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New Year’s Eve Bar Cart Styling: The Champagne Cocktail

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We’re all so exhausted from this year. Let’s ring in the new year with a simple cocktail. And a sword.

Bar Cart Style Post: New Year's Eve Champagne Cocktails // stirandstrain.com

Keep this year’s style simple with a few glittery tassels and a light box that tells guests to “Make Drinks Here”. If you want a few theatrics, pop that bubbly with a sabre and point guests to the use of your Chambong. Our drink of choice? A Champagne Cocktail: just drop one sugar cube into your glass. Add some Angostura bitters. Pour in the champagne. And don’t forget the Bloody Mary glasses for the morning after.

1. Metallic Tassels 2. Light Box 3. Stemless Champagne Flutes 4. Champagne Sabre 5. Pink & Gold Napkins 6. Glitter Champagne 7. Sugar Cubes 8. Angostura Bitters 9. Bloody Mary Glasses 10. Arabella Bar Cart 11. Chambong

Check our Instagram this week for a chance to WIN an Arabella Bar Cart and a bunch more prizes from Louis Jadot Wine!

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Gift Guide: All the Good Stuff Boozy Gifts Over $50

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These are the gifts when you get your holiday bonus, or when you receive your inheritance…

Holiday Gift Guide: Boozy Gifts $50 and Over // stirandstrain.com

Cha-ching! Here’s your high class boozy gifts this year. From sexy alcohol infusers to shimmery bar carts, we’ve got something for you no matter what your holiday bonus. Something practical? A juicer! Something NOT practical? A very, very expensive racing car shaker. You could have a suitcase full of booze shipped to you, or if you prefer to work for your booze, how about a Snowman you need to whack with a stick to rain down nips? If you’re going to make the correct ice ball, you should really upgrade to the professional maker. And if you just can’t be anywhere without your beer, have a keg attached to your bike.

1. Beer Trike 2. Gin Decanter 3. Alkemista Infusion Vessel 4. Professional Ice Ball Maker 5. World’s Largest Tasting Set 6. Copper Gnome Cocktail Set 7. Racing Car Cocktail Shaker 8. Cuisinart Juicer 9. Snowman Nipyata 10. Gold Bar Cart

And stay tuned here tomorrow because we’re giving away one of these rad gifts!!

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers for Booze Lovers

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Bottles of booze and cocktail books will fit into a stocking if you try hard enough.

Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers for Booze Lovers // stirandstrain.com

Santa Baby, just slip a couple bottles of booze into my stocking. And a cocktail book for some ideas. Give me something to mix it all up with. Maybe shaped like a car? And if you have the time, let’s play some cards together. The only Rummy I know however, is the one I put in the cookies.

1. The One Bottle Cocktail Book 2. Race Car Cocktail Shaker 3. Wine Socks 4. Luxardo Bitter Bianco 5. Cocktail Hour Playing Cards 6. Colorful Barware Set 7. Atomizer 8. The Real McCoy Rum

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Gift Guide: More Boozy Gifts $50 and Under

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Time to replace all those thrifted mismatched glasses that aren’t ironic enough.

Gift Guide: More Boozy Gifts $50 and Under // stirandstrain.com

A little extra cash to spend means you can give the gift of some spiffy new barware this year. Whether it’s drinks for a crowd, drinks for 4, or a discreet single serving you wear on your arm, you can also…put a bird on it (or in it??). And while you’re improving their bar, you might as well get them some better bar tools. And some new booze. And then invite yourself over.

1. Braulio Amaro 2. Pineapple Corkscrew 3. Punch Bowl 4. Copper Decanter Set 5. Piña Colada Ring 6. Lark Bird Glass 7. Boston Shaker Set 8. Shag Tiki Glass Set 9. Gin Baubles 10. Flask Bracelet

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Gift Guide: Boozy Gifts $25 and Under

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It’s not cheap, it’s frugal. Here’s our first of the “practical” gift guides this year.

Boozy Gift Guide: $25 and Under // stirandstrain.com

They might have a small price tag, but no one is going to regift these guys. Except maybe the reusable wine bag, because that’s the point. Whether you need some stocking stuffers they’ve never seen before (hello cocktail pins and firewater tincture!), some solid basics (muddlers! crushed ice trays!), or if you need a gift for your officemate who just got into cocktails (Meehan!), these are a sure bet. And of course, there’s always rum! And don’t forget yourself! I’ll be stirring up some drinks this holiday season with a couple Palm Springs stirrers.

1. Cocktail Pins 2. Meehan’s Bartender Manual 3. Extra Long Cocktail Muddler 4. Hot Toddy Carry On Cocktail Kit 5. Palm Springs Cocktail Stirrers 6. Firewater Tincture 7. Reusable Wine Bag 8. Crushed Ice Tray 9. Appleton Estate Rum

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Halloween & Autumn Bar Cart Styling

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Oh my gourd! It’s time to get that bar cart styled – for Halloween!

Halloween and Autumn Gift Guide 2017 // stirandstrain.com

If you don’t want to drop some dollars on a fancy punch bowl but still want to impress your friends, hollow out a pumpkin! Plop it on your bar cart! Pour in whiskey (or check below for some recommended recipes)! Stir it up with a skull spoon! And serve up your punch in some gothic goblets. Or some very Fall coppery glasses. With glow-in-the-dark eyeball ice cubes of course. Come November 1st you’ll need only add some decorative wheat stalks, and remove the eyeballs, and your Autumnal bar cart is DONE.

