of the type of alcoholic beverages you'll be serving your guests. Next, place a few bottles of non-alcoholic beverages, such as soda, sparkling water, and juice, for guests who'd rather not consume alcohol. Add an ice bucket, some drinkware—plastic or unbreakable glassware is your best friend—to serve the drinks, a cocktail shaker, a few napkins and straws, and a serving tray.

While it won't take you more than a few minutes to assemble your summer bar cart, the end result will be quite underwhelming. So it's necessary to decorate it to bring out the art in your outdoor bar cart. Jenny Reimold, a spokesperson for HGTV, recommends setting large beverage bottles and the ice bucket on the top shelf, then complementing them with tall flowers in a beautiful vase. "On the top shelf, start with something tall like fresh or faux flowers in a seagrass vase and balance that with taller beverage bottles or a stainless steel ice bucket," she told The Spruce. Position smaller items like cocktail napkins, decorative objects like miniature frames and signs, and bartending tools in the front and store your glassware on the bottom shelf.

You can wow your guests with this simple outdoor bar setup or add a few key elements to match your party's vibe and overall décor theme. For instance, if you're going for a nautical look, play with hues of blue and white and throw in some fake anchors, starfishes, and shells to complete the look (via Craft and Sparkle). Similarly, you can add a touch of greenery or a dash of some colorful flowers if you're going for a more natural and bright look.