3 Home Bar Setups That Will Impress Your Friends!
Nothing makes me want to have a drink in my hand more than sunny weather, well unless screaming kids count...but that is a whole other story! Knowing how to put together a fun bar station really adds an extra touch to any party, whether it is a weekend brunch, fun pool gathering or a full on "kids are spending the night at the Grandparents and Mommy & Daddy need to party like its 1999" kinda night ~ Here are some of my favorite types of bar stations and what I feel is essential to each!
1. An Outdoor Bar
The key to having a fun outdoor bar area is space! You need some room to make all the fun drinks you will be enjoying. Now it doesn't have to be a cool all in one type like the one pictured. We use a couple easy set up tables for our backyard fiestas, one for making the drinks and one with the fun stuff for making the drinks. Since outdoor parties usually involve a variety of drink types space is needed to house everything. Here are my essentials for an Outdoor Bar.
Pop up Tables or Year Round Designated Area
Cooler - For Ice inside your drinks.
Buckets - With Ice for Beer/Water/etc.
Plastic Glasses- Hello, no broken glass!
Blender- MMM.... Margaritas.
2. Breakfast Bar Area
Brunch parties are so much fun. Everybody brings a yummy dish, a bottle of Champagne and the party begins! I don't have a ton of counter space in the kitchen so I have a designated coffee and breakfast console table set up in my kitchen. This works out great for brunch parties as I can move the toaster & voila there is space for a Champs and OJ station next to the coffee. Keep a shelf for coffee mugs and put some wine glass storage under it and you are good to go for whatever your beverage choice in the am may be! Here are some Brunch station Essentials
Coffee Pot - Duh! I prefer the Keurig style as I like variety in my morning cup of caffeine.
Storage - those pods can be pesky!
Bucket - to cool off the Champs & Juice
Carafe - for a pretty juice experience
3. An Indoor Bar
Inside Bars are essential for parties. We have a built in hutch in our dining room that I turn into a bar area when we have a get together. There are so many possibilities for a bar area inside the home though. You can use a bar cart, a small table, coffee table or build one to suit your needs. Big or small its all up to you and the space you have for the fun times. Here are my essentials for a small indoor bar.
Glasses - You need the correct glass for the job!
Bar Tool Set - Shaker, lime juicer, stirrer etc.
Condiment Containers - to hold your limes, olives, onions etc.
With any of these bar setups it is important to know your guests and what they will and will not drink. I can't tell you how many times I have bought wine for a party where only the beer and hard alcohol were consumed. I know that my friends don't drink Gin so even if we have a Bond movie night I will only buy Vodka. Parties are supposed to be fun and so should the setup! Try not to stress over the details and remember to have some fun in the design and setup - even if it is just a cooler full of beer and a counter full of alcohol.
Some tips on saving money:
Only buy what you will drink when the party ends - If you only drink Beer, Vodka & Whiskey then don't buy Tequila as it will sit forever in your pantry.
If you want to offer all types of alcohol - buy single shots in the kind that are not as popular.
There is nothing wrong with a BYOB party.
Have a themed party - Wine & Cheese, Beer & BBQ, Martinis, Margaritas etc. If people come to a wine & cheese party and don't like wine guess what; they will bring something to drink themselves.
~Disclosure~ This post contains affiliate links, basically if you buy something from a link in this post I get paid a little bit of money.
Let me know your favorite bar themes and tips below. Don't forget to like & Share, share share!