How to Create a Holiday Party Bar

If there’s one thing you can count on at a party, it’s the fact that everyone will make their way to the home bar for a refreshing beverage.

I love designing a DIY bar for my Christmas cocktail party each year. I’ve done this for all my holiday parties for up to 40 people, and allowing guests to make their own drinks means you don’t need to play bartender all night.

I’m sharing several ideas and options for you to include when planning and setting up, including holiday party supplies you’ll need. You don’t have to do it all; I suggest incorporating 2 or 3 special touches, or more if it fits into your schedule and budget.

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Setting Up a Christmas Party Bar

Begin by setting up a card table, a folding table, or other sturdy base, and cover it with a tablecloth if necessary. My game plan is to decorate the bar with the same color scheme and style as the rest of the party.

If you have the space and you want to provide different drink stations, locate them so they’re easily accessible without creating a traffic jam.

If you love hosting throughout the year, it’s fun to splurge on a portable bar that will become the centerpiece of your gathering. I found this one with the mid-century modern look, and love decorating it for different occasion.

For Christmas, hang garland along the front, and use shimmering party curtain for a backdrop or to hide a utilitarian shelf like I did here.

Keep A Well Stocked Holiday Bar

Keep your bar well stocked during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Years. Here’s what we always have on hand, and with these items we can whip up a hot toddy or a cold cocktail in no time

Keeping your liquor choices to the basics keeps your budget in check. Use liquors from my list above, which can all be mixed with the same sodas or juices, minimizing your space and cost.

Mixers

• Ginger Ale or 7Up
• Diet Coke, Pepsi or Coca-Cola
• Sparkling Water or Club Soda
• 2 or 3 juices: cranberry, pomegranate, orange, peach, pineapple, white cranberry, tropical blend (V8 Fusion).

Specialty Liqueurs

These options are great for creating festive drinks or specialty Christmas cocktails.

Specialty Drinks

When I’m planning a holiday party bar I tend to focus on 2 to 3 areas. It starts with an open bar concept with the liquors I listed above, and mixers.

Next, I decide on a specialty cocktail station with either a recipe for guests to follow, or a premade punch.

If guests will be mixing the drink themselves, provide clear instructions and ingredients that are ready to go. Include a framed sign with the recipe, and label the ingredients.

I also set up a wine and/or a champagne station. Include bottles of juice so guests can make mimosas. Good selections include cranberry or pomegranate juice, pineapple juice, and peach, mango, or apricot juice.

Finally, sometimes I create a welcome table with a tray of shots for guests as they enter. Believe me, this is a fun way to get the party started! I like to start with either a tequila shot or a Fireball shot.

Christmas Party Details

Follow the tips above, but to take your party to the next level follow these ideas that add decorative and thoughtful touches.

One of my favorite ‘special occasion’ projects is making an ice mold bottle holder. It’s an impressive presentation but easy to prepare. You just need a couple of days for freezing. The one I made here holds a bottle of champagne, but you can also make them to hold vodka, tequila, or gin.

If you decide to set up a welcome shot station, take the extra step of personalizing each shot glass. Use a glass marker to write guests’ names on the glass. That way it shows you’re really thinking of them, and they can come back later and use their same glass.

Adding a little cheer to your ice trays will make simple drinks festive. I add cranberries, citrus, and rosemary to my ice trays, and pour in white cranberry juice for my Christmas margarita. Holiday ice cubes are simple to make ahead, and always a hit.

Include some type of glass garnish whether it’s decorative ice cubes, a wedge of lime, a sugar rimmed edge, fresh herbs, or a mini candy cane hanging off the side. Everyone loves this thoughtful detail. 

Using decorative bar tools makes mixing more fun! Pour simple syrup into small bottles with pour spouts, and add fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice into their own bottles. Tie tags around the neck of the bottles to label them.

Add cocktail napkins that match with your theme. These are neutral and timeless, but using playful or humorous cocktail napkins is one of my favorite ways to incorporate personality, and can even help generate conversation.

Add a pretty detail to your ice bucket by freezing ice in silicone trays with fun shapes. I used a star shape for these and added a cranberry to some while keeping others plain.

If using for a specific drink, use the juice instead of water to freeze and keep your drink from getting watered down as the ice melts.

Decorate stem glasses with thin ribbon tied around the stems, or sparkly wired tinsel wrapped around them. You can add a tag for guests to write their name on so they don’t loose their glass.

Another easy way to dress up your champagne service is to garnish the ice bucket with fresh cut evergreen stems. It’s free, yet elegant.

Serve juice mixers in pitchers, bottles, or decanters. This looks so much nicer than having all types of commercial containers on the table. Dress up decanters with Christmas tinsel wrapped around the neck, and a ball ornament as a topper.

Helpful Tips

If your signature cocktail requires a shaker and ice, set up all the tools together on a tray. You’ll need an ice bucket filled with ice, a spoon or tongs, a jigger and shaker, and a separate bucket or bowl to pour the leftover ice into after it’s been used in the shaker.

If drinks are made back to back the ice can be re-used a couple of times. But after a few drinks it will start to melt and water down, and you should pour it out before starting on the next drink.

For soda mixers, I like the look of smaller (8 oz) cans or bottles. Whatever doesn’t get opened can be stored for later instead of throwing out a half empty 2-liter bottle. However, the large bottles are more budget-friendly so choose which option works best for you.

Round up your items in trays for an arrangement that looks neat and deliberate. It also helps contain spills or drips.

Add a bowl of savory snacks to the bar. It’s nice to have little nibbles while your getting your cocktail or chatting with someone. These sweet & spicy pecans are perfect, or these savory pecans. Other good choices are savory Chex party mix or a popcorn snack mix.

Final Tips

• Plan ahead – Be sure to consider your guests’ drinking habits before they arrive. There’s no need to spend the money on scotch if no one is going to drink it. Likewise, you may need to double up on tequila if that is the go-to choice of your guests.
• Mocktail – Serving alcohol-free options is as simple as providing extra soft drinks or juice that are also used for cocktails. If you want to go the next step, you can provide non-alcohol spirits or a classic Shirley Temple (ginger ale + grenadine) or Roy Rogers (cola + grenadine) garnished with maraschino cherries.
• Keep it Festive – Everyone loves a cheeky napkin, stir sticks with flair, a themed straw, special garnish, or sugared rim.
• Be Prepared – Drinking and small crowds sometimes lead to spills. To avoid the frustration of cocktail stains on your carpet or upholstery, consider serving vodka, gin, champagne, and white rum. Compliment with clear mixers like Ginger Ale, 7up, White cranberry juice instead of red, and sparkling water.
• Keep them flowing – If you’re serving punch or batched cocktails, serve them in a punch bowl, a pitcher, or carafe so it’s attractive and easy to pour.

I hope these tips for setting up a holiday party bar are helpful and bring you lots of holiday cheer!