Nothing can be as satisfactory as having a private nook around the home for yourself where you can relax with your favorite book in one hand and a glass of wine in another. Well, you can drown in that tranquillity by setting up a bar at your home.
Home bars have seen an upsurging trend among homeowners these days. A finely designed home bar creates a highly functional and attractive space for entertainment. They can be used as a centerpiece in kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, and basements.
The best part is setting up a home bar doesn’t have to be a daunting task. You can successfully have a home bar with some stock of your specialty drinks, an ice tray, a bit of creativity, and a touch of your personal style.
Here are a few tips to help you create a unique home bar that every friend of yours is going to envy –
Stock it Smartly
While it is true that you created a home bar thinking it will be a great place to hang out with your friends, you will actually be the most frequent visitor to your home bar. So, you must stock only the drinks you enjoy. Don’t go on collecting fancy drink bottles that you aren’t aware of. Rather, have the collection that you adore.
It is best to start with one to two bottles of your favorite brands. You can choose any/all Whiskey, Rum, Brandy, Vodka, Tequila, or Wine variants. Also, make space for mixers like bitters, simple syrup, triple sec, soda water, vermouth, and a couple of canned juice bottles to add more flavors to your drink.
Get Suitable Glassware
Every drink has to be served uniquely, which is why you need to have a variety of glassware in your stock. You can be just fine without them, but having few pairs of low ball glasses, pint glasses, and red wine glasses at the starting and later investing in some coup glasses, martini glasses, and highball glasses will be of great utility and will also add aesthetic appeal to your home bar.
However, don’t buy those glasses if you don’t usually indulge in that type of drink. Save your shelf storage for other items.
Choose an Appropriate Table Surface
The bar surface is the most visible part of the bar that faces all the roughness and hence, has to be durable yet beautiful in appearance. While the tables look exquisite with granite or marble slabs, it cannot be afforded by everyone. However, in that case, you can choose dark and grained wooden options.
Keeping in mind while choosing a table for your home bar is the surface should be sturdy enough and not prone to scratches or cracks.
Use Bar Decorations
Home bars are a great way to showcase your style and creativity. People use different means to decorate their bar space – personalized bar signs, accent lighting, copper bar carts, vintage flowers, fish tanks, bottle lights, and the list goes on.
These add on decorative elements add a distinctive and intriguing look to space without spending a lot.
Invest in Basic Bar Tools
Other than the drinks and glassware, there are other equipment and standard ingredients as well that you might need:
- A good-sized shaker to mix the ingredients and aerate the drink
- A corkscrew to open wine bottles
- A sturdy knife to cut citrus fruits
- A jigger to measure alcohol
- A muddler to crush herbs and sugar cubes
- A cocktail spoon to stir
- A blender
- A wine rack to store wines
- A set of hand towels to wipe off hands
