Bar carts have been all the rage recently. Whether in your apartment, house, or room, this trendy decor is a staple part of any college home. However, having a bar cart does not mean that you have to use it for alcohol. If you are sober, under 21, or just not into alcohol, a sober bar cart can still be a cute part of your living space. Here’s how to create the perfect non-alcoholic bar cart equipped to make all of your favorite mocktails.
Finding The Perfect Bar Cart
Before you can decorate your bar cart with all of the drink ingredients you could ever imagine, you need to get the bar cart itself. Bar carts come in many different sizes, models, and colors, and one is sure to be the perfect addition to your home.
When considering what bar cart to get, it is important to consider how many items you want to be able to fit on it. For a sober bar cart, it is likely that you won’t have as many things on it as a traditional bar cart, so a smaller option might suit your needs better.
This bar cart from Amazon is only $39, and still has ample room for drink bases, garnishes, decorations, and anything else your heart desires. The three tier cart has wine glass holders built in to make storing your fancy glasses easy and convenient.
If you’re looking for a more elaborate bar cart to grace your home, this $56 option is a step up, but still affordable. This bar cart not only has wine glass holders, but also wine bottle holders. For a sober option, use the wine glass holders to store your favorite soda or other drink base.
Adding Drink Bases
Every bar cart needs a few staple drink bases. If you’re into soda, this could be a bottle of Sprite, Coke, or Pepsi, or you could even opt for some lemonade, fruit punch, or cranberry juice.
Picking Mix-In Flavorings
If you want the taste of alcohol in a mocktail without the actual alcohol, there are tons of alcohol-free spirits that have everything a normal spirit would — except the alcohol. Content creator Alyssa Martinez has alcohol-free spirits on her sober bar cart as a staple, and brands like Free Spirits sell non-alcoholic spirits like tequila, gin, and bourbon, plus alcohol-free canned cocktails such as margaritas and old fashioneds.
And of course, make sure to get some grenadine as a mix-in for your sober bar cart to make some delicious shirley temples. If you want to step out of the box, try mix-ins such as pineapple juice or pomegranate juice for a fruity drink. You could even opt for powder-mixes of lemonade or other fruit flavors. To further spice up your mocktails, keep some sugar or salt on hand to line the rim of your glass.
Selecting Garnishes
Like any cocktail, your mocktails can have the same fancy garnishes. Stock up your bar cart with dried oranges, lemons, limes, or any other fruit that you desire to add to your mocktail as a finishing touch. Content creator @andys_content used a grapefruit, but feel free to make every drink you make unique to you and what you want available on your bar cart.
Adding Decorations
After you’ve stocked up on the essentials, make your sober bar cart your own by decorating it to represent you or whoever you are sharing it with. Whether it is your roommates, your significant other, or your family members, a decorated bar cart can be a staple decor item that makes your home more personalized.
Some possible decor ideas you could consider are a small lamp for the top of your cart, a candle, or decorative books like TikTok user Fieke Loonen put on her bar cart. The options are endless for what you add to your sober bar cart to add some personality.
Other Sober Bar Cart Essentials
Before your sober bar cart is complete, you need to add tools to mix your drinks, which include a shaker, glasses, and jars. Just like a regular bar cart, you will need to mix your drinks somehow.
You can find tons of basic glasses online, but get a set of cocktail glasses to add some flair to your sober bar cart and go for the “bar” feel.