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 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. Here are some things to consider when building
a 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 constantly 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.
