Setting Up a Holiday Beverage Station
Entertaining for the holidays can be a blast, but it can take some advance planning to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Here’s what you need to know about beverage station setup, one of the most important elements of any seasonal get-together. Learn the fine points of how to set up a drink station for a party, including:
- How to choose the best place in your home to set up a beverage station
- The importance of having everything at your fingertips and what to stock
- Why you should consider a theme holiday beverage like mulled wine or punch
- How to festively decorate your drink station or bar cart with personal style
Your holiday entertaining will go as smooth as homemade eggnog when you follow these simple tips!
Pick a Spot That Can Handle the Traffic
Your holiday beverage station needs to be both accessible and convenient, whether you're hosting one big holiday party or entertaining on the fly through New Year’s. Choose a location that’s easy to reach and comfortable for guests to serve themselves, or for you to serve them if you prefer a staffed station or a hired bartender.
Avoid crowded corners if possible, especially if it means people have to dodge armchairs and end tables to reach the beverage station. Instead, try to place your station in the center of the room against a wall or at the end of a long, spacious room with no obstacles right in front of it.
Great places to set up a beverage station include:
- In an alcove of the entryway, if it’s large enough, so guests can get a beverage right when they come in
- In a bay window of the living room, dining room, or family room, which makes the bar accessible but not directly in the flow of traffic
- At the far end of the living room or parlor, so people who stop for beverages don’t clog movement in the front of the room
- In what is normally the breakfast nook area of an open eat-in kitchen (you might have to move some furniture)
Be flexible with your beverage setup for the holidays. You might actually have to move your regular beverage station to a more open area just for the month. That’s where having a freestanding beverage fridge and portable ice maker will come in handy. These compact appliances are easy to move around and perfect for renters, RVers, or anyone who entertains in multiple spots throughout the year.
Arrange Everything Within Easy Reach
Having a beverage fridge or wine fridge at your holiday beverage station will keep everything in one spot and save you from running back and forth to the kitchen when you want to spend time with guests. Your regular refrigerator is likely to be packed with holiday food, so there won’t be room to keep everything cold. A dedicated beverage fridge is the ideal solution.
Likewise, your freezer will be full of holiday essentials, leaving little room for ice. A portable ice maker solves this problem by producing cubes, bullets, or nuggets in as little as 15 minutes. You’ll never run out of ice or have to rush to the store mid-party.
Other essentials for your beverage station include:
- Ingredients for all the drinks you plan to serve
- Glasses and barware for serving and preparing beverages
- Toppings and garnishes, like fruit, cinnamon sticks, or fresh herbs
- Serving musts, such as napkins, straws, and plates, if needed
For an open bar, stock up on beverage basics your guests will enjoy most. Common holiday bar staples include:
- Red, white, and rosé wine
- Sparkling wine or Champagne
- Beer or ale
- Soda and sparkling water
- Juice and mixers
- Whisky
- Rum
- Vodka
- Gin
- Vermouth
- Tequila
- Brandy or cognac
- Triple sec
- Angostura bitters
You may want to also have some aperitifs, like Campari or pastis, depending on your guests’ tastes, as well as some sipping liqueurs, such as Grand Marnier or Bailey’s.
Arrange everything in a way that makes sense for your serving process or for how guests will serve themselves, like at a food buffet. Keep extras behind the bar or under the table behind a tablecloth, and try to prep as much in advance as possible, e.g., cutting fruit slices and pre-mixing punch in a bowl.
If you’re hosting children or guests who use wheelchairs, create additional space and keep breakables out of reach. A lower table for punch or snacks can also be helpful.
Consider Offering a Special Theme Beverage
Offering a themed holiday drink is both memorable and practical. It creates a festive moment while reducing the pressure to stock ingredients for every possible cocktail.
What are some popular holiday beverages?
- Hot mulled wine or cider
- Egg nog with rum, brandy, or bourbon on the side
- Punch, also with alcohol as an add-on
- Hot chocolate (great for kids)
- Martini or Moscow mule station
- Champagne and caviar
- Irish coffee with toppings
- Brunch mimosas or bloody Marys
Do you have a signature “house” cocktail or mocktail? By all means, break it out for your holiday party!
If your friends are really into wine, you could also do a winter wine tasting, offering typical cold weather favorites like sparkling Riesling, ports, reds that pair with chocolate, or dessert-y ice wines.
Having a dual zone wine fridge will help you offer wines at different temperatures from one fridge. Or you can keep storing wines for later on one side while making the other compartment for wines you want to serve over the holidays.
Add Festive Decor for Fun and Sparkle
Once you get the practicalities out of the way, it’s time to add some pizazz to your beverage station. This is where you can make your bar unique while you also call attention to it, so visitors can find it instantly in a crowded room.
You can easily use some decorations specific to the holidays you celebrate, like a mini Christmas tree, a Hanukkah menorah, or symbols for Kwanzaa. Evergreen or laurel garlands are also nice and smell great, plus they won’t become dated by New Year’s. Adding some twinkle lights and a mirror to reflect their glow can make your bar area look both bigger and more inviting.
If children are attending, let them help with handmade decorations like paper chains, paper snowflakes, or dried citrus garlands add charm and warmth.
Bar carts have made a huge redux lately, and you may have gotten in on the trend too. Beverage cart styling can be tough in a smaller space, so you need to scale down decorations. You can add charm with:
- Poinsettia plants
- Mini topiaries
- Sprigs of holly or berries
- Vase of pine branches
- Tinsel swags
- Colorful cloth napkins
- Velvet bows
- Mugs of candy canes
- Electric flame-free tea lights
- Snow globes
- Nutcracker figurines
- Stuffed Santas
- Shiny tree ornaments
- Gingerbread house
Choose décor that reflects your personal style, whether you’re hosting a chic holiday soirée or a cozy, casual gathering.
Newair Makes Holiday Entertaining a Breeze!
Planning your holiday party now before you get too busy? Smart move! You can order a beverage fridge, wine fridge, or portable ice maker now from Newair online and get it in time for your gathering with our convenient fast shipping.
Be sure to register your appliance once it arrives to take advantage of our renowned customer service and two-year warranty. Cheers!
