Collection: Drink Trolleys

A drinks trolley solves something a fixed bar cabinet cannot: it moves to where the guests are. Here you will find drinks trolleys, bar carts and serving trolleys in several formats and materials, from narrow models for a balcony to wide trolleys with room for bottles, glasses and ice.

Drinks trolley, bar cart or serving trolley?

The words are often used about the same piece of furniture, but there are differences in how the trolleys are built and what they are meant for.

A drinks trolley is made for drinks and accessories, usually two levels with bottle holders and glass holders
A bar cart is a bar with storage, with deeper levels and sometimes drawers or a cupboard
A serving trolley is for food and drink at the table, with open levels and a lighter construction

In practice many trolleys work for all three. A serving trolley on castors that brings in the dessert on Saturday works just as well as a drinks trolley on Friday. The difference shows most in the depth of the shelves and in whether there are edges that keep the bottles in place.

Castors, weight and surface

The castors decide whether the trolley will actually be moved. Small, hard castors roll well on parquet and tiles but catch on rugs and thresholds. Larger castors with a rubber band get over uneven ground and make less noise. If the trolley is also going out onto a deck or a terrace, castor size is the first thing to look at.

Weight works the same way. A heavy trolley stands stable but becomes hard to roll alone when it is full. A light trolley is nimble but can become unsteady if everything heavy stands on the upper level. The rule is simple: bottles and ice at the bottom, glasses and accessories at the top.

Drinks trolleys in brass and other materials

Brass is the material most strongly associated with the drinks trolley. The combination of brass and glass gives the classic feeling from the fifties and sixties, and it works against both dark and light walls. Untreated brass darkens with time and takes on a patina, while lacquered brass keeps its tone but can scratch.

Black metal gives a more restrained and understated expression that suits modern rooms. Chrome and steel feel more workshop like and stand up to harder use, which makes them common in restaurant settings. Shelves in glass make the trolley visually lighter, while wood gives weight and takes more wear.

Retro drinks trolleys and contemporary form

The retro trolleys are recognised by rounded corners, slim metal legs and glass levels with an edge. They are made to be seen and are often the first thing guests comment on. The contemporary line builds instead on right angles, matt surfaces and quieter materials, and works where the trolley should be practical rather than decorative.

Whatever the style, the height is worth checking. A trolley that is too low becomes uncomfortable to mix on, and one that is too high feels unstable when it is rolled. Around seventy to eighty five centimetres to the upper level works for most people.

What fits on a trolley

It is easy to overestimate how much a trolley holds. A normal sized drinks trolley holds in practice six to eight bottles on the lower level, together with an ice bucket. The upper level takes glasses for a smaller party plus shaker, strainer and measure. If you need more than that, a bar cart with a cupboard or drawers is a more reasonable choice, or combining the trolley with a bar cabinet that takes the bulk of the storage.

A spirits trolley in smaller spaces

In a small flat or on a balcony a spirits trolley can replace the whole bar cabinet. It takes less floor space, can be pushed into a corner when it is not in use and rolled out when it is needed. Several of the narrower models are built for exactly that, tall and slim in form rather than wide.

If the space is very limited it pays to choose a trolley where the upper level has a raised edge. The trolley can then stand fully set up even when it is moved, without the glasses having to be lifted off every time.