So you want a home bar?
But you don’t just want some stools and a drinks cupboard. Oh no. You want a proper home whiskey bar with all the right drinks and decor to make you the envy of your friend group!
Friday night drinks after work? Yours.
Need a place for a few friends to watch the Superbowl or Indy 500? Yours.
Romantic night in with the other half? Where else but yours?
If you want to nail a home bar setup, there are a few things you need to consider before you’ve got a whiskey lounge that is the envy of all your friends.
Setting up a home bar can go wrong, but if you follow these tips, you’ll make light work of it.
7 Considerations for Building Your Home Bourbon Bar
1. Location
Location location location. The three most important factors in real estate and don’t overlook them for your home whiskey bar either.
First, you’re going to want to ask yourself which room to put your home bar in.
Is it going to be incorporated into the kitchen, or maybe the living room?
If you have an entire room dedicated to your home whiskey bar, like a garage or basement, it’ll leave you a lot more options to be creative and design it exactly how you want.
If you are incorporating your home bar into an existing room, you’re going to need to make sure it fits into the existing interior decor.
The kitchen is a great option, coming pre-fitted with a fridge and your glassware. If you have a breakfast bar and some stools, you’ve already got a great starting base to build from.
If you have an entirely new room to design your home bar, like a basement or garage, then you’ll have a lot more choices when it comes to the style and theme you want, but you’ll have to fill the space and it’s likely to make a heftier dent into your wallet.
You’ll also want to consider the logistics of having a fridge and ice well somewhere other than your kitchen.
The last place you’ll want to look out for is the garden. If you live in a hotter climate, then a year-round garden bar is a real possibility.
Even if you don’t, the English have proved you can have great fun in dreary weather by converting your garden shed into a pub!
2. Purpose
Now you know where to put your home bar, you need to decide what the point of it is.
Now that might sound stupid, it’s a bar, right? It’s for drinking? Well yes, but think of how many different types of bars you’ve been to in city centers.
So what do you want your home whiskey bar to be for? Relaxing after a long day to some blues or smooth jazz? Maybe you want to host parties that your friends will be talking about for months.
Or maybe you want a sports bar or man cave to watch all the NFL, NBA, and MLB games on the weekends.
Once you’ve set your where, your why is the next step to making your perfect home bar setup.
3. Theme
There are so many options for your theme I couldn’t possibly list them all, but it’s heavily dependent on your purpose.
It wouldn’t make sense to have a tiki-themed jazz lounge now, would it?
Your location and purpose will have a big impact here. For example, you could either design your sports lounge around an American-style bar or an English-style pub.
If you’re making use of your garden, then a beachy tiki hut would make your summers more enjoyable than ever. Or, turn your shed into a cozy hunting lodge with fur blankets, a wood-burning fire, and your finest smokey bourbon.
If your bar is sharing with another room in your house, you’re going to have to plan this out more carefully.
The theme will have to fit in with the existing theme of your room and the decor will have to match to avoid a decor disaster!
4. Glassware
Another consideration for your home whiskey bar is your glassware. Of course, for whiskey, your go-to is going to be a Glencairn glass, but you might want to go a little bit more extensive than that.
If you plan on serving cocktails from your home bar, you’ll need a few different glasses to make it happen.
Firstly, the double rocks and collins glasses are a must-have for any whiskey lover. You just can’t make an old fashioned or whiskey highball without them!
If you’re planning on serving other drinks alongside your favorite whiskey, then wine glasses and a couple of coupes would be a great addition to the collection.
After all, what’s better than a home whiskey bar apart from a home whiskey bar where you can enjoy a dirty martini?
5. Utensils
After your glasses, you need to sort out your equipment. You’re going to need to have all the basics stocked up, like your shaker, strainer, jigger, muddler, and bar spoon. But once you’ve nailed that down, there are a few other things you might want to consider.
If you’re using your home bar for predominantly whiskey, you should consider investing in a smoker, so you can infuse your bourbon with plenty of different flavors and notes.
You could also look into getting a decanter, for either whiskey or wine, to make that serving look just a little bit fancier.
You might also like a Lewis bag and mallet to crush up ice if you’re going to be serving some fancier cocktails, like the mojito.
All in all, there’s a wide array of options for utensils and tools to add to your home bar setup, and the best part is that you don’t have to do it all at once. You can add bits and bobs when you want (or can afford) them.
6. Budget
Not the consideration most people are going to want to hear, but it is worth bearing in mind.
If your budget is nice and deep, then you don’t need to worry, but if you’re being careful, there are a few things you can do.
DIY is going to be your best friend here with plenty of options available.
Wooden palettes are a great place to start, as you can easily cut, shape, and paint them into whatever you like. Make a full bar out of the planks, or maybe just some shelving.
Another great option is to get creative. Make use of old dressers, cabinets, and generally, any old furniture friends or family might have lying around to either repurpose into your new home whiskey bar or just spruce up the room.
Building a home whiskey bar can be expensive, but with a bit of creativity, you can save loads of money, and bathe in the pride of doing it all yourself.
7. Fridge
The final big thing you want to consider when building your home whiskey bar is your fridge.
If you’re converting your kitchen, then don’t worry, but if not you’ll need to give this one some thought.
You’re going to want to keep garnishes, wines and mixers chilled while using your bar and between sessions, so the size and location of your home bar fridge are important.
19 Great Home Bourbon Bar Ideas to Inspire You
Now that we’ve looked at the big things you need to consider, let’s jump into some ideas of inspiration to make the most out of the space you have available!
