This Free Hack for Anyone Without a Cooler Is So Smart, I Had to Steal It

I used to live in an apartment with a glorious private rooftop, which made certain parts of hosting a breeze. Namely: I had plenty of space for two large rolling coolers to fill with all kinds of beverages. In my current place, though, I just have a small balcony, which has encouraged me to look into creative tips for having friends over (like turning my bed into a coat closet). 

With summer approaching, I knew I needed a new way to stash my drinks and keep them cold for guests. I decided to peruse TikTok, and it turns out that extra drink storage space has been right under my nose! Enter: the split sink hack for storing drinks. 

In her TikTok, user @SamStaysHome shows how she uses her double bowl sink as a makeshift cooler by placing three bowls and a container upside down on one side of the sink, to fill some space and elevate the surface. Then, she pours ice over and inserts several canned drinks. It’s like a makeshift cooler and beverage station in one! 

Though I had to get rid of the big rolling coolers I used to use on my rooftop, I do have an Igloo picnic basket cooler. And as cute and reliable as it is, it’s not optimal for storing both smaller drinks, such as cans, and large liquor, wine, or tea bottles. Since I was hosting an intimate Easter brunch this year, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test out this split sink hack. 

Though the TikTok version uses three bowls and a container, my split sink is smaller, so I opted for putting just one large bowl upside down and filled the left side completely with most of a 9-pound bag of ice.

My “sink cooler” was the perfect amount of space for three large bottles (plus I could probably fit a couple more bottles, too). This hack was also helpful for freeing up the picnic cooler for just cans (I used what was left in the ice bag plus an ice cube tray’s worth of ice). Best of all, the right side of my sink was still free to use for my guests to wash their hands or a glass if needed. 

The ice in my sink cooler held up for about six hours without needing any refills, and once the bottles were out, I didn’t have to actually clean anything up — I simply let the ice melt! Having the large bottles easily accessible to me as the host made it a breeze to whip up some Aperol Spritzes and serve iced tea without having to make several trips to the refrigerator. 

If you have a rosé with a beautiful label or a special occasion tequila bottle, I definitely recommend trying this split sink hack and leaving your beverages accessible and on display. With or without an extra cooler, it’s a great way to elevate your hosting skills and make use of an area that typically goes unused during a party.