I waited years to have a bar cart for serving cocktails at home

Bar cart first person — (Image credit: Future)

Making cocktails at home is one of my favourite things about entertaining. I love getting guests involved in the process too – many a dinner guest of mine has had to work for their margarita.

However, the one downside of my commitment to mixing up the classics like negronis as well as my favourite ever alcoholic drink, a Japanese slipper, has left the alcohol stores section of my pantry that's fit to bursting.

So when I moved into my new flat and found a perfect nook for a bar cart, I got to realise a longstanding dream of mine: a mini home bar. Armed with all of the bar cart ideas my design-forward colleagues could offer, I set about transforming a little corner of my living room into a space for entertaining, as well as for storing some of my glassware.

Here's how moving my cocktail supplies out of my pantry and onto a dedicated bar cart (the one I chose is the Bobbin Bar Trolley from Next, £170) created my favourite corner of my flat so far, as well as helped me declutter one semi-chaotic section of my cupboards for good.

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Bar cart in the corner of a room with exposed brick and mid-century sideboard — After (Image credit: Future)

The first bar cart idea I wanted to bring to life was having glassware on show so that guests can help themselves – this also ended up being a very good idea for saving on storage space in my cupboard.

I love hosting but making sure everyone has a drink on hand at all times can take up a lot of time, so having coupes ready to go is the tactic. I'm a sucker for colourful glassware too, so I opted for a bar cart that had space for hanging storage.

Storing my coupes (which are the adorable pink swirl ones from Next, £22) upside down has the benefit of preventing dust while allowing me to fit more into the space without it looking crowded.

Another trick to pack more glassware in (and clear a bit more cupboard space) was to go for stacking glassware. I opted for the Party Coupes from Our Place (£76.99) which fit together so pleasingly to save space and can double up as dessert dishes too. Without too much visual clutter, I've managed to cram six glasses onto the cart.

Natural Wood Bobbin Bar Trolley - Size One

I love the bobbin details on this bar cart as well as the ample space for on-show storage. It moves very smoothly across hard floor too so you can change where it lives according to the occasion. If you want a more classic look Next also has an oval gold version for the more affordable price of £90.

Addison Ross

Rechargeable Lamp and 16cm Shade

I could not be more attached to this rechargeable lamp – especially since the shades can be switched out for different seasons. I think it fits perfectly on the top here but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't come to every corner of my home with me depending on my mood that day!

HexClad

Cocktail Shaker, 740 Ml

I've tried many a shaker in my time but this is the absolute best. The lid doubles as a jigger, with inner markings for measuring and has a built-in strainer so that your drinks come out chilled and smooth. The hexed texture makes it easier to grip and adds a fun textural element, too.

When my wine and spirits were stored on the bottom level of my pantry, it was very easy for it to get messy fast. With the different bottles of all sizes, I had to be very careful about which bottle was situated at the front or the back and the ones at the periphery naturally got forgotten about.

That's where the bar cart has helped me to be much more purposeful about what I have. When something is on show, like with open shelving in a kitchen, you're bound to edit its contents down more so transferring everything over got me into the spirit of decluttering. I also took some bottles out of their boxes which instantly made things feel less messy.

Though I'm happy with the start I've made there are still plenty of other home bar ideas I want to bring to this corner. It's the small details that make all the difference, so there's definitely a gap on this cart for cocktail napkins – Daylesford's linen collection (from £12) is at the absolute top of my wish list.

One of the things I've learnt from poring over coffee station ideas is that a tray can add a huge organisational element which is why I think the Addison Ross scallop tray (£84) would fit just perfectly on the top shelf to keep things neat. One for the Christmas list!

I can't wait to host with this bar cart sometime soon as well as add in some Christmas elements as we get towards the festive season. Can you see the benefit of putting your home bar on display to cut down on clutter?

Molly is Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor and the Ideal Home Certified Expert on Appliances. An all-around cooking and baking enthusiast, she loves finding the next must-have product for readers that will their kitchen a better place. She joined the team in September 2022 after working on the editorial teams of Real Homes, Homes & Gardens and Livingetc.

For the last 4 years, she's been reviewing hundreds of small appliances; conducting tests at home or in the Ideal Home test kitchen.

Molly also has the lucky job of testing coffee machines, from pricey bean-to-cup models to low-faff pod machines, to serve those looking to hone their barista skills at home. She oversees an expert panel of coffee machine reviewers too, to cover every coffee niche.