Home Bars
| How
cool is it to have a Home Bar? Way
cool! When I worked at the Grand Floridian Beach Resort at
Disney World I watched a crew of guys build a tiki-type bar
on the beach to be used for that crappy Hulk Hogan bomb of
a show called Thunder something. At night, after
working the beach bar, I'd sneak down there, lift the tarps
and hang out in the cool tv-set structure bar entertaining
the idea to build one in my own backyard. Hasn't happened
yet...maybe one day. |
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Bartender Tips
The Top 5 Home Bar Mistakes
Having worked hundreds of private parties behind
hundreds of home bars, about 95% of them were not bartender friendly.
Many mistakes are made simply because the owners have never tended
bar.
1. No ice well. The ice well is crucial. An excellent
makeshift ice well is to cut out a hole in the counter to fit
a large insulated cooler with a detachable top and a drain spout.
Underneath either attach a hose to the drain or have a bucket
to catch the melted ice.
2. Bar top is not flush. Most bar tops are smooth with
no molding. And if they do have molding it’s minimal. Home
bar owners normally stick thick bulgy molding to the edge, which
causes many spilled drinks at parties of which you have to clean.
3. No room for a large trashcan. You must have room for
a trashcan. No ifs, and buts about it. Invest in the tall space
saving commercial trashcans found in real bars.
4. No bar towels. You need them.
5. No dump sink. You must have access to a sink and running
water. The only other thing that you can do is to have two buckets.
One filled with water and the other to dump used contents from
glassware. You can always use the trashcan as a dump, but the
ice melts and you end up with a very heavy wet bag that could
bust.
Makeshift Bar Ideas
| By far, the best makeshift bar for a party is when the kitchen
sink and surrounding area can be used as the bar. The sink
can be your ice bin and the side with the disposal can be
your dump sink. Make sure that you thoroughly scrub and clean
the sink and entire area before beginning. |
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Set up all your glassware on the side of the sink holding the
ice and all the mixers and essentials on the other side on top
of linens or some sort of lining. You’ll also have to establish
a work area (the space you need to make drinks). Buy bar mats
or lay out some bar towels to serve as a work area. Display bottles
on the bar top in front so that people can see what you have to
offer and make sure that you leave room in the middle to service
guests. Kitchen counter space can hold back up supplies, coolers
can hold backup ice, and the fridge can keep things cool. Don’t
forget a big trashcan and always block off access to the kitchen.
| Portable bars can be great but you always have to embellish
them. The ultimate would be to set up two portable bars side
by side and have a folding table or two behind you. This gives
you room for a dump sink, storage, big trashcans, and backup
supplies. Check in the home and garden departments because
they have fairly inexpensive bars that you could bring indoors
to jazz up. |
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If you can’t use the kitchen sink or have a portable
bar then you’ll have to build a bar. Invest in four
lightweight-folding tables or rent them. Two are for the front
bar and two for the back of the bar that will hold supplies.
The most important challenge is building up a riser on the
front bar. This serves as the bar top and should measure about
46” from the floor. |
You can make a riser from weighted milk crates and
a wide board to lay across then covered with linens. Some rectangular
coffee tables work well. You can also custom make a one-piece
folding riser if you have the skills or you can rent one. The
most important thing to know is the riser must be solid and firm
because it will be holding items and some people lean on it. It's
best that it’s attached to the table for the best security.
Of course you can just leave the riser off, but that’s so
cheesy.
