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.

 

Bars to Build

	Tiki Bar Kit		Building a bar from Barback.com
	Home Bar Plans		Easy home bar plans
	Build a Basement Bar		Ask the Builder Wet Bar Tips
	Barplans.com		Tiki bars

Bars to Buy

	Custom Bars.com		Boskos Tiki bars
	Portable bar		Home Bars by Primo
	Dan Vegh's home bars		Old world globe bar
	Rooms by us		Bamboo Tiki Bars

Home Bartender Tips

	The Bartenders's Cheatsheet		Superfly's stocking your bar page
	Make your own liqueurs at home		Stocking your bar from ibooze.com

 

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.

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.

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.