A home bar is ideal to entertain guests-especailly when your guest appreciate a good drink. It’s just about how much money you put into your set up but also how much thought and planning you put into how to enjoy the things that you and your guests like. Here are a few tips on how to set up a home bar without breaking the bank.
Choose your bar furniture
As the hosting bartender, one idea to solidify is to choose the type of vibe you want to create. The options are endless but will be solely based on your personal preferences for the types of activities you tend to gravitate towards.
Find the right bar size
If you’re leaning towards purchasing a bar make sure you choose one that matches your style and your room size. There’s no sense in squeezing a 92″ bar into a tiny room, Bars come in a range of sizes, from 62″ to 92″ so make sure you take accurate measurements before committing to a size you think will fit.
There are also a dozen different colours and finishes. Make sure you choose a style that will compliment any additional pieces of games room furniture you may have in the same room.
Alternatively, if you’re more inclined to play games such as billiards, foosball or shuffleboard you may opt for a small bar trolley and focus your room on a games table with appropriate seating.
Choose your bar stools
Your choice of bar stools should reflect the amount of time you spend entertaining guests or just hanging out with your significant other. If you consider yourself quite the bar rat, go the extra mile for comfortable seating with back support.
Choose a back bar
If you’re really into your cocktails and happen to be more than your occasional bar rat, you may opt for a back bar. These additional pieces of furniture can be the perfect spot for storage as well as provide an attractive display for all of your bar essentials.
All Legacy bar furniture is guaranteed to last a lifetime without any manufacturer defects, so you can expect a high quality product that you won’t need to purchase repeatedly.
Stock your bar appropriately
You don’t need to go crazy buying tons of alcohol just to appear as if your bar is full, however, don’t just get the alcohol that you enjoy drinking. You’ll need a variety of options to stock your bar with to be the host with the most.
This video sums up a shortlist of the bare essentials to get you up and running. You could also consider making a new drink every month so that your inventory slowly accumulates to cover an adequate number of drink options.
Have an assortment of drink recipes handy
What’s your drink of choice? You probably know what goes in it and how much of each ingredient to use to make it just right. What about other drinks that your guests might want? Have some drink recipes handy so you don’t have to Google it each time and it gives you a drink itinerary to use to explore new cocktails.
Buy a book of drink ideas
There are hundreds of books out there that you can use to christen your bar. Stuck for ideas on what to put on your Christmas or birthday wishlist? Not any more. A book of drink recipes is the perfect gift item for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot on you but wants to get something meaningful.
Use an app on your phone
Another idea is to use an app. Mixology is an app you can get on Apple that has over 8500 different drink recipes. The best part is it’s completely free. Click here to check it out or do your own search as there are quite a few good ones out there for android and apple devices.
Print a poster of classic cocktails and favorite shots
Depending on your décor, you could opt to hang a poster of some of the most infamous cocktails. Most wives might veto the idea of having any type of “poster” up at all, but if the shoe fits…
Here’s a popular infographic that was made into a poster by thousands of bars. You may even recognize it and if not, you’ll definitely recognize some of the shots!
Make you bar your favourite spot to hang out
There are so many options and ideas on how to set up your home bar that it can get confusing at which direction to take. When it’s all said and done, make sure you make decisions based on what will make you feel the most comfortable. After all, it’s you who will be spending the most time at your bar so make it a fun experience customizing your hang-out spot to your personal preferences.
