Tricked-out tavern
Add fizz factor to outdoor drinking on sunny afternoons with some select furniture and vessels starting with a statement outdoor bar tricked out with ultra-comfortable Italian bar stools, Trick by S Cab, designed for use indoors and outside, as long as you request a galvanised finish to its tubular steel frame. It comes in a range of fashionable colours that will look equally good in a green space or in a concrete and coolly minimal area. Each costs about €168, ex delivery, from Italian online shop Arredatutto.
Open and shut service
A easy-to-install option is this Turntable bar. Made of natural oiled acacia wood, its neat form extends to just 60cm when its louvred sides open to serve. It can be closed up and stowed away in a relatively small space when you ring the bell for last orders, and comes with shelving to stow away glasses, shakers and mixes. It costs €349.99 from Butlers Home.
Sitting comfortably?
An ultra-luxurious seating option is the Emma stool from Varaschin, which is available to order from Bushell Interiors. Its powder-coated aluminium frame has a hand-woven back and seat padded with super-soft, weatherproof outdoor foam. It costs from €1,780, depending on fabric options, at Bushell Interiors.
The coolest cooler
There’s nothing like an ice-cold beverage to refresh you on a hot day. Chill bottles of beer and fizz in this hammered stainless steel drinks pail. The copper-coloured finish comes with easy-to-carry handles and extends to 48cm. It costs €59.95, ex delivery, from Meadows & Byrne.
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Party-proof pitcher
Stock Design’s 1.2-litre pitcher by Sagaform is perfect for moreish long drinks such as lemonade, sangria or Pimms. It costs €29.95 at Stock, is dishwasher-safe and its acrylic form should withstand any knocks it might get on grass.
Serve up some elegance
For elegant drinks gatherings, serve your guests using real glass stemware rather than the paper-cup kind. The White Company’s Halden gin goblet, centre, €45 per pair, is an elegant receptacle that will impress. To its right is the Belgravia flute, a classic shape for sparkling wines and champagne, €45 for a set of four. The Marton wine glass, also shown (left), is sold out, sadly.
Chilling out
For more impromptu gatherings you can improvise. Empty Torkis, a multi-purpose 35-litre laundry basket and fill with ice to chill beverages. It costs €8 from Ikea and comes in the turquoise colour and also a shade called “grown”, a grey/brown colour. The green glass Kallna, €6 for a set of six, will work for beer, mocktails or minerals.
Trending... Beer on tap
For those who fancy getting a gang around for a barbecue with frosty cold beer on tap, try the Polar G-series, a direct draw cooler that fits one keg and comes with a stainless steel tap. It costs about €1,722, ex-delivery, from Nisbets. A more everyday and affordable option is Fissics, a draft-pour beer dispenser that uses sound waves rather than C02 cartridges to upgrade your bottled or canned beer to a proper bar experience. Pull for beer and push for micro-foam to give a better aroma, flavour and mouthfeel. It works on IPAs, pilsners, ales, stout and lagers, costs about £125, ex delivery, from UK-based Cuckooland and can be USB- or battery-operated so you can bring it with you.
Glasses galore
Dust off the Waterford and take it alfresco to serve bloody Marys in Sparkle hi-balls, €55 for a set of four; bubbles or wine in Mara, a white wine design, €190 for a set of six, while gin fizz or elderflower cordials will look the bomb in matching Mara tumblers, €75 per pair, all available at Kilkenny Design.
