The dad with a built or half-built alfresco kitchen and a power point out there already, not someone whose outdoor area is a folding table on the grass.
What it is
A 118 litre outdoor-rated glass door drinks fridge measuring 840 x 556 x 520mm, holding 0C to 10C with electronic temperature control and a digital display. It has a mullion heater to stop the glass fogging, two heavy duty chrome shelves, interior LED lighting, an integral lock, auto defrost with a self-evaporating drip tray and a stainless steel compressor base plate. Power input is 123 watts, refrigerant is R600a, and Husky states a 3 year warranty.
Why we picked it
Most bar fridges shoved into an alfresco area are indoor units slowly dying of humidity, and this is the fix: built for outdoor use, with a mullion heater so you can actually see what is in it. The 0C to 10C range means it holds beer properly cold in a Queensland February rather than merely cool, and the lock matters more than it sounds if the outdoor kitchen is accessible to a party. Once drinks live outside, nobody has to walk through the house, which is the single biggest reason gatherings break up early. It is a serious purchase, but it is the appliance that finishes an outdoor kitchen rather than another gadget for it.