22 NOVEMBER 2013 | LIFESTYLE

As an interior designer, design writer and all round style maven, Rita Konig knows a thing or two about how to entertain. Better still, in a recent collaboration with The Lacquer Company as seen in our gallery above, she has helped us get one step closer to perfect hostess-dom with the launch of her collection of tables, ice buckets and trays in brilliant colours, each one perfect for furnishing the ultimate drinks tray at home. Here, she talks us through how to dress your drinks table – be it for mixing your own cheeky martini or serving up bloody mary’s to a team of lunch guests, here’s everything you’ll need to meet the occasion.

Rita Konig on how to dress your drinks table

I like a well stocked bar. There is nothing nicer than walking into a room and seeing all those bottles, glasses and accoutrements at the ready for you to march up to it and mix yourself or your guests something refreshing.   This is not very hard to do and it is just so pleasing when all you need to do is fill the ice bucket and grab a lemon to get a good drink together.

Don’t feel that you need a mass of swanky bottles of stuff you never drink, just have what you use.  I like a good gin (Monkey 57 or Hendricks,) vodka, whisky, Campari and some delicious Thunderbolt caramel vodka I was given – delicious and lethal.  Then various glasses, one style does not do all.  A couple of martini glasses, some good tumblers and something for champagne or wine.  I like a some jars of olives, almonds (spanish) and pickles for bloody marys.  You will also want to have Tabasco, Agostura Bitters, Lea & Perrins and horseradish there on a permanent basis.  Then cocktails shakers, these should always be silver and/or glass, avoid stainless steel they always look nasty in the drawing room.  Mixers are important and I have a wire basket under my bar with them all thrown in there, small bottles of tonic, soda and ginger ale.  Personally, I like Schweppes the best. Ice buckets are important and they add some life and colour to the table – all ice cubes are not the same, they need to be very large and frosty.  There is really nothing worse than a small ice cube melting in your drink.
Rita’s Shopping List for your Drinks Table:
Large bottle of Tabasco
Angostura Bitters
Lea and Perrins
Horseradish
Spanish almonds
Jar of olives
Mini chopping board for lemons
Mini cans or better still small skinny glass bottles of Schweppes  mixers
Cocktail shaker
Laguna B glasses (I like all of them)
Large twisty plastic ice trays for large frosty ice cubes
Colourful ice bucket from The Lacquer Company
A large lamp, always makes the table feel more inviting
Rita Konig for The Lacquer Company is available here www.thelacquercompany.com
www.ritakonig.com
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