Remember your parents’ home bar setup? It was probably part of that big, gangly entertainment center against the living room wall that had a built-in TV, turntable and stereo. The bottles of multi-colored spirits stored inside – strictly off limits, of course – would escape their confinement once or twice a year when Mom and Dad threw a little soiree for their bosses and coworkers.
Fast forward to adulthood and suddenly you’re now in charge of the next happy hour. You can heat up trays of meatballs and pigs in a blanket, but any chance to truly impress might be lost if you don’t have the right home bar to lubricate the masses. Here are five portable bar setups that will have your friends and family crowing for cocktails.
Sleek Style
Back in college, when I was glugging down beers out of plastic cups and eating Cool Ranch Doritos straight from the bag, I dreamed I would one day have a home bar setup as classy as this. Show off your finest stemware (ditch the cups), bar tools and cocktail ingredients inside this curved beauty. And please, put the Doritos in a nice bowl this time.
Sturdy Construction
This portable bar’s exterior is so bright, I gotta wear shades. Picture this behemoth sitting poolside at your next party. Don’t worry about hooligans knocking this beast into the water – its multidirectional wheels can be locked in place. A bottle opener (with cap catcher) is attached to the side and a drain plug allows for easy cleaning – you have an all-in-one party here.
Space-saver
I never finished watching TV’s “Mad Men” but surely this rolling cart was utilized often by the cocktail-scarfing partners of the Sterling Cooper ad agency. This is a portable bar intended for Bordeaux, not Budweiser.
Large Capacity
This is the perfect mobile cart for entertaining. It has a lockable storage space with a 78-gallon capacity – the ideal spot to keep liquor bottles stowed away. Two wheels and two adjustable legs means you can set this bar up anywhere. All you need now is a reason to party.
Pop-up Anywhere
Remember that story I told earlier about how I always fantasized about a fancy bar setup when I grew up? Well, truth be told, I’d also dream of a bar that had three different skirt designs – formal, football and tiki – and that could be basically hosed off at the end of the day and stored away in its own storage bag until the next party. Imagine my delight to find that exact model right here. The GoBar also has a hidden shelf so you can hide the tequila when things get out of hand.
Steve Spears is editor of Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. He is based in Orlando and counts St. Augustine, Key West and the Gulf Beaches among his favorite destinations in the state.
