While we aren't big drinkers at my house, I've always been smitten with bar carts. I can't justify having a drink-prep-dedicated cart at home, but I could definitely make room for one with a day job. It could be used as extra storage, a console table, or a server most of the time and occasionally stocked as a bar cart when entertaining. Here's a collection of carts that are versatile enough to be a stand-in for extra storage or kitchen prep space by day, but wheeled out as a bar cart when entertaining. More

I use canning jars for everything these days, so why not add one more can-do to the list: a cocktail shaker! Want to see how it works? More

Mason jars have officially hit the point of indie culture saturation. Latest exhibit? An admittedly rather classy idea: The Mason jar cocktail shaker. Even as you roll your eyes you're clicking through to find out how to get one. Aren't you? Yes you are. More

Marina's cookie-cutter New York apartment wasn't much to look at when she moved in, but she wrangled her design savvy and managed to soften the space and create a cozy home. The biggest challenge, as she recently told Apartment Therapy, was luring her downtown friends to her uptown apartment, but having a full bar—which is on fine display in her kitchen— and some mixology skills definitely helped. Now she says the first thing her friends say when they walk in and see her kitchen is: "Sweet! Can you make me a drink?" More

Item: SodaStream Fizz
Price: $179.99
Overall Impression: Less streamlined than some other models but the Fizz Chip indicator is very useful.

We are avid drinkers of carbonated water and homemade soda in my household, and the SodaStream, which can convert tap water to sparkling water in a matter of seconds, is one of the appliances we use most. When our SodaStream Pure model died after two years of near-constant use, I was curious to try the company's latest model, the Fizz. More

Look at this handsome reusable stainless steel straw — my friend Rachel and her husband made them at home with inexpensive materials and tools and show you how to do the same. More

There comes a time in your life when the notch on the back of your clunky manual can opener just doesn't cut it anymore as a bottle opener, but you know that if you are going to spend more than $15 on the thing, it had better last. So here you are: five bottle openers classy enough to set out at a party and sturdy enough to stand the test of time. More

How many tools does a home bartender really need? I find I'm of two minds on this. Sometimes I want to go keep things pared down to the essentials (just a jigger, shaker, bar spoon, strainer, and citrus reamer, ma'am). Other times I find myself eyeing spherical ice molds and ornate absinthe spoons. Here's my own bi-level bar tool essentials/appealing extras list. Tell us, what's on yours? More