This time of year, it’s not uncommon to hear that well-known ditty “I scream, you scream, we all scream for iced tea!” Iced tea season is a great reason to get excited, and a good excuse to brew up a pitcher or two and invite some friends over. So why not take the excitement a step further and create your own iced tea bar cart or station?
Need help getting started? No problem. We’ve got some iced tea bar cart inspo to share to help get your creative juices brewing! Get ready to rock iced tea with these ideas, and then let your own creativitea run wild!
Start With Your Bar Cart/Station
Whether you already have one or choose to invest in a small bar cart, you can either use that as your foundation or set up an inviting station using a festive tablecloth on a roomy table. To get started setting up your DIY iced tea bar:
- Display. Add small wooden crates or decorative boxes where you can display your pitchers or containers of iced tea.
- Container Idea #1. Use clear, tall, attractive containers for your teas that are clearly labeled with the tea’s flavor. We carry two iced tea containers, our 68 oz. ForLife Mist Glass Iced Tea Jug, and our 50 oz. ForLife Mist Glass Iced Tea Jug, both in assorted colors.
- Container Idea #2. Another option is to source a large glass container with a spout for a fun look and easy pour. Consider using chalk paint to create a black square area on the front of the container where you can write the tea name/flavor in chalk – easy to update for your next iced tea party with whatever tea flavors you choose.
- Decor. Add flowers or other festive decorations like fairy lights. Another option is to put battery-operated tea lights in small colored glasses or mason jars. Even fun mini rubber duckies – you can find them dressed as everything from queens to pirates to chickens – give a lighthearted vibe on your table or floating in bowls of water or even swimming atop your tea!
Add Drinkware & Accessories
Your decorations and glassware will help set the tone for your iced tea bar cart. Are you going for elegant and sophisticated, or sassy and chill? There’s no wrong answer – you do you.
- Glassware. You can choose to use crystal glass for that upscale iced tea bar, or plastic decorative glassware for that carefree, outdoor pool bar – it’s up to you!
- Napkins & Utensils. Having colorful napkins that complement the tone of your iced tea bar is always a good idea. Make sure you have spoons for those who wish to add sweetener – tall iced tea spoons are always a nice touch especially if you are using tall glasses – and small forks, spoons or tongs for your condiments.
- Straws. If you went the crystal glass route, you might not want straws – but then again, you might want to mix it up a bit, like a floral dress meets tennis shoes vibe. There are lots of fun straw choices out there, but always if possible, choose the biodegradable ones to be kind to our environment.
- Tiny Umbrellas. You know you want them.
Choosing the Star of the Show: Tea
Obviously, you’ll need iced tea for your iced tea bar! Our Fresh Brew Iced Tea pouches are the perfect choice for easily brewing up pitchers of tea. You can choose to offer your classic Plain Black tea that will pair well with any garnish or stand alone as a timeless favorite. Or you can go with flavors that inspire your garnish choices, such as Watermelon Mint or Blueberry Green – we have lots of great flavors to feature on your iced tea bar. You can offer just one flavor, but we think it’s more fun to have two or three.
You can, of course, also make iced tea from any of our teas! Our Fresh Brew Iced Teas make it super simple, but it’s no big deal to increase the amount of tea equal to the amount of water you need to make a pitcher of iced tea, especially if you keep our bags of 50 sachets on hand so there’s no fear of running out of tea.
You’ll want to make sure your iced tea is ice cold, so brew and chill it ahead of time, and have plenty of ice on hand for your guests. You can add the ice to the pitcher, of course, but make sure it doesn’t get warm, melt and dilute the flavor of the tea, especially if your bar is outside.
Finally, Garnishes!
This is where your creativity with your iced tea bar cart can really shine. No matter if you’re offering a tea with less bold flavors, like Plain Black or Soothing Vanilla, or you go with a big bold iced tea like Turmeric Ginger, offer up several anticipated and perhaps not-so-anticipated garnish choices, such as:
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Orange slices
- Lime slices
- Lemon slices
- Kiwi slices
- Cherries
- Watermelon balls
- Pineapple chunks
- Mint
- Verbena
- Cinnamon sticks
- Dried coconut strips
Feeling adventurous? Create skewers in advance with various fruits and serve your tea in tall glasses along with the fruit skewers, ala a tricked-out bloody mary (although we recommend skipping the olives, shrimp, and bacon, but that’s your call!).
Couple other things you’ll want to have at the ready:
- Sweeteners. Be sure to have more than one choice so everyone’s happy. Some options we carry are Demerara Sugar Cubes and Wildflower Honey.
- Ice. Of course, ice is mostly functional, but it can also be FUNctional! Find inexpensive ice cube molds and create anything from ice balls to lemon slice-shaped ice to mermaid-shaped ice.
- Alcohol. If you want to, you can make alcohol available for your guests to create their own iced tea cocktails. Here’s a simple Paris Sweet Tea Bourbon Cocktail my brother, Alex, created with a bartender friend for Alex’s wife at their wedding. Or try one of these tea cocktails from our Harney Happy Hour recipes.
We’d love to hear your iced tea bar cart ideas or share how creating yours went. Share them with us in the comments!
