Setting Up a Holiday Beverage Station
Key Takeaways
- A holiday beverage station works best in an accessible spot where guests can serve themselves without blocking traffic.
- Stocking drinks, glassware, garnishes, napkins, and ice in one place helps reduce trips to the kitchen during holiday entertaining.
- A themed beverage, like mulled wine, punch, hot chocolate, or a mocktail, can simplify planning while making the setup feel festive.
- Compact appliances like beverage fridges, wine fridges, and portable ice makers help keep drinks chilled and guests comfortable throughout the party.
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 themed 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! With a little planning, your drink station can also help guests feel welcome from the moment they arrive.
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. For smaller homes or apartments, even a console table, rolling cart, or cleared countertop can work well if the path around it stays open.
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, if you can 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. Keeping ice nearby also makes it easier for guests to refresh drinks without interrupting food prep in the kitchen.
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
- A small sign or menu so guests know what drinks are available
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. For a smoother setup, group items by use: chilled drinks together, mixers together, garnishes together, and glassware within easy reach.
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. These small accessibility choices can make the station easier and safer for everyone to enjoy.
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. A signature drink can also make the beverage station feel more intentional, especially if you pair it with a printed recipe card or simple garnish tray.
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, which is great for kids
- Martini or Moscow mule station
- Champagne and caviar
- Irish coffee with toppings
- Brunch mimosas or Bloody Marys
- A zero-proof spritz, cider mocktail, or sparkling cranberry punch for guests who prefer nonalcoholic options
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. This is especially helpful when your beverage station includes both ready-to-serve bottles and backup bottles for later in the evening.
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 to add charm and warmth.
Bar carts have made a huge comeback 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. Just make sure decor does not crowd the serving area or block guests from reaching drinks, garnishes, or glassware.
FAQs About Holiday Beverage Stations
What should you include in a holiday beverage station?
A holiday beverage station should include the drinks you plan to serve, glassware, ice, garnishes, napkins, mixers, serving tools, and any themed beverage ingredients. A beverage fridge, wine fridge, or portable ice maker can help keep everything cold and organized.
Where is the best place to set up a drink station for a party?
The best place is an accessible area with enough space for guests to move around comfortably. Entryway alcoves, dining room corners, bay windows, open kitchen nooks, and the far end of a living room can all work well if the station does not block traffic.
How do you keep drinks cold during a holiday party?
Use a dedicated beverage fridge or wine fridge to keep bottles and cans chilled without crowding the main refrigerator. A portable ice maker can also help keep fresh ice available throughout the party.
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. Whether you’re hosting one cozy gathering or a full season of celebrations, the right compact appliances can help make your beverage station easier to stock, serve, and enjoy.
Be sure to register your appliance once it arrives to take advantage of our renowned customer service and two-year warranty. Cheers!
