Your Guide to Entertaining With a Beverage Cooler

When the sun’s out and you’ve got your family and friends over, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re an experienced host, chances are you’ll offer your guests a drink to get the party started. What better way to kick off your gathering than with a refreshing glass of Coke, beer or fruit juice?

The operative word there is ‘refreshing.’ You don’t just need to get the drinks right, you need to get the temperature right too. Nobody wants a lukewarm drink, they want a chilled one, which is where drinks coolers come in.

Specifically designed to accommodate everything from cans to wine bottles, beverage coolers (otherwise known as drinks fridges or beer fridges) are the perfect appliance for those who love to entertain. If you want to impress your guests and keep them happy, a beverage cooler should absolutely be on your shopping list – but how do you know which type of cooler to choose?

In this guide, we’ll not only offer a number of top tips to help you track down a cooler that’s right for you, but explain how to use it correctly and maximise your (and your guests’) enjoyment. Find out everything you need to know about buying and using a beverage cooler right here.

What makes a beverage cooler different from a mini fridge?

First off, let’s clear up a common misconception. Mini fridges and beverage coolers, although similar, aren’t the same thing. We’ve written a separate article on this subject already, but in a nutshell, mini fridges are designed to store food as well as drink, so tend to operate at a slightly cooler temperature.

If you’re solely looking for a way to store drinks at the perfect temperature, a beverage cooler is your best bet. Not only do they look the part, they keep your drinks (wine included) at the optimal temperature: not too cold, not too warm. Just right.

What are the benefits of beverage coolers?

Now that’s settled, let’s run through the benefits beverage coolers have to offer. Why should you add one to your home?

• They’re perfect for outdoor entertaining: Beverage coolers aren’t just handy for indoor use – they make a great addition to an outdoor space. Keep one in your shed or summer house and enjoy beautifully chilled drinks all summer long!
• They free up space in your fridge: If you’re tired of having to cram food into your fridge and never seem to have enough space, get your hands on a separate beverage cooler. You’ll find it much easier to store your weekly shop with room to spare, allowing you to see everything that’s in your fridge at a glance.
• They make it easier to stay organised: Following on from the previous point, beverage coolers are great for those who like to stay organised. By keeping your food and drink separate and creating a little more space, you’ll be able to categorise and group similar foods together, saving you hassle.
• They’re stylish: Most beverage coolers make a statement, with glass doors and subtle lighting to perfectly showcase your favourite drinks. Somehow, a drinks cooler makes your favourite beverage all the more enticing.
• They’re affordable to buy and run: Compared to full-size refrigerators, beverage coolers are pretty affordable to buy. The savings don’t stop there; because they usually operate at a slightly higher temperature than fridges, they often use less energy too.
• They’re relatively compact: Sure, you can find industrial-sized coolers if that’s what you’re looking for. But for most of us, a compact model is large enough to house all our favourite drinks with room to spare. The relatively modest dimensions of an average beverage cooler allows them to be kept in a variety of different locations without compromising the functionality of the space.

How to choose a beverage cooler

So, you want a beverage cooler – but how do you find the right one? Here are a few factors to consider when you’re shopping…

• Cooler type: A variety of different styles of beverage cooler are out there to choose from. Here at Cookology, you’ll find a variety of table top and under-counter models, the latter being larger (close in size to a regular under-counter refrigerator). Consider where you’re going to be placing the beverage cooler and make sure you choose the style that’s right for you.
• Aesthetics: As with any other appliance, looks do matter – particularly if you’re going to be placing the cooler inside your home rather than in a summer house. 
• Size and portability: Drinks coolers range in size from small, portable models to enormous, commercial-grade versions. If you have limited space to work with or would like to be able to move your cooler from room to room, we’d recommend searching for a smaller, lighter model.
• Capacity: Closely linked to size is capacity: how many cans or bottles can the cooler accommodate? Think about how you plan to use the cooler; if you regularly have large gatherings at your home, you’ll need a cooler big enough to house a wide variety of different drinks.
• Features: From more budget-friendly options to all-singing, all-dancing models packed with intelligent features, there’s a broad spectrum of beverage coolers out there to choose from. 
• Efficiency: If keeping your energy bills as low as possible is a priority, make sure you check each cooler’s energy efficiency rating. Don’t forget to consider how noisy the appliance is, too: some coolers (thermoelectric ones in particular) operate more silently than others.
• Brand: Do you recognise the brand you’re shopping with? If not, do your research. Make sure you read reviews to see what other customers think before you hand over your hard-earned cash.

Tips for using a beverage cooler

Drinks coolers are simple to use, but there are a couple of things you should know in order to get the most out of them. Below, we’ve answered some of the most frequently-asked drinks cooler questions.

What is the ideal temperature for a beverage cooler?

If you’re planning on storing soft drinks in your cooler, you should set the temperature at somewhere between 1.5 and 7°C. This applies to both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks.

What temperature should a wine fridge be?

Wine should be stored at a slightly higher temperature, ideally. White wines are best kept at between 7 and 10°C, while reds favour temperatures of between 10 and 18°C. If you keep your wine at too low of a temperature, it will lose its signature taste – so make sure you check the temperature regularly.

What about beers?

Beers sit somewhere between both soft drinks and wines, preferring a temperature range of between 7 and 13°C.