Your wife has laid down her verdict: a big fat “no” to the mini-bar in the living room proposal you filed last night while you were talking in bed. She doesn’t mind the cost, she just minds the idea of a bar taking up an entire corner of her home. Well, how about a really compact serving box like the Gin Wheel?
Made by Bombay Sapphire East Gin and design firm Avro|KO, it’s a portable serving tray that puts a small bartender stash into a round box. And while it brings nowhere near the alcoholic joys of a personal mini-bar where you can drown your sorrows deep into the night, it does make for an ideal serving tray for those nights you lounge around with the buddies, watching sports and playing sloppy hands of poker. Or, you know, just drowning your sorrows deep into the night while sitting in the back porch and staring into space.
The Gin Wheel is, basically, a Lazy Susan turntable for alcohol libations. Yes, it can be spun, so everyone sitting around the table can have access to its multiple compartments, which include a bottle chiller and ice bucket in the center, a recessed compartment for stashing garnishes and fruit slices, and a sliding door on one side which leads to a compartment for all your other bartending supplies (glasses, jiggers, coasters and all that). The rest of the box surface can serve as the cutting board for when you need to slice lemons and garnishes, as well as a holding area for your Sasquatch Cocktail Shaker.
Construction is walnut for the round box, with brushed stainless steel and aluminum hardware. Each set includes a complimentary 1 liter bottle of Bombay Sapphire East gin, 4 gin and tonic glasses, 4 wood coasters, stainless steel ice tongs, Zhen Japanese 3.5-inch paring knife, two jiggers (1oz and 2oz) and an 11-inch stirring spoon.
You can purchase the Gin Wheel from Future Perfect, priced at $500.