POLL: Do you have a home bar?

8 years ago

Wouldn't it be great to invite a few friends over and mix some cocktails at home? Or do you prefer to leave the cocktail shaking to the professionals? We'd love to hear if you have a bar or a drinks trolley at home, so cast your vote and don't forget to share photos.

Yes

Other - tell us below!

Featured Answer

valeriecobham

8 years ago

We converted a recess in the wall left when a large fish tank was removed to our bar by adding backing mirrors and glass shelves.

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Comments (53)

maggieandrichard
8 years ago
Not in a million years!
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PRO
My Bespoke Room
8 years ago
I'm always looking for unique ways to display bottles in the home. Recently saw this which I loved on a recent trip to the U.S.
PRO
Stella Michael
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Don't have a home bar, partly as I don't like having it all out on display. It gets dusty and looks a bit messy for my tastes. I prefer to have much nicer things out on display to look at. I do have a cupboard that contains all the alcohol & ingredients though. Some nice bottles of gin (my staple), Pimms always (whatever the weather), some Havana Club for mojitos, a few bottles of nice wine and good champagne ... and for party drinks/cocktails ... the cinnamon liquor, blue curacao, angostura bitters etc as well as various unusual thinks ... the national drink of Peru, something from Czech republic ... something pink from Singapore. I tend to store mixers in the fridge so they are always ready. We have 2 24 hour shops within a mins walk so can easily grab more, same with lemons and limes (although always have a couple). I have tonnes of glasses, new, old, modern, unusual. I sometimes pick them up in second hand, or are given them by other people if I admire them. (I go through them about once a year to give some away I'm not using). I like to use nice glasses all the time and also for lots of things not just for the purpose for which they were intended. I also use things like the lemon juicer, cork screw, shaker and stirrers in the kitchen and don't want to double up on things so just take them out when needed.

For parties, like philip mills depending on the type of gathering, just convert part of the kitchen counter or dresser and people help themselves or one of us mixes the drinks. I do have a couple of trolleys that can also work and lots of lovely copper trays that I use depending on where the party is.
Olena Tkach
8 years ago
We usually have a wide range of syrups and beverages, including alcohol, in our home bar. As we almost don't drink alcohol ourselves, some bottles may rest there for years =). Sometimes I take the drinks to cook something (fruit drinks are good in baking and wine and beer are good for fish and meat), so it turns out we eat more drinks than we drink =)
Andrew Millar
8 years ago
don't drink,and they remind me of two uncles who had them.bar towels ,optics,beer pumps and lots of brass rubbish.tacky!!! oh the 70's were terrible.
Dawn
8 years ago
We have a rack on the wall which usually holds gifts of wine and some non-alcoholic drinks. We also have a sideboard that used to be a drinks cabinet. We have liquor in there. It stays for years as we maybe drink a bottle of wine a month!
Sophie Spence
8 years ago

This is my little bar - i would love a retro drinks trolley though!
PRO
lydia_yadira
8 years ago
We have an outside and an inside bar, some times we eat at the inside bar and it feels like we are out for dinner :) I love it! It is refreshing to have a nice conversation and a drink with my husband in a space that feels that is not our house
Lynda Garner
8 years ago
I use an old glass fronted (and lid) hifi unit to store our drinks in, don't often have parties so no point in a bar.
User
8 years ago
However tasteful an attempt might be to put bottles of booze on display, the Del Boy association would never be far from anyone's thoughts. I have no desire to proudly display food, (that's why we have cupboards) so why is drink any different?
milfordmaid
8 years ago
Too many small ones, teens + young adults to dream of such a thing in my abode. Small ones don't need to think of alcohol as a common-place commodity like butter, teens are just too inquisitive + young adults (+ their pals) can buy their own. Like my drinkies + you are more than welcome to join me, but pour your own, drink at your own pace + replace bottle in cupboard. I don't mind if you empty the entire bottle (or two) - put empties out for recycling. Cheers, mine's a swift shandy!
Andrew Millar
8 years ago
del-boy...brilliant.. ha ha!!!
PRO
User
8 years ago
I think a very visible home bar can be a bit Pat Butcher in Eastenders with a big pineapple decoration on it but I can cope with a more design led cabinet. Like TVs, bar need doors!
minnie101
8 years ago
We are very lucky to have a room in the basement which is a bit of a party/ pool room ( yes it has low ceilings!) i bought the bar off of ebay very cheaply and painted in chalk paint ( silly move with alcohol spillage!). What you can't see in the pic is that the floor also has different wine names over it! Probably tacky to most but we love it!
JJ Scupham
8 years ago
I don't have a bar I have a 50's painted glass fronted cocktail cabinet I picked up in a second hand shop for £15 - One of my wisest purchases as it keeps my glasses on show and I love to have the makings to offer a Manhattan, a Tequila Mockingbird or my favorite a Moscow Mule as there is usually a story to go with a classic cocktail which can change an awkward subject or enhance a good atmosphere.
soozmacrae
8 years ago
Don't get me wrong, there are some lovely cocktail cabinets out there, but its still a little too 'cheesey' for me.
hardimcwilliams
8 years ago
Secret hidden cupboard inside the wall. Walls of the room are claded in mahogany wood panels.
avena001
8 years ago
Home (wet) bars are big in America aren't they, but generally aren't favoured in UK. Perceived as old-fashioned and cheesy....someone mentioned Del Boy! That about sums it up for several of the generations.
stephboyle
8 years ago
A table in the garage - does that count? No space in the house.
PRO
Sorrells Custom Wine Rooms
8 years ago
Our clients prefer to call their home bars - tasting rooms....but essentially they are the same thing.
PRO
Stella Michael
8 years ago
avena001 from experience I think you're right. I think it reflects how cultures socialise ... I find here in the UK people tend to not socialise as much at home whereas in the US it's also more common. In Australia, we also tend to socialise more at home so some people have/had bars although they are a bit of a dated concept now unless you have a particularly large home and even then I think other things take priority. From experience, we socialise more informally and are more relaxed about it than in the UK. We also tend to have people over to eat ... BBQs etc rather than just drink.

Growing up in Sydney, if we were having a party we would tend to fill the bath or other large tubs outside, or both with ice (you can buy it in 10kg bags at any service/petrol station there) and have all the cold drinks in that ... beer. wine, soft drinks etc. We also had a second fridge, in the garage which was often used as a party space for shade or in case of rain. It's due to a more casual way of entertaining and also because most homes were/are free standing and single level so all this is easier. Garages are often designed with this in mind and have large double doors onto the garden, may have vinyl flooring and cupboards to store things away. Many a 21st birthday party has been celebrated in a suburban double garage!
User
8 years ago
To Milfordmaid, well done and well said.
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
In the American South (US), hospitality is a cardinal virtue. Often, the first question after a hearty greeting is "what are you drinking?" I have a built-in bar in the passageway between the kitchen and dining room. It has liquors stored in the lower cabinets, bar tools on the bench top, and stemware in the glass-fronted upper cabinets. The dining room has a campaign bar, and the lower parlor has another built in bar and beverage station. Of course, I keep lots of non-alcoholic beverages on hand for those that choose not to drink alcohol. By the way, I find children who are exposed to responsible drinking are much more well adjusted than those that are taught that drinking is evil!
Dawn
8 years ago
I have an antique, oak, Art Deco rounded front drinks cabinet (it's for sale) which holds booze, glasses and has drawers for everything else. It is a nice unit but I am moving to the states and it just won't go!
Jonathan
8 years ago
I recently saw someone's enormous kitchen that had been refitted.
One area was designated the drinks area and bottles and glasses were stored away in tambours with wine fridges below. There were also thoughtful drawers where the homeowner had bar snacks and cocktail napkins.
PRO
Carpet and Flooring Concepts
8 years ago
We do have a beautiful antique drinks cabinet that holds both the drinks and the glasses that also locks! We have two small children and thought it best to put it somewhere they couldnt get at it.
PRO
User
8 years ago
I love to make cocktails at home
PRO
User
8 years ago
Reason to buy beautiful vintage drinks trolley
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yes I do... It's small but not filled with bottles which I don't think is stylish ... : ))
PRO
Sandown Services
8 years ago
Not yet but definitely going to build a bespoke one.
PRO
The Depot Box Ltd
8 years ago
No but I'm virtually teetotal
PRO
Nathan Kingsbury Limited
8 years ago
I've had the pleasure of making a couple of bars for clients, perhaps at some point when I have time can make my own... Home Bar & Party Room Woodhurst Lane Oxted
PRO
Studio Wallcoverings
8 years ago
We wish!!!
PRO
The New & Reclaimed Flooring Company
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Who said that a home bar and a wine cellar in the same space is too much? Definitely not the unicorn...

American Black Walnut Chateau De Versailles Floor Panels · More Info
PRO
Hardscapes Paving & Patios
8 years ago
no but i want one!!!
PRO
Architectural Bronze Casements
8 years ago
Several of our clients have home bars and/or wine cellars. Depending on how they're done, they can be really fantastic to look at!

Country Home Bar · More Info
PRO
Burke & Marshall
8 years ago
We created this contemporary drinks cabinet as part of our studio range
Drinks cabinet · More Info
ianthy
7 years ago
No I don't have one but in the 70's my parents certainly had a cocktail bar in the corner of the front room.
Jen Connell
7 years ago
We have a makeshift one! Works a treat :)
PRO
Lifeshapes
7 years ago
Part of our bespoke furniture range of includes seating for the bar/counter. If you've got the space for it and have the type of social life that centres around evenings well spent with friends enjoying a few drinks, then why not? Lots of our clients, also have a combined bar and games room, which is also nice.
PRO
Bath Bespoke Joinery Co Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

We have just created this individual bar in leather granite gloss black and glass. Every home should have one bottoms up!!
PRO
SwansonDesign
6 years ago
Out of bottles right now, but here's my bar area...
PRO
lydia_yadira
6 years ago
I love the credenza, love antiques :)
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lydia_yadira
6 years ago
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Juliettes Interiors Ltd
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Drinks trolleys are having a resurgence, and our clients are loving them. No longer stuck in the seventies or providing props for 'Acorn Antiques'.

Our modern drinks trolley 'Juniper' is a British designer super-functional drinks station where everything is you need is at your fingertips. It is bang up to date and includes a built-in mini fridge, storage drawers and bottle shelves. Perfect.

We love it!

https://www.juliettesinteriors.co.uk/product/the-most-perfect-modern-gin-trolley/
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Bath Bespoke
6 years ago
Love the idea of a home bar. The team recently crafted a wine wall and home bar cabinet for our client in Bath. Love it!

https://www.bathbespoke.co.uk/portfolio/bearflat-home-renovation/
PRO
My Bespoke Room
6 years ago

This vintage Ladderax shelving unit makes a fab bar area in one of our recent room designs. A selection of your favourite drinks bottles can be displayed on a tray on top of the cabinet and the rest of the bottles stored away in the cupboard. Shop the look by checking out our inspiration page here.

https://www.mybespokeroom.com/inspiration/698
Keran P
5 years ago
I have just completed one knocking through some stables
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evely co
last year
Same here, but I did it for some other reasons.

POLL: Do you have a home bar?

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