If you love to host, you absolutely need your own home bar. A home bar is a wonderful way to play bartender when guests come over. It’s great to have your own designated space for making and serving drinks. Home bars are also ideal spaces to keep all of your liquor and other alcoholic beverages in one area, ready to go for the next party.

One of the best parts about having your own home bar is how easy it is to make yourself. Here at Ohza, we love a good DIY project as much as the next person, and making your own home bar is no exception.

There are so many fun and resourceful ways to build your own home bar. Not sure where to start? Don’t sweat it; that’s what we’re here for. Here’s a complete in-depth guide on how to build your very own home bar.

Building Your Home Bar

When designing and building your home bar, it’s first important to know what materials you need and to choose a designated space before you buy any alcohol. The bottom line is that you don’t need to be a woodworker or even a craftsman to build something pretty stunning for your home bar. If you want to build your home bar from scratch, there are a few things you need to know.

The key ingredients to building a home bar are designating a spot for the bar, knowing your measurements, and choosing your materials. Let’s break it all down before we build your home bar up.

Designating Your Home Bar Spot

Despite popular opinion, almost any home can have a home bar. Some may argue that their home isn’t modern enough or big enough for a home bar. This is the farthest thing from the truth.

Any living space can contain a home bar. Some may be bigger and more elaborate, and some may be simpler, but any space can have one.

Pick a spot in your living space that can hold a larger amount of people. A kitchen, basement, or living room are good places to start. Pick a spot used for hosting or hanging out to optimize the space you are living in.

Home bars don’t have to be permanent additions to houses either. Use materials and spaces that can be easily moved if needed. Also, there are plenty of rental hacks for hanging materials if renting is an issue.

Standard Bar Measurements

Before diving in with your nails and hammers, your first step is understanding what your home bar will look like. The last thing you want is a bar too big or too small for your designated space. Whether you build your own or purchase a home bar, you should know standard bar measurements.

For an average bar (home or not), the standard height is 42 inches high, stools are generally 30 inches tall, and the bar itself is often 16 to 20 inches wide. Granted, the measurements for your home bar are completely up to you, but these measurements are helpful to know.

Choosing Your Material

If woodworking is your passion, the more power to you. This segment is going to seem familiar to you. Once you get your station designated and your area measured, you need to select materials. Thankfully, you can find many creative blueprints to help you put together a professional-looking bar, even if you aren’t a craftsperson by trade.

The most common material used for home bars is wood, but you don’t have to use wood. Switching up the material is a great way to add a dash of creativity to your home bar.

Stocking Your Home Bar

Once you put your tools and nails down, it’s time for the fun part. After you build your stunning home bar, you have to stock it up and get it all ready to go for the next celebration or event.

Like anything, you are going to want to start small. It’s easy to get overwhelmed after building and preparing your home bar. Start with a few staples and work your way up from there.

All you need to make a variety of mixed drinks and cocktails are a few staple options. Here is a quick guide on how to stock your home bar from scratch and save yourself a headache.

Essential Liquors

It’s always a good idea to keep a handful of basic liquors around for your home bar. Having a few base liquors on hand is helpful when you want to make specialty drinks for your parties and celebrations.

Some liquor staples you are going to want around include:

• Vodka
• Tequila
• Gin
• Rum
• Whiskey
• A versatile brandy.

These liquors are popular bases for some of the most beloved drinks and cocktails. It's definitely a good idea to keep them around in case you need to show off some bartender skills.

Seltzers, Ciders, and More

You may want to keep some lighter drinks on hand for the casual drinker. A great way to do this is by keeping a mini-fridge behind your bar stocked with drinks and mixers that need to be refrigerated. You can store hard seltzers (or regular seltzers), ciders, or even your favorite fruity canned mimosas.

Keeping your home bar stocked with mixers for drinks is also a wonderful way to keep the party going. Items like sour mix, different juices, and even heavy whipping cream are perfect additions for different cocktails.

No matter what you’re drinking, it’s great to have options for your guests and friends to choose from. If you’re looking for new recipes to try out at your next celebration, check our recipes for some fun twists on old favorites.

Glassware

Stocking your home bar with the proper glassware is an essential but often overlooked component of putting it together. Having a variety of different glassware stocked and ready to go can help keep the party going.

When you drink your cocktails in their designated glassware, it can help enhance the overall experience. You probably shouldn’t drink whisky in a wine glass and vice versa. It’s classy to have the proper drinkware to help provide an authentic experience for your guests.

There’s No Place Like Home (Bar)

There’s no place like home, which is why adding a bar makes it even sweeter. Home bars are one of the best ways to entertain from the comfort of your home. They also allow you to practice mixing and making drinks at your own pace.

Home bars really add character to your designated area. Whether you are a woodworker or not, you can install home bars fairly easily and stock them just like a professional bartender would. The sky's the limit when it comes to home bars.

Whether you like to keep things stripped back and simple or go all out, you can effortlessly make a home bar your own. Home bars are great for any celebration. They are easy to customize and deck out in any way you see fit.

Sources:

How to Build a Home Bar - DIY Step by Step Guide | Rock Solid Rustic

How To Build A Home Bar - A Step By Step Guide | Thrillist

Essential Liquors and Mixers to Stock in Your Home Bar | The Spruce Eats