Price Points: Outdoor drinks coolers

Outdoor drinks coolers

I’m sure you’ll be able to tell straight away which of these three outdoor drinks coolers I’d choose to own.

I absolutely love the egg yolk yellow drinks cooler from Outside Gang (#2) – it would match perfectly with our yellow bistro table & chairs. It’s available in a range of other colours, long or short legs and optional bamboo chopping board and champagne cooler. It can hold up to 10 bottles of wine or 25 bottles of beer in 2 litres worth of ice.

I could probably also opt for the Keter cool bar in another colour; perhaps the slate grey with lime green interior. I think the telescopic lid-to-tabletop mechanism is a great idea. I’ve even seen an illuminated option for this model.

The four hundred pound version has all the bells & whistles that you’d expect for something in this price range; huge capacity, exterior shelves & baskets, temperature control and castors for ease of movement. The only drawback for me is that it’s electric. A power cable will have to weave its way out of the house through a door or window to the spot in the garden that I want the cooler. The combination of an electrical lead and alcohol is an accident waiting to happen!

  1. Keter cool bar: £85.95, Amazon
  2. Drinks cooler: from £129.00, Outside Gang
  3. Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler: £399.99, Robert Dyas

shop outdoor drinks coolers

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95

Price Points: Water carbonators

Water carbonators

I may have mentioned at some point in the past that I’m not a great fan of drinking plain water. Also, if I really have to drink a glass of the stuff, I prefer fizzy water to flat. Finally, if I really, really must drink water, my favoured way of imbibing is adding a large glug of elderflower cordial.

I don’t like buying bottles of water – even less, if the bottles are plastic. The water that comes out of our taps makes its short journey from the Teifi Pools and tastes lovely! A water carbonator would be a great addition to our kitchen appliance repertoire. It would encourage me to drink more water.

Here are three water carbonators that I found online. I thought that a classic SodaStream would be the most affordable, however, their basic model comes in at £70.00. The Aarke carbonator is an absolute modernist beauty, and is available in a range of colours to complement any kitchen décor; black, gold, brass, copper, steel, white. However, I’d have to be sure that I’d be drinking a lot of fizzy water, every day of the week, to shell out over £100.00.

  1. MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black: £52.80, Finnish Design Shop
  2. SodaStream Spirit Machine, black: £69.99, Argos
  3. Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver: £107.23, Amazon

shop water carbonators

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80

Review: Crozier Drinks

Crozier Drinks mango, lime & cayenne margarita in a glass

Crozier Drinks is a brand new company, launching only last week. They offer a home delivery service of pre-mixed, luxury cocktails using the best-quality fresh ingredients. You can make one off purchases or set up a regular subscription. It makes a lovely treat for yourself or an amazing gift for someone else.

Crozier Drinks box that came through the post

All the packaging is recyclable – we’ve kept the box to send items sold on our web shop and the inner cardboard filler has gone on to our compost heap. The very nice aluminium bottle is totally re-usable for storing & carrying other liquids – or displaying a few cut flowers, perhaps.

Inside of Crozier Drinks unboxing

We opted to try the Mango Lime & Cayenne Pepper Margarita. The beautifully labelled bottle contains gold tequila, mango juice, lime juice, sugar syrup and cayenne pepper – suitable for vegetarians and vegans. This mixture 14% ABV.

Some of the other mixes in their range include marmalade & ginger daiquiri, kiwi & lime mojito, bakewell sour and apple pie martini.

Mango, lime & cayenne margarita

The margarita is very quaffable; the delicious fruitiness of the sweet mango is balanced with a tangy sourness of lime. The cayenne pepper adds a depth of flavour & spicy warmth. Truly delicious!!

Included in the package is an info sheet containing useful garnish ideas and serving suggestions for their whole range of cocktails.

Mango, lime & cayenne margarita with salt & cayenne rim

Each Crozier Drinks bottle holds a 500ml amount of cocktail. The number of cocktails you get will depend on the size of your glass. Somewhere between two and four… or one whopping big one if you’re feeling particularly thirsty!!

Get their look: The Staying Inn home bar

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by abigaillaurax (@abigaillaurax)

We thought that this home bar was a very sweet idea. This year’s Covid crisis, and its associated social lockdowns, has meant restricted opening hours for pubs, bars and clubs… and often no opening hours at all.

So, if you’ve fancied a drink or two, there’s often been no alternative to having them at home. ‘The Staying Inn’ adds a little bit of fun to the experience. It also serves as the perfect backdrop for those online get-togethers on Zoom and FaceTime. You could even go on a virtual pub crawl if your friends install similar bars. Get thinking of some equally good names!

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign