Cold As Ice

CLOSE TO HOME Cold as Ice Here are solutions to backyard beverage questions By Shelley Sakala

There is an immutable, inescapable fact of outdoor living during the summer: You need drinks. Whether you’re hydrating or celebrating, a patio isn’t complete until your beverage plan is in place. Keeping your cold ones cold (and close by), saves you from all those back-and-forth trips into the house. And a supply of water bottles and juice boxes on the patio helps ensure that your fresh-from-the-pool kiddos aren’t tracking water into the kitchen. But what’s the best way to keep those drinks chilled and accessible? This month we look at five battle-tested backyard beverage storage solutions.

Keeps ice and drinks elegantly stored and properly chilled. The wheeled stand holds the cooler at table height from the ground, which means no bending over to search for your favorite drink. The almost limitless design choices mean you can pick a model that blends in with your patio décor—or makes a bold contrasting statement. And whether you load it up with five cases of suds or just a few Cokes for your family, the exterior appearance of the cooler never changes. Prices start at $160 on Amazon.

Conquer the night with the CoolerBrightz LED Cooler Light Accessory. Eight color choices to illuminate the interior of your cooler or ice bucket. $15 on Amazon.

We are in the golden age of ice chests. Coolers used to be mostly utilitarian containers for the beach or the lake. They were designed to keep drinks cold and food fresh for a weekend, while doubling as a campfire bench. And then somewhere along the way, coolers became status symbols with pressure-injected foam insulation and reinforced tie-downs. You can still grab a $25 ice chest that gets the job done. But the stakes have been raised. Why not go all in on an indestructible rotomolded military-grade cooler? It may not be elegant, but there’s no bigger flex than a $1,200 cooler that keeps your seltzer chilled for an entire week. Yeti.com.

Nothing says “party” like a giant metal tub filled with ice and drinks. No lid, no insultation and no pretense. It’s got the look and feel of a country bar or a company picnic. Best for large gatherings, as a single six-pack would seem lost and lonely in the middle of a trough. These low-tech lidless beauties let you know when the party is starting—and when it’s over. Look for one with a drain plug or be prepared to lift and tip 150 pounds of melted ice the next morning. Rent a galvanized stock tank locally for $25 a day at a-zparty.com.

The insulated beverage tub countertop beverage cooler is a perfect way to put 91 iced-down bottles of whatever you’re serving within easy reach of everyone around the table. Think of it as the greatest centerpiece ever created. $136 at rapidwholesale.com.

Remember that surf bar you visited on your vacation that served metal buckets filled with ice and Coronitas? Recreate that vibe in your background with a galvanized steel beer bucket. A simple and effective way to keep your drinks cold and handy while you dream of the days when people still traveled (heavy sigh). $11 and up on Amazon.