1. Bookcase
An easy place to start, repurposing your bookcase into a home bar is a real no-brainer.
It’s already equipped with all the shelving you could need and will be a perfect way of housing all your favorite whiskeys and shakers.
You could even keep it true to purpose and have your collection of mixology books on there too!
2. Wine Cellar
It’s an easy idea, but a brilliant one nonetheless.
Wine cellars are cool, classy, and chic, and having one in your house will definitely elevate your friends’ perception of you.
If you can’t put a wine cellar in, don’t worry. You can still take inspiration by converting your cupboard under the stairs into a little wine cellar/ home bar area for the same aesthetic.
3. Vintage TV
If your friends or maybe elderly relatives have had an old TV laying around for years and they don’t know quite what to do with it, this is your time to pounce.
A hollowed-out vintage TV set is the perfect casing for your whiskey collection. Just line the inside with LEDs and you’re good to go.
4. Custom Signs
Custom signs are a great way to add some character and personality to your home bar setup and make it truly yours.
Whatever style or theme you have these is up to you, it could be a Route 66 knockoff or Las Vegas neon, but consider keeping all your used wine corks and making a sign out of those. It’ll look original and authentic.
5. Bottle Lights
Finished your favorite spirits but don’t want to throw away the awesome bottle?
Decorate your home whiskey bar by putting fairy lights in those empty bottles and creating some much-needed ambiance around your home bar.
6. Repurposed Barrels and Beer Kegs
Whiskey barrels aren’t generally reused in America, so you can actually buy them fairly cheaply.
Whether you want to repurpose one into an open shelving unit to store all your home bar needs, or stick a nice cushion on top and use it as a bar stool, an empty whiskey barrel is bound to make your home bar look amazing.
If you want to make stools out of them, consider using empty beer kegs as well for a slightly more industrial look.
7. DIY Palettes
If you’re making a home bar on a budget, DIY wooden palettes are going to be your best friend.
As mentioned briefly above, they’re a total blank slate and can be used to construct anything from a few shelves for your whiskey bottles to an entire tiki hut.
8. Armoire/ Wardrobe
An armoire is about as close to perfect as you’re going to get for a pre-made home bar. It comes built with premade shelves, and plenty of space to store all sorts of bottles and glassware.
If you’re clever, I’m sure you could even get a minifridge in there.
As armoires come built with doors, it’s also a perfect option if you want to keep your home bar hidden from view when it’s not in use.
If you don’t have an armoire lying around, then with a bit of creativity and a small amount of DIY you can turn a regular old wardrobe into the perfect home bar.
9. Dresser
Maybe an armoire is a little too big for what you have in mind for your home bar.
Not to worry, something smaller like a dresser can do just as good a job at storing all your whiskey needs.
10. Decanters
Nothing adds class to your home bar like a decanter.
Whether you use it for whiskey or wine, you’re sure to look a step above anyone pouring straight from the bottle.
11. Cigars
Cigars aren’t for everyone, and that’s fair enough. But if you want to channel your inner Winston Churchill or Fidel Castro, they do pair amazingly with whiskey.
If they’re going to be a feature of your home bar, you’ll want to consider where to store them and where to smoke them.
12. Games Room
A games room is a great way to have friends over and have some real fun. Whether you’re watching sports, or playing classic bar games like pool and darts, you’ll need to consider how you’re going to best use your space to get the most out of your games room.
And don’t forget to include a pack of playing cards either!
13. Tiki Bungalow
A tiki bungalow is such a cool addition to your home bar but you don’t have to make it in your garden.
A few creative DIYers have started building them in their kitchen or living room and it looks absolutely awesome!
14. Mixology Books
Whether decorative or useful, a home bar needs a place for mixology books.
Eventually, you’ll run out of ideas and want to try some new drinks, and those mixology books are going to be your knight in shining armor.
15. LED Displays
LED displays are a great addition to your home whiskey bar and provide the perfect lighting and ambiance.
Color-changing strips are easy to install and use, and allow you to set the mood exactly how you want it, so why wouldn’t you?
16. Record Player Cabinet
An old record player cabinet is such a great way to ensure your home bar is the best in town.
You can use the cabinet below to store all your glasses, bottles, and bar tools and either use the record player as a nice decoration or, well, a record player. The blues and whiskey in one cabinet. Now that’s hard to beat.
17. Shed
If you have a garden shed, now is the time to make use of it. Garden sheds provide the perfect setting for a home bar, and once you get some heaters out there, you can make it feel like either a cozy hunting lodge or a top-tier sports bar.
18. Revolving Liquor Dispenser
These make it easy to choose between your favorite spirits and add a look of professionalism to your home bar.
They’re also super useful for measuring out alcohol, so you don’t have to use and wash your jigger every time.
19. Antlers
Antlers are a great decorative feature, especially if your home bar has a whiskey lounge or hunting lodge theme.
You can get creative and use them for lighting or just to make the place look and feel a bit more homely.
Now Your Home Bar is Finished, What Should You Stock it With?
Of course, the final consideration of your home bar is going to be the booze stocked within it.
You can get a range of spirits for making cocktails, and it’s pretty easy to get some middle-shelf, big brand-name gins, rums, and vodkas without going wrong.
If you want a proper home whiskey bar though, you’re going to need to make sure you’re stocked up on your favorites. Check out our list of the best bourbons under $100 here to get started!
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.