Take Your Backyard Bar Up A Notch With One Worthwhile Addition

When summer sets in, the cookouts begin, heralding a season of fruits and veggies at peak ripeness, refreshing tropical cocktails, and delicious grilled Italian picnic sandwiches among other tasty dishes. One of the best ways to enjoy all the tasty flavors of summer is al fresco, as there are few things more relaxing than sipping from your latest pitcher of batch summer cocktails in the fresh air and sunshine. Of course, chilled drinks warm quickly in the sun, so to keep your sips ice-cold all season long, you'll need to upgrade your backyard bar with one crucial addition — a mini fridge.

Provided you opt for a model with ample storage and cooling power, similar to what college students look for in a dorm fridge, these compact little powerhouses can keep both wine coolers and artisanal sodas at the perfect temperature. This is especially convenient for gatherings — rather than dusting off coolers and wrangling unwieldy bags of ice, you can simply invite guests to pull drinks directly from a mini fridge that easily maintains a constant temperature and won't produce gallons of meltwater.

Whether you're purchasing a new mini fridge for your space or repurposing an older model, it's important to ensure it'll meet your needs. Test this by stocking it with bottles or cans of your favorite beverages to see how many you can easily fit inside. For instance, if the shelves aren't tall enough to fit beer bottles, you may want to opt for a model that can.

While size and capacity are important when deciding what kind of mini fridge to place in your outdoor bar, they're far from the only things to consider. Placement and whether it will be a permanent or temporary outdoor fixture are just as important, if not more. Determining these factors will help you understand how to maintain your mini fridge to keep it in good working condition so that it's a long-term investment that will keep your drinks nice and cold for many summers to come.

If you plan to turn your mini fridge into a temporary, budget-friendly wine bar exclusively during outdoor gatherings and celebrations, there's no need to consider long-term factors like seasonal changes or precipitation. However, you should always place it on a sturdy, waterproof surface in a shaded and ventilated area. Consider placing a concrete slab on your deck near an outdoor outlet, or setting up a similar dedicated space for the fridge to sit when you have it outside. That way, you can just pop it into place while using it, and then take it back indoors when the gathering has ended.

Those intending to keep a mini fridge outdoors on a semi-permanent basis should consider building a custom structure to keep it safe from the elements and summertime temperature fluctuations. Move it indoors during the winter to protect it from snow and ice, and cover the entire bar with a waterproof tarp when rain is predicted in your area. This will help ensure that your mini fridge stays in top condition to keep your drinks chilled.