By Leigh O’Connor.
There’s a moment - somewhere between "just one more email” and "wait, is that the moon?” - when the day loosens its tie. The light goes syrupy, the shadows stretch like cats and everything looks a little more forgiving.
That’s golden hour: nature’s soft-focus filter and your cue to roll out The Golden Hour Bar Cart. Not a heavy-hitter, chest-thumping, night-is-young situation. This is low-proof, high-style drinking, built for clinking glasses while the sky blushes and the air cools.
Think Spritz energy: bright, breezy and a touch theatrical. Your bar cart doesn’t need to be huge; it just needs to be ready. A bucket of ice that sounds like applause when you scoop it. A few beautiful bottles with the kind of labels you don’t mind leaving out. Citrus, chilled glassware, a fizzy something and a playlist that knows how to exhale.
Japanese Whisky Highball - the clean-line classic
Golden hour loves a highball because it’s basically sunlight in drink form: tall, sparkling and refreshingly uncomplicated. The Japanese version is a masterclass in restraint. Grab a highball glass, fill it to the top with ice (more ice = more chill = more elegance). Add a generous pour of Japanese whisky - light, a little floral, maybe a whisper of smoke - then top with very cold soda.
Stir once, maybe twice, like you’re tucking the drink into bed. Finish with a lemon peel if you’re feeling cinematic. It’s crisp, it’s dry, it makes even a Tuesday feel like a rooftop.
Vermouth Spritz - bitter-sweet, like the best chats
Vermouth is golden hour’s secret handshake. A good one tastes like herbs got together and decided to be charming. Keep your bottle in the fridge, always. In a wine glass full of ice, pour vermouth over the top - white for a fresh, alpine vibe or rosso for something moodier.
Add a splash of soda and, if you want a little more sparkle, a hint of tonic. Citrus slice, maybe an olive, maybe both if you’re mischievous. This is the drink for slow gossip, for leaning on the balcony rail, for feeling faintly European regardless of your postcode.
Shochu + Soda - the quiet cool kid
Shochu is gentle, coastal, quietly confident. It doesn’t shout; it shimmers. Serve it like a highball: ice, a pour of shochu, then soda to lift it into a soft, breezy cloud. If you’ve got a barley or sweet potato shochu, you’ll get a nuttier, earthier note; rice shochu leans cleaner and brighter.
A sliver of cucumber or a twist of yuzu (or lime, no one’s policing your cart) makes it feel even more golden hour-approved. This is your "I want a drink, not a saga” option.
The Ultimate Cold Glass of White - the soft landing
Sometimes the bar cart doesn’t need to do anything clever. Sometimes it just needs a bottle of white so cold it fogs the glass. Something with zing - Riesling, Vermentino, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc - anything that tastes like a clean shirt and a sea breeze.
Pour it into a glass that’s been living in the freezer for a bit (yes, do this) and take that first sip while the light turns peach. Suddenly you’re not in a rush. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
Golden hour isn’t about drinking more; it’s about drinking better for the moment you’re in. Low-proof keeps the edges soft, bubbles keep the mood buoyant and a cart on wheels says: tonight might go anywhere, but it’s starting right here - under this light, with this clink, with you.
Cheers to the gentle glow.
