If your lust for libations in luxury surroundings is strong, it is time to turn that spare room, nook/cranny or even just one table into the speakeasy of dreams. We are all spending more time at home so ladies and gentlemen, your very own home bar is now open.
HOME BAR: THE SPACE
Whatever the space you are working with, these are your must haves for creating that bespoke bar at home because they can be customised to your home bar.
Image from Roche Dubois
Aida Bar Stool
A statement barstool or better yet contrasting or varying furniture gives that shabby chic nonchalance ideal for a home bar! Structured in beech with a stained or lacquered finish, you can customise these cool bar stools with a range of options and colours that give that quirky vibe.
roche-bobois.com
POA
Image from LIFX
LIFX Light Beam
This super cool beam immediately transforms a plain wall into an ambient focus installation. Wifi controlled, the smart lighting feature has over 1 billion colour options!
uk.lifx.com
£179.99
Image from Neon Beach
Neon Beach
A home bar needs a name and Neon Beach has some fabulous signs and also offer a full customisation, enabling you create your own neon moniker.
neonbeach.com
Prices vary
Image from Nespresso
HOME BAR: COFFEE
In any bar on earth, coffee is critical. It can keep you pepped up all night with ‘Nespresso martinis’ and later maybe an Irish coffee. And perhaps one would also be necessary the morning after! Nespresso has recently launched the sustainable Vertuo Next Deluxe coffee machine (made from 54% recycled plastic) for creating barista-level coffee at home, with five coffee sizes available to be enjoyed with or without milk.
Image from Nespresso
Not only does it look good but the coffee is of barista quality taste thanks to Nespresso’s Centrifusion™ technology, which revolutionises the way coffee is extracted by using barcode technology to recognise each Nespresso capsule then automatically adjusts the extraction parameters to make each blend precisely as it should. The machine heats up quickly in 25 seconds and there is also a range of 28 Vertuo capsules to choose from.
nespresso.com
£199
Image from Bob’s Bitters
HOME BAR: THE BITTERS
Before we get into the drinks, bitters are often overlooked but are such a critical element of flavour in mixology. These flavour extracts are a labour of love and made by infusing barks, flowers, roots, berries and various other plants in alcohol. When using bitters, make sure you add them sparingly in drops and dashes. They have been said to be the salt in cocktail making so they improve flavours and accentuate elements just like salt does.
Used by bartenders across the land, Bob Petrie has created a suite of single-ingredient, artisan bitters for use in cocktails. Instead of taking the traditional blended-bitters route, Bob approached the development of his products from a culinary perspective, with each bitter representing an authentic, specific flavour. From grapefruit to chocolate, ginger to peppermint, Bob uses the finest ingredients steeped in alcohol, to create a collection of small-batch bitters that embody the purest flavour profiles. We combined some Abbotts Bitters (which took 5 years to create) with some gin and rosemary which was a real sensory delight.
Image by Bob’s Bitters
From grapefruit to chocolate, ginger to peppermint, Bob uses the finest ingredients to create a collection of small-batch bitters in Essex that embody the purest flavour profiles including bitters that represent the seasons.
HOME BAR: THE DRINKS
You have set the space up so it is now time to get serious and talk drinks.
Image from Royal Salute
Royal Salute
A great home bar has to have a great bottle for showing off and eventually drinking. Royal Salute 25 Year Old Treasure Blend is a new member of the Royal Salute Family and it is a traveller exclusive so this is one to snap up when you are next at the airport. inspired by the Crown Jewels of England, the liquid brings together precious and powerful whiskies first laid down a quarter of a century ago and comes in an elegant flagon with gold detailing and a decorative jewelled stopper. It has a delicate sweetness with notes of stewed fruit, toffee and very dark chocolate.
uk.worlddutyfree.com
£204.99
Berkmann Wines
This family owned wine importer has been supplying restaurants for many years with quality wines. Now all wine lovers can order through their Help 4 Hospitality online shop where restaurant quality wine will be delivered to your door with 12.5% donated to the hospitality industry. Their summer portfolio of wines include a very drinkable Castel Firmian Pinot Grigio (£11.95) and a robust Katnook Estate Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon (£15.95).
