Maybe it’s all the Mad Men reruns that I've been watching to gear up for the new season that have conjured up my romanticized images of a formal cocktail hour, where the drinks were as stiff as the petticoats the women wore under their dresses…
…Or maybe I just like to drink.
Whatever the reason, this post brings me to my latest home accessory desire: the bar cart. Most of us have matured from the days of proudly displaying empty handles of liquor atop the cabinets in our college apartments and drinking alcoholic concoctions with names like “Pink Panty Dropper” poured from giant orange Gatorade coolers or “Trash Can Punch” which was served out of…well, you get the picture.
There is something grown-up and sophisticated about having a bar cart in your home. You can elegantly display your variety of spirits without looking like you are prepping for a frat party (and yes, I used the word “spirits” – I’m a lady!) Even a bottle of Boone’s Farm would look dressed up on a bar cart! The bar cart is also a great item if you are limited on storage space (like me!) and can be used to hold not only bottles and stemware but also books, trinkets, and whatever else you can think of!
Many of the carts I have come across are antique serving carts (also tea carts) or are vintage-inspired and most came with high price. (I prefer to spend money on the booze.)
Below are some of the bar carts that I have added to my “Hmmmm, Maybe One Day List”:
Duncan Bar Cart (Restoration Hardware) - $383.99
Connaught Polished Nickel Bar Cart (Amazon.com) - $999.91
Faux bamboo bar (1stdibs.com) - $5,500 {France 1960}
Chantry Bar Cart (Martha Stuart) - Price upon request
So the other day, when there were NOT random thunderstorms, I headed to one of my favorite areas in Houston: Montrose! Nestled between the tattoo parlors and thrift stores are some great little antique stores on Westheimer. Not finding anything I couldn’t live without and the Houston summer heat really turning up I decided to go into one last store, Pride and Joy. This store specializes in bars and had a lot of English and French inspired bars and a good selection of mid-century ones too – all too big for my place! But in they back I came across this little gem, a little rusty, a little price tag, but HUGE potential! I paid the owner and took home my new project!
The first thing I had to do was wait for it to randomly stop raining! Next I had to prep the cart by sanding off the rusty parts and it turns out I sanded part of the brass finish as well revealing that the cart was made out of aluminum. I knew it wasn’t solid brass because it was as light as a feather! No worries though…
First coat of paint was the primer: Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch – Ultra Cover. (Oh yeah, and I taped up the wheels with painters tape too.)
After letting it dry for about 30 minutes I spray painted the cart with Rust-Oleum – Gold Rush Metallic. At the time I had it in my head that I didn’t want the cart to be too brassy or shiny, so that’s why I went with this color.
After it was painted I felt it was actually too dull and that I did want something with more luster, so I went back to Home Depot and bought Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic – Metallic Brass. This paint has a bright reflective finish. Painted over the gold and it came out great!
Besides stocking up on bottles, here are a few items I would LOVE to add to my new bar cart!
And now I'm going to don some pearls and a big cocktail ring and head to Spec's! Cheers! Salud! Prost! Sláinte!
Old Fashioned Cocktail
The Old-fashioned is a classic whiskey cocktail that has been served since around 1880 at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky and is (disputedly) the first drink referred to as a cocktail. It is the perfect ideal of what a cocktail should contain: a spirit, a sweet, a bitter, a sour and water. Typically, the Old-fashioned is made with bourbon, however you can experiment with other types of whiskey for an equally excellent drink. Have a light old-fashioned with Canadian whiskey or one that's more sour with a Tennessee whiskey. Club soda is often used to top off this drink, but this is not a traditional method. (Source: http://cocktails.about.com/od/atozcocktailrecipes/r/old_fshned_cktl.htm)
Yield: 1 Drink
Ingredients:
- 1 sugar cube
- 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 orange slices
- 3 oz bourbon
- maraschino cherry for garnish
Preparation:
- Place the sugar cube at the bottom of an old-fashioned glass.
- Saturate the cube with the bitters.
- Add one orange slice.
- Muddle these ingredients.
- Fill the glass with ice cubes.
- Add the bourbon.
- Stir well.
- Garnish with a second orange slice and a maraschino cherry.
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