With bars and clubs becoming too pricey, home bars are all the rage. Rhea Dhanbhoora & Gargi Bansod pick the best bar accessories and tell you how to create the perfect home bar...
A home bar is the perfect space to entertain guests and serve drinks to create a warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. “When setting up a classy home bar, there has to be a dedicated area where you can have fun and unwind without disrupting other areas of your house. Open space bars such as a terrace bar, lawn bar or basement bar are some of the popular choices,” says Mukul Goyal, from www.mukulgoyal.com, a furnishing website that stocks great home bar products. We help you create a perfect home bar with a range of accessories you can pick up and tips for getting started.
pop open a bottle
This quirky opener is proof that bottle openers don’t have to be boring.
Price `1,030
Where www.mukulgoyal.com
stacked up
As far as wine racks go, this one is simple and won’t take up too much space in your home.
Price `6,975
Where Home Collective, Chowpatty
silver stoppers
If you want your bar to have a luxurious look, we suggest buying these silver animal themed stoppers.
Price `3,080 each
Where www.episode silver.com
grab a mug of beer
We’re sure you’ve got glasses, but don’t forget to stock beer mugs. We love these Black Pottery mugs.
Price `560 each
Where Baaya Design, Lower Parel
cool down in style
Ditch your old ice bucket for this elegant, interesting black lidded ice cube cooler.
Price `7,130
Where Home Collective, Chowpatty
All juiced up
This stylish lemon juicer makes mixing cocktails more interesting and much more fun.
Price `785
Where www.houseproud.com
Funky wine stack
Display your wine bottles in style on your home bar with this innovative, silver I.D. Wine Stack.
Price `4,630
Where www.mukulgoyal.com
balancing act
Walk into a room holding a wine glass and glasses without having to juggle them with this spider wine glass holder.
Price `1,965
Where www.hitplay.in
surf the coast
Protect wooden tabletops with these artistic coasters.
Price `225
Where www.cuttingchaidesigns.com
dispense drinks with ease
This dispenser is not only a lot of fun to use, it also makes pouring drinks an easy task.
Price `2,650
Where Wasted Fish, Pali Naka, Bandra (W)
wine and dine
This Busa wine holder will store a single bottle, but it’s great to display at a formal party because of its elegant design.
Price `1,049
Where www.plushplaza.com
wine and dine
Wooden bars are a great addition to your home. This one in particular is space saving and well-designed.
Price `1.2 lakh
Where Anemos, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
happy drinking!
Drinking with your friends will never be more fun than with these shot glasses that double up as a drinking game.
Price `1,800
Where Wasted Fish, Pali Naka, Bandra (W)
Setting up a home bar
Mukul Goyal recommends using wooden décor as it’s the most popular. But, don’t shy away from using accents of metal, steel, marble, stone or leather either.
“Since the purpose of a home bar is to create a relaxed and lively atmosphere, the colours should be vibrant and uplifting. Lighting is a very important aspect to consider when designing a home bar. A disco ball adds a funky look and mood lights have the right illuminating effect,” he says.
Rahul Jagtiani, founder and managing partner of www.plushplaza.com says, “Depending on the size of your house, home bars range from extravagant with a fancy counter and bar stools, to new and innovative space saving types with pull out cabinet systems.” He gives us a few tips to setting up the perfect bar at home.
- A curved or semi-hexagon shaped bar is a common sight in living rooms of upmarket homes in India and looks great in a more open space.
- If you have a smaller home, get compact cabinets and very creative, yet space saving concepts for home bars. These are easily available in the city.
- Ideally, every plush apartment should have a fully stocked bar, so make sure that the cabinets are not devoid of mixers and alcohol.
- Some bar essentials include the basics such as an ice bucket, screwpull wine opener, champagne coolers and also a wine chiller, peg measure, along with alcohol specific glasses and coaster sets. Make sure you have these in your bar.
- You can get creative with the accessories such as a Veneto wine set, which is a great conversation piece, or the upside down beer glass, the rocker glasses and drunk shot glasses.
Great cocktails
The generous bartenders of some well-known restaurants share their easy to make at home cocktails with us. Give them a swirl in your home bar…
E-Style Sparkling Sangria from Escobar You’ll need:
- Cut fruit (seasonal fruits)
- 125ml sparkling wine
- 15ml strawberry syrup
- 10ml peach syrup
- 30ml orange flavoured vodka
- Soda to top up
- A champagne flute glass
Method:
- Soak all the fruits in vodka & syrup over night.
- Add soak fruits in the glass.
- Fill it with sparkling wine and top it up with soda.
Bloody Mary from Out of the Blue You’ll need:
- 120ml tomato juice
- 4 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 4 drops Tabasco sauce
- 2 lime wedges,
- 1 slice of lime
- 1 celery stick
- A salt rimmed glass
- 45ml vodka
Method:
- Mix the tomato juice, sauce, lime wedges and vodka together.
- Chill and pour into glass.
- Garnish with lime slice and serve.
Tamartini from Saffron Bay You’ll need:
- 60ml vodka
- 120ml roasted tomato puree
- 15ml lime juice
- 1/3 green chilly
- 5 chopped coriander leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
- Mix the vodka, roasted tomato puree lime juice and coriander leaves in a shaker.
- Strain and serve in a martini glass.
- Garnish with the green chilly, cherry tomato, salt and pepper.