The Easy Way to Create a Stylish Party Drink Station

Whether it’s for a holiday gathering, a birthday or a just-because occasion, a party is so much fun! It’s always a joy to spend time with loved ones, and the soiree can become even more celebratory with a few tasty treats on hand. With this in mind, consider setting up a drink station for your next event. Drink stations can be a festive, fun addition to any type of party, and they give your guests the freedom to select their own drinks and get refills whenever they want. Use these drink station ideas from Pottery Barn to make the perfect basic beverage setup for your next event. Feel free to fill in with special decorations and other elements that are just right for the party you have in mind.

What Are You Working with?

As you get started, think about where you’re going to put your drink station. Will you use a bar cart, table or countertop? A buffet out on your patio? Make sure the surface you choose is sturdy, stable and large enough to handle multiple guests gathered around. Ideally, you can put your party drink station in a central location that isn’t immediately in front of or next to a doorway, just in case the station draws a crowd of thirsty visitors.

Beverage Bonanza

Now that you’ve selected the perfect location for a drink station, you know how much space you can work with. That means you can decide how many different drinks you want to serve. Consider your event and your guest list as you decide on your drinks menu. No matter what kind of event you’re hosting, it’s a great idea to have water available. If kids are coming to celebrate along with adults, they’ll love a little lemonade or punch. If you want to serve alcohol for adults, consider making a batch of alcoholic punch or sangria, or something something fun and different to mark the occasion.

Make a Presentation

Drink stations are a great place to decorate and play up your party’s theme. You can use drink dispensers and pitchers to serve up a big batch of a signature cocktail. If you plan to leave out bottles for guests to use in mixing their own drinks, try using a tray, bucket or even a small shelf to keep them all together. Chalkboard tags and other signage are great for describing what’s in pre-mixed drinks, and they make it clear which beverages contain alcohol and which don’t so everyone can end up with a beverage they’ll enjoy!

Room to Lounge

Some guests might show up with something to add to the mix, whether it’s some chilled beer, club soda or a bottle of wine. It’s helpful to leave a little bit of space on your drink station surface to set up these beverages and provide a drinks bucket or other chilling container filled with ice – perhaps pre-filled with a few single-serve bottles of sparkling water. Alternatively, you can make some room in your refrigerator so guests have a place to put any beverage offerings they happen to bring.

Feeling Fancy

No matter what kind of drinks you serve, it’s a great idea to provide everyone with the glassware they need to enjoy your fabulous beverages. Count to be sure there’s a glass for every guest. You can also provide different glassware that matches with the different kinds of beverages you’re serving up at your drinks station. For example, if you have some white wine chilling next to a drink dispenser filled with cucumber mint water, you can provide both stemmed white wine glasses and tumblers for the water. If your event is outside, consider using durable outdoor drinkware rather than your regular indoor glassware. Acrylic, melamine and other outdoor-friendly materials are less likely to break if they happen to get dropped or knocked over.

Awesome Accessories

No matter what kind of drinks you’re serving, your drinks station is a great opportunity to have a few staple accessories on hand, including ice and napkins. Even if you’re sticking to wine and water, provide some extra ice so guests who like their water chilly can grab some cubes. Use a lidded ice bucket with tongs so the drinking ice is separate from any drink containers or chilling buckets. It’s also a good idea to provide a corkscrew if you’re planning on serving any wine.