Sometimes plans for a night out never make it out of the group chat. We’ve all been there. Either we’re too tired to commit to those happy hour plans, or our couch just looks too inviting.

Luckily, there’s the bar cart. It plays double duty as trendy decor and a place to neatly stash alcohol. Having a dedicated space for drink making is essential for hosting low-key gatherings and fancy dinner parties or simply mastering at-home bartender skills with TikTok cocktail recipes.

Because who says you can’t nurse a homemade mojito while binge-watching your favorite show or balance a freshly shaken cosmo in one hand while you do dishes with the other?

Once you find the right vehicle, it’s time to stock it. Local liquor stores and home goods shops, like the recently rebranded Bin Q Liquor, are filled with bar cart essentials.

“Since we’re under new ownership now, we have a lot more to offer,” Bin Q manager Brooke Hutto says. “We have a lot of different liqueurs, (about) five different types of cherries, all sorts of mixers that not even Total Wine or a bigger shop would have. We have more variety, and I think you can find most of anything that (you’re) looking for here.”

We asked Hutto and the Bin Q team for suggestions on curating a versatile bar cart. Click the buttons below for their tips:

This article was originally published in the December 2023 issue of 225 magazine.