1. Black Glass Goblets 2. Copper Low Ball Glasses 3. Glow-In-The-Dark Eyeball Ice Cubes 4. Koval Millet Whiskey 5. Pumpkin 6. Copper Skull Bar Spoon 7. Infinity Bar Cart 8. Copper Drink Stirrers

Looking for some SPOOKY//Fall cocktail inspiration? Take a look at some of our favorites from our cocktail friends!

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

{Now Closed} Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and The Bar Cartist Tool Set

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Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.comAdulting is hard. Adulting is paying bills. But being an adult means you no longer can keep your booze on the shelf next to the cereal and red plastic cups are not appropriate when you’re having a date over. Enter the bar cart.

Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.comBar carts are classy, and practical. And, if you’re like me, an excuse to change things up every season (or holiday. See here. Here. And here.).

To help with your styling, and to give you some drink ideas, Chronicle Books just released The Art of the Bar Cart. And guess what? We’re giving away a copy. Take a peek at some of these gorgeous shots! I kinda want one for every room in my house. We can all agree that a shower bart cart is, or at least should be, a thing? Right?

Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.com Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.com Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.com

But wait! To help you with your styling endeavors, I’m also giving away a barware set from The Bar Cartist. The Stirred Gold Bar Set is the right tone for all of your upcoming holiday parties. It’s a little glitzy, but still reserved. The set contains a professional double jigger, cocktail picks, muddler bar spoon, hawthorne strainer and crystal mixing glass.Giveaway: The Art of the Bar Cart and bar tools // stirandstrain.com

So let’s all be adults and set up a proper bar cart, or even a little table and tray (that counts too), with a little inspiration from The Art of the Bar Cart and our holiday-ready cocktail set. Enter below and get up to 11 entries to win. Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends October 16, 2017. Good luck!

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Gift Guide: Father’s Day 2017

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Unless that tie rack comes with booze…think again.

Fathers Day Gift Guide 2017 // stirandstrain.com

For the bookworm Dad: booze books. For the stylish Dad: booze cufflinks. For the junk food Dad: beer and pretzel ice cream. For the outdoorsy Dad: a pocketknife to hand carve a muddler. Oh, and also a plaid flask (duh). For the goofy Dad: bourbon socks. For all the rest of the Dads: whisk(e)y. And you should probably throw in a Negroni finger stirrer because… well, your Dad knows a joke for that too.

1. Call Me Old Fashioned print 2. Coolhaus Beer and Pretzel ice cream 3. Rum Curious 4. The Bloody Mary Book 5. Bourbon socks 6. Cocktail cufflinks 7. Opinel pocket knife 8. Speyburn Single Malt Scotch Whisky 9. Gaz Regan Negroni Finger Stirrer 10. Plaid flask

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Gift Guide: Mother’s Day at the Beach and a Giveaway!

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Mom wants to be sipping cocktails on a beach somewhere. She does not want to hear about this guy you met on Tinder (or maybe she does? Does he have a job?).

It’s always last minute with you kids. Did you forget it was Mother’s Day Sunday? I did too. Oops. Let’s take Mom on a mini vacay this year. Bring the unbreakable wine glasses, some fancy napkins and a giant sunhat, because…. rosé all day. Throw in some tasty cocktails and let her lounge around reading about beach cocktails, while at the beach.

To sweeten the deal, you can WIN a copy of Beach Cocktails AND score a $50 gift card to Mouth.com to buy Mom some chocolate, or some booze. Probably best to get the booze. Just head over to our Instagram and tag your mom, or a friend, in the comments. Winner will be announced Friday at 8pm PST.

1. You and Yours Sunday Gin 2. Rosé All Day hat 3. St. George Spirits California Citrus Vodka 4. Corkatoo Corkscrews 5. Beach Cocktails book 6. Bendiware Unbreakable Glasses 7. Fruitlab Orange Liqueur 8. Champagne Napkins

Catch up on all the gift guides here!

Festival Ready Bar Cart Styling (it's a party for your booze)

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If you’re anything like me, scrolling through endless Instagram photos of kids out at a festival, profusely sweating and pretending to smile at the camera, you’re SO happy you didn’t wait in line 45 minutes for a watered down margarita. You get to drink yours with 2 ounces of top shelf booze in front of the air conditioning. You win.

Still miss that 104° heat? Make your home bar into your own oasis. Here’s how…

Do they even serve alcohol at these festivals? Who cares! You have a well stocked bar cart at home. Throw up some cactus photos, maybe in #milleniumpink and match your glasses to that desert vibe. Crochet. There has to be lots of crochet things. A hanging chair to sip cocktails in? YES! And maybe some hanging crochet fruit baskets to match. Add in some tassels and some leather fringe. And if your festival look veers off in the electric art dream in the desert, might I suggest uranium glow-in-the-dark mixing glasses and colorful rainbow ice cubes? You can always use that glow stick to mix a few drinks with too.

1. Desert Distilling Vodka 2. Blush goblet 3. Cactus Print 4. Hanging Chair 5. Tassel Swizzle Sticks 6. Manila Bar Cart 7. Leather fringe flask 8. Cactus tumbler 9. Arette Tequila 10. Glow-in-the-dark mixing glass 11. Rainbow Ice Cubes

 

Catch up on all the gift guides here!