Image by Bottle Bar & Shop
Bottle Bar & Shop
This handcrafted bottled cocktails specialist create home made drinks for your home. They infuse, mix, create, prepare and bottle up everything from their Catford base. No additives, no fancy stuff. Just delicious classic cocktails and infusions. One to try is their Remedy with Fernet-Branca, brandy, orange liqueur, bitters and honey. These quality ingredients balance bitter and sweet, with a very satisfying and smooth finish.
bottlebarandshop.com
(Free) UK delivery only.
Image from The Cocktail Porter
The Cocktail Porter
This genius idea lets you become home mixologist of the year. Premium cocktail kits curated by leading bartenders come complete with premium bottles of spirits, artisanal infusions, hand-crafted cordials, home-grown garnishes and infused tonics. All you have to so is choose from five boxes including a Negroni, Espresso Martini and more. The fun begins when the boxes arrive with step-by-step guides on how to make your cocktails. Our Whisky Highball Collection came with Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky, Belvoir Farms ginger/lemon & mint/elderflower cordials, Double Dutch soda water with dehydrated lemons & candied ginger to garnish.
cocktailporter.co.uk
From £45 (makes 6 drinks). Delivery UK wide.
Image by Nio
NIO – Needs Ice Only
Though admittedly after a few libations we fancy ourselves as Tom Cruise in Cocktail, sometimes one just wants the classic drink, as it should be. NIO offers deliverable cocktails that need nothing more than ice.
There are currently 15 cocktails in the range including classics like Manhattan, Negroni and Whiskey Sours as well as in house creations. Each one has the same expertise, the same premium brands and the same quality ingredients you would find in a luxury bar. It is that simple.
niococktails.co.uk
Box of 6 – £39
Image: Pink Marmalade gin
Pink Marmalade colour changing gin
Every home bar needs a colour changing gin! This dry, zesty premium gin combines organic botanicals and when mixed with tonic, the gin majestically turns from a cool blue to a subtle rose pink – with thanks to the Butterfly Pea flower for making this possible via entirely natural methods. This citrusy smooth gin is created using a traditional single-shot method of distillation where a slow and steady burn distills over the course of 12 hours to yield only a tiny volume of the highest quality gin.
pinkmarmaladegin.co.uk
£30 (50cl)
Image by Mr Black
Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
Made with 100% Arabica coffee, Mr Black has a rich and intense coffee taste with a smooth finish. It also has 10 times the coffee and half the sugar of traditional coffee liqueurs so we love that it isn’t too sweet. Each and every bottle is made by hand in Sydney and that all important cold brew process really retains those flavours of freshly roasted coffee in boozy liquid form.
mrblack.co
£29.99
Image by Graham’s
Graham’s Blend No.5 White Port
This brand new liquid is light at 19% ABV and is great for mixing with tonic or drinking neat over ice, just like a gin. This crisp take on white port has an aromatic flavour with two types of grapes cold-fermented before the brandy is added so it is super fruity and fresh.
grahams-port.com
£24.99 from Waitrose.
HOME BAR: THE EQUIPMENT
Any master mixologist knows you need the right tools and these gadgets with the flick of a switch, can power cocktail prowess.
