We're waiting for our first samples to be completed and mailed. In the meantime, we've been spending time with bartenders and industry folk, and making cocktails at our home bar.
Shawn Michael built the bar in December; we thought it was time to have an intentional space for cocktail making.
There's a lot to consider when you start thinking about building a home bar. Functional place to drink some cheap lite beer? You can do that in front of the TV (no offense). Are you really into drinking games and have a stash of red solo cups perpetually rotating in and out of your basement cupboards? Maybe a pool table and a ping pong ball is a better bet for you.
Let's just say I wasn't very inspired when I searched "How to Build a Home Bar" and THIS VIDEO came up as the No. 1 search result:
We live in an old craftsman home built in 1902, and Shawn wanted the bar to look like it belonged - like it was built with the house, not some stuffy new add-on with a shiny teak veneered front. While we didn't get away with building it for $75, we did use plenty of recycled materials (including pallet wood!)
Of course we had to throw some of that Work of My Hands material aesthetic in there. And dim-able custom lighting on top and underneath.
Most home bars are built with a kitchen mindset (think cabinets and countertops). But if you've ever actually looked at a bartender's well when they're making drinks, they don't have an excess of vacuous space in front of them for slicing lemons and banging ice in a lewis bag. They've got a recessed, open well filled with all their bottled ingredients - liquors, liqueurs, juices - with the necks of the bottles at about the height your hand would naturally rest at while standing.
It's proved to be an essential space for testing our spoons, making great cocktails, and entertaining.
Cheers!
