It’s decadent. It’s delicious. And the set-up is as easy as pie. A Drinks and Dessert Bar is an ideal party idea for a birthday, bridal or baby shower, family gathering or holiday gift swap. Plus, most items can be made ahead of time—which leaves you more time to enjoy the party. Sweet!

There are so many options, but here are a few of our favorite Dessert Bar ideas to inspire you.

Cookie Bar

Crispy and crunchy or chewy and gooey—you can’t go wrong with cookies! Break out your family recipes, grab an assortment from your local bakery or ask guests to bring some of their favorites for a cookie swap. 

At Colonial, we’ve paired Girl Scout Cookies with Wine, made cookies using Bourbon in the recipe and helped countless party host/hostesses create cookie-inspired cocktails. So we know how big the cookie craze is. 

Bar for Bars

In the south we LOVE our bars – edible ones that is! Made ahead of time and cut into a perfect square or rectangle for easy eating, dessert bars are a great option for a casual gathering. You can serve lemon bars, Neiman Marcus bars, or even rice crispy treats that your guests will love.  

Some of Everything Bar

This is your time to shine! Bake all the cookies, pies, cakes, and bars your heart desires. Create a wonderland of sweet treats for guests. Add little touches like powdered sugar to bundt cakes and bowls of colorful candy in between the baked goods. Leave no sweet treat stone unturned in this all-out mega display of dessert. 

Baby shower? 

Make cake pops dipped in white chocolate. Color the white chocolate with food coloring to match the shower colors or the gender of the baby! 

Christmas Gift Swap? 

Decorate your sweet treats with red and green sprinkles! 

Wedding shower? 

Dip strawberries in dark chocolate to resemble a tuxedo or white chocolate with edible pearls to look like a wedding dress. The sky is the limit! 

CHOCOLATE – pairs well with Brachetto D'Acqui like Rosa Regale

NUTS and NUT BUTTERS – pair well with tawny Ports

5 TYPES OF DESSERT WINE:

• Sparkling Dessert Wine

• Lightly Sweet Dessert Wine

• Richly Sweet Dessert Wine

• Sweet Red Wine

• Fortified Wine

Now that we have the desserts covered, let’s talk drinks! Everyone loves a good party punch! Even better, it’s a self-serve drink. Here’s one of our favorites:

• 1 bag of frozen cranberries
• 1 large orange, sliced and then frozen
• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2 cups apple juice
• 2 cups Suntory Haku Japanese Vodka
• 2-Liter bottle of ginger ale

Combine all liquid ingredients except ginger ale into a pitcher and stir well. Cover pitcher and store in fridge until completely cooled. Once chilled and ready to serve, add frozen fruit and ginger ale.

The frozen fruit in this punch acts as ice, keeping your punch chilled, but doesn’t dilute your drinks – score!

Having a party where you serve all the drinks can be time consuming. Keep the stress to a minimum and keep your guests happy with one signature cocktail that’s tasty and easy to make on the fly. 

• 2 oz. Gosling’s Dark Rum
• 5 oz. Gosling’s Ginger Beer
• lime wedge

Pour rum over ice in your favorite glass, fill with ginger beer, squeeze with lime wedge and enjoy!

P.S. this pairs well with pineapple upside down cake!

Here’s another great self-serve station idea for your guests. This is especially useful if you have a large party and can set up your Dessert Bar in one location of the gathering space, and the bubbles in another area. This will allow for easier mingling and can prevent unwanted bottlenecks. Check out our Champagne Bar Guide for details.

Water Station

Allow guests to cleanse their palates and rehydrate. Dress up your water pitchers with slices of lemon, limes or cucumber.

So you’ve got the items you’re serving figured out. Desserts: check. Drinks: check. Now what? Here are a few ideas to inspire your creative juices and wow your guests!

Signs 

Are the desserts made by different guests? Make printable signs to label them. That way guests will know who made which delicious treat.

Décor

Whether you have vases of fresh flowers scattered around the party or paper cutouts of Christmas trees decorating your stations, there are tons of ways small decorations can add a real wow factor to the festivities!

Leave guests feeling warm and welcomed with a little take home present. They’ll remember your party for months to come! Here are some ideas:

1. Recipe Cards

Was there a special treat featured at your party? Guests will be delighted to take home the recipe and recreate it in their own home!

2. Bubbles

At Colonial Wines and Spirits, we have a large selection of individual-sized bottles of sparkling wine. Grab a small bottle of Prosecco for each of your guests, tie with a colorful piece of ribbon and give to guests as they leave.

3. Tins of Treats

This is an especially good idea of your party is a cookie or pastry swap! Supply your guests with a take-home container to fill. You’ll look like a rock star of preparedness!