Everything (or at least several things!) you need to know about setting up your bar cart

Vikre Cocktail Carts!

The bar cart, while not technically a necessary home fixture, is certainly a fun and useful bit of furniture to have. Bar carts are the ultimate in balancing form and function - a streamlined bar cart takes your the scrum of liquor bottles and, with the help of a quirky accessory or two, manages to make them chic. As we are all spending a little extra time at home (and perhaps as a result, having a little more fun experimenting with our home bars) why not track down a bar cart (you can hunt for a vintage one on etsy, peruse ebay, or order one from any number of furniture stores - from Target to West Elm), cozy it into a living room nook and start styling it?!

What are the essentials that I should put on my cocktail cart?

I always counsel people to start by picking one or two of your favorite cocktail drink to focus on, or a single seasonal favorite. Place the ingredients for those cocktails on the bar cart. Add your most eye catching cocktail glasses, a shaker and strainer, and jigger. Keeping lemons and limes in a bowl on your bar cart means they are always close at hand. Plus they can act as a pop of color and decoration to your cart!

A Warm Weather Gin Cocktail Cart

Ok, so it snowed over most of Minnesota yesterday, but a girl can dream of the warm weather that’s coming, and a bright cocktail helps. This cart is set up for an Aperol and Gin cocktail. Some of the essentials that I put on my cart include:

• Mason cups

• Shaker

• Cutting board and knife

• Lemons

• Juniper Gin

• Aperol

• Simple Syrup

• Ice container

• Flowers to add to the summery feel

Aperol-Gin Spritz Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Vikre Boreal Juniper Gin

• Aperol

• Lemon

• Simple Syrup

1. Add 1 1/2 oz. gin, 1 1/2 oz. Aperol, 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1/4 oz. simple syrup with ice into your shaker.

2. Shake until mixed thoroughly and the shaker is cold to touch

3. Add 5 fresh basil leaves and shake.

4. Strain into glass. Top drink with 1/2 oz. Prosecco.

5. Garnish with a basil sprig and enjoy!

The Ultimate Vikre Martini Cocktail Carts

Whether you are channeling your inner 007, hosting friends for a happy hour (someday…), or just want to be the most sophisticated version of yourself, a martini-focused bar cart can be surprisingly versatile. Set it up with a handful of spirits and modifiers and you’ll be able to make martinis that are dry, dirty, 50-50, or Vespers.

Ingredients on this bar cart:

• Vikre Lake Superior Vodka

• Vikre Boreal Juniper Gin

• Dry Vermouth

• Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano)

• orange bitters

• Olives in a jar with olive brine

• Lemons for garnishing

And here’s what you can make:

Vodka martini - 2 ½ oz. Vodka, ½ oz. dry vermouth, 2 dashes orange bitters, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Gin martini - 2 ½ oz. gin, ½ oz. dry vermouth, 2 dashes orange bitters, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Fitty-fitty martini - 2 oz. gin, 2 oz. lillet or cocchi americano, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Vesper martini - 1 ½ oz. gin, ½ oz. vodka, ¼ oz. cocchi americano, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Dirty martini -  2 ½ oz. gin, ½ oz. dry vermouth, splash of olive brine, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with an olive

Take your bar cart to the next level:

Create a color scheme with the spirits and liqueurs that you place on your bar cart by adding decorations like books, small sculptures, or plants. This is a great way to help the bar cart jive with your room.

This classics cart includes ingredients that not only look pretty, they will allow you to make a shockingly large array of classic cocktails with just a streamlined number of versatile spirits. Seriously, get ready to amaze your friends and intimidate your enemies with your cocktail setup. You’ll be the talk of the zoom happy hour circuit!

Ingredients on this bar cart:

• Vikre Juniper gin (you can choose whichever Vikre gin you like most though!)

• Honor Brand Hay & Sunshine whiskey

• sweet vermouth

• cocchi americano

• Campari

• Angostura bitters

• lemons and limes in a bowl

And here’s what you can make:

Gin martini - 2 ½ oz. gin, ½ oz. cocchi americano, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Fitty-fitty martini - 2 oz. gin, 2 oz. cocchi americano, stir with ice, strain into a glass, garnish with a lemon twist

Negroni - 1 ½ oz. gin, 1 oz. sweet vermouth, ¾ oz. campari, stir with ice, strain into a glass over an ice cube

Boulevardier - 2 oz. whiskey (bourbon), 1 oz. sweet vermouth, 1 oz. campari, stir with ice, strain into a glass over an ice cube 

Manhattan - 2 oz. whiskey, 1 oz. sweet vermouth, 2 dashes angostura bitters, stir with ice, strain into a glass. Garnish with a cherry, if desired.

Old Pal variation - 1 oz. whiskey, 1 oz. cocchi americano, 1 oz. campri, stir with ice, strain into a glass over an ice cube

Old fashioned - 2 oz. whiskey 1-2 tsp. Simple syrup, 2 dashes angostura bitters, stir with ice, strain into a glass over an ice cube

Gimlet - 2 oz. gin, ¾ oz. lime juice, ¾ oz. simple syrup, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Whiskey sour - 2 oz. whiskey, ¾ oz. lemon juice, ¾ oz. simple syrup, 1 oz. egg white (optional), shake all ingredients with  no ice until frothy. Add ice and shake really hard. Strain into a cocktail glass. Dash some angostura bitters over the top, if desired.

Tom collins - 1 ½ oz. gin, ¾ oz. lemon juice, ¾ oz. simple syrup, combine in a tall glass filled with ice. Top with soda water.

Cocktail Hour Bar Cart-Frenchie Edition (NEW!)

This cocktail hour cart set up makes me think of spring. The slowly warming weather here in Duluth is getting me into a spritz-y frame of mind! So Frenchie lovers, this is the bar cart for you! A few cases of Frenchie on the cart is almost enough to consider it fully stocked, since it’s a craft cocktail ready to drink. But, I’ve zhuzhed it up a little more with some extra drink options.  The idea behind this cart is that you should be able to create a drink with little to no effort.

The essentials that complete the Frenchie cart are:

Frenchie canned cocktails

Two of my favorite lovely light wines from natural winemakers

Boreal Juniper Gin (can you spike your Frenchie cocktail with extra gin? Why yes! Yes you can, hehe.)

Lemon San Pellegrino (makes a great simple sparkling cocktail if you spike it with the Juniper Gin, or have it as an NA option!)

Strawberry and grapefruit syrup (add a splash to your Frenchie if you’re feeling in the mood for a little extra sweetness or fruitiness)

A bowl of citrus for garnishes

Cocktail glasses

Bouquet of tulips because it's springtime!