Image by Waring
Waring Cordless Blender
The Waring Bolt Cordless Blender is a professional kitchen item that also works well at home. This svelte little contraption is a fun little gizmo, particularly if you have big cocktail dreams but don’t like to over exert yourself. It has a 50-watt output (it is powerful!) allowing you to mix all sorts of ingredients at your home bar, wire free. You can also control our blending easily with 5 different speed setting. With a quick-charge yet long-lasting battery, the only washing up to do (by the dishwasher) is the impressive blending shaft.
nisbets.co.uk
£245
Image from MiniBrew
The Mini Brewer
The MiniBrew CRAFT takes you from beer-lover to brewer. This all-in-one brewing machine is all you need to brew and tap quality craft beer at home. Everything is managed and monitored via an app and videos guide you through all the steps and help you understand the basics of brewing. Share your delicious fresh beer by tapping directly from the Smart Keg.
minibrew.io
€1199
Image by Sodastream
SoadaStream
The gadget of the 90s that turned simple water and cordial almost magically into carbonated concoctions is having a new moment. Not only is it encouraging us to stay hydrated, but does wonders for the environment too. As the first generation of soda streamers are now grown up, it stands to reason the company has a more adult based proposition, including the spirit range available in colours such as sky and plum.
sodastream.co.uk
From £99
Image by Smeg
Dolce Gabbana X Smeg Blender
This stunning blender, with a traditional Sicilian vibrant motif and state of the art technology echoes the synergy between fashion duo Dolce & Gabbana and Smeg. Embody the bold daring nature of the fashion house whilst blending frozen cocktails.
www.harrods.com
£699.95
HOME BAR: ICE & GLASSWARE
You have made the drink of dreams. Now it’s time to chill and serve….
Image by VonShef
VonShef ice cube maker
Never run out of ice again. Whether you want to save freezer space or use water of your choice, this 2.1 litre capacity plug and play machine make homemade ice in minutes. Choose between large or small ice cubes, switch it on and let the machine do its thing. Its also quite mesmerising to watch as it makes 14 ice cubes every 10 minutes. Leave the machine to do its thing and get back to hosting guests at your bar.
vonshef.com
£123.99
Image by Kaelo
Kaelo Ice Bucket
Kaelo is the integrated wine cooler that keeps your bottle chilled once you’ve opened it. This clever system can be basically drilled into any surface and will keep your wine chilled to perfection. Using a dry-cooling system, Kaelo keeps the bottle within 1-2 degrees of its opening temperature, no ice, no drips no refills.
Each Kaelo is hand built with handy features like extra girth to accommodate champagne bottles as well as coming with a 5 year guarantee. They will also install it for you.
kaelo.co.uk
From £996
Image by Coupe Stack
Coupe Stack
The ultimate in champagne showmanship – 6 unique champagne glasses that stack safely to create a champagne tower. The glass design ensures each of the glasses gets the perfect measure of champagne and you just need one bottle to fill the stack.
HOME BAR: FINISHING TOUCHES
Presentation is key… go wild!
Image by Noble Macmillan
Zebra Tray by Noble Macmillan
Serve up whatever wondrous cocktails you have created on these wild trays from Noble Macmillan. From the regency collection the wild trays are made from the brands new hair on leather in fabulous zebra print. Whether it’s for serving drinks or simply as a home accessory they add a touch of luxury to any home.
noblemacmillan.com
£185.00
Image by Andrew Martin
Lexi Coasters
Both decorative and practical, protect your furniture with this set of 6 coasters in a luxurious faux shagreen grey finish.
Andrewmartin.co.uk
£129
Image by Andrew Martin
Cici Bar Trolley
This art deco style bar trolley has an elegant circular distressed brass finish frame, two shelves and four neat legs with small foot-wheels. In smooth white marble, each shelf is inlaid with two round blue agate stones, mimicking the form of Cici as a whole and giving luxurious detail in naturally varying shades of blue.
Andrewmartin.co.uk
£350
Image by AlcoSense
DRINK RESPONSIBLY
The award winning AlcoSense Pro breathalyser is the result 3 years of research and development and utilises a 121mm² professional Fuel Cell sensor, identical to ones used in several UK, US & European police forces. It is super easy to use and will also calculate how long it may take until you’ll be sober enough to drive and show it with your results. At a click of button this clever gizmo will work with any limit, anywhere in the world.
alcosense.co.uk
£149.99
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash.