Select-an-Effort: The Bar

The holiday season is behind us, and some of you may have accumulated a variety of “beverages” that you purchased to celebrate. Therefore, we today we will focus on getting your bar/drinks storage organized. This is any space where you store liquor, wine, beer, mocktail ingredients, and associated supplies.

Are you ready to get started? Here are three choices:

Low Effort

Take a look at what you have and pitch (or, if unopened, donate) one item you will never consume, such as an old bottle of margarita salt, a mixer for a drink you don’t like, or liquor you bought for a party but don’t actually consume.

Medium Effort

If you have a bit more time, scrutinize the contents of your storage and consider getting rid of everything that has been hanging around for a very long time. Prioritize your space for the things you enjoy drinking. While you might think there is value to having a bottle on hand “just in case,” these types of products can take up a lot of space for little more than a remote possible need.

High Effort

If you can invest the time, set up a storage location(s) for all of the supplies associated with liquid refreshment. Depending on what you drink, you might need:

• Storage for tall bottles of liquor (or non-alcoholic equivalents)
• Cool, horizontal storage for wine (this holds a few bottles in the fridge)
• Refrigerated storage for bottles/cans of beer, soda, seltzer, etc. (this one is stackable)
• Storage for bar tools (corkscrews, bottle openers, wine charms, etc.) This is a nice option if you lack drawer space. If you have drawers, consider inserts to keep items organized inside.
• Display space for fancy bottles, decanters, carafes, etc.

Today we are focusing more on what you are consuming than on the glasses into which you pour them, but if those are connected in your space, you might consider them as well.

*     *     *

Few people regularly clear out their storage of bar items, so this may be a big “win.” Let me know how it goes!