Creative Christmas Bar Cart Ideas
Bar carts have become a trendy decor item in recent years. That's why I'm excited to show you several creative Christmas bar cart ideas today. Let's get to it!
I don't know about you, but I love a gorgeous yet highly functional bar cart. As you may have seen in my Christmas Home Tour, I actually have two carts in my home this year. Overkill? Maybe! Tons of fun and an easy way to entertain? Yes and yes!
After styling a number of Christmas bar carts over the years, I thought I'd share several ideas on how to use your bar cart for holiday beverages and beyond. Yes, a bar cart can double as a dessert cart, hot cocoa bar, and so much more! Let me show you.
Christmas Cocktail Bar Cart
Storing drink ingredients and serving cocktails are two traditional uses of a bar cart. For the holidays, I like to include these go-to liqueurs: vodka, rum, tequila, and bourbon. A seasonal favorite like Kaluha and something peppermint are also nice to have on the cart.
Besides the basics, I like to have things ready for a specialty cocktail. (You can grab all of my favorite Christmas Cocktail recipes here.)
Of course, a bar cart is a perfect place to keep your bar accessories, such as a cocktail shaker, jigger, and bitters.
Since it's the holidays, a few seasonal decorations complete the look. You can use decor items that match your style. I always go for things with a little bling or sparkle.
You can see a couple carts I've styled this year and in the past.
Holiday Bar Cabinet
Now, just because you don't have a bar cart doesn't mean you need to go out and buy one. You can create the functionality of a cart in a variety of ways. For example, if space is tight, install a few wall shelves. Or take an existing piece of furniture and use it in a new way.
Last year when I was living in an apartment, I used a cabinet instead of a traditional cart so I could store extra glassware, cake stands, and serveware.
When the "cart" is not in use, the top of the cabinet can provide space for decorations. However, when the cabinet is functioning as a cart, the top can give you extra serving space. Here I was serving wine, so that became the star of the show.
I had so much fun using something unexpected for my bar cart.
Dessert Bar Cart
I also used this same cabinet to create a dessert bar last Christmas. This is another example of taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary.
I cleared out the alcohol and glassware and replaced it with a cake, caramel popcorn, candy, cookies, plates, and napkins.
The only challenge about this is that you will need a place to store your alcohol and glassware while the cart is functioning as a dessert cart. You might tuck everything in a closet or set up another bar cart somewhere else. Finding a spot for the regular bar cart items is worth the trouble because a dessert cart is a super fun and creative way to serve up your holiday sweets.
Even filling up a cart with all of your Christmas cookies and a small coffee/tea station would be festive.
Hot Coca Beverage Cart
Speaking of warm beverages, why not put together a hot cocoa bar?
I actually did this twice this year. A couple weeks ago I shared my recipe for Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix. I used the top of a cabinet to create a mini-hot coca bar complete with the Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix, marshmallows, mugs, and spoons. It was just enough to create a warm and special moment for me and my guests.
If you want to go all out, you can take over an entire bar cart and make a full station with snacks as I did here.
Again, I started with the essentials like hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, mugs, and spoons. Then I added lots of small snacks and treats.
I even included things you could add to your hot cocoa to jazz it up. For example, you might drop in a chocolate truffle or chocolate kiss to make your cocoa extra chocolatey. Or give your cocoa a peppermint twist by topping it with crumbled peppermint bark or a candy cane.
I made this cute video for a brand this year. If you're interested in see how this bar cart came together in video form, you can watch that here:
VIDEO: How to Style a Hot Cocoa Bar Cart
(adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="HGJvqRdf" upload-date="2018-12-18T00:08:40.000Z" name="Hot Cocoa Cart" description="How to set-up and style a Hot Cocoa Cart for Christmas! ")
If you want to make things more adult-friendly, you might offer bottles of complementary liquor, such as vanilla vodka, bourbon, or peppermint schnapps.
Bloody Mary Bar Cart
And finally, why not create a Bloody Mary Bar Cart? I set mine up for New Year's Day, but as you can imagine, this kind of cart would be great beyond the holiday season.
Here, I went wild with lots of goodies that folks might add to their Bloody Mary: hot sauce, olives, pickles, onions, and so on. I also offered peanuts and pistachios to snack on, too. (I like to put everything in its own container to fill up the cart and make things look a bit more luxe.)
And there you have it, my friends. Five ways to take your Christmas Bar Cart to the next level. As you might guess, the possibilities are endless. You can create something special around any particular drink or celebration. Not hosting any parties? Set up your bar cart as a holiday wrapping station that you can wheel from room to room.
Whatever you do, get creative and have fun with it. Happy Hosting!
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