Maybe your favourite establishment is still shut. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable going out yet. Maybe you just understandably don’t like people. Whatever the reason, a lot of us are now choosing to indulge in a tipple at home (alcohol retail sales were up 31.4% in April), but in doing so we miss out on the atmosphere we go to bars for, made by the delectable drinks and unique decor.
However, you can achieve a watering-hole ambience in your living quarters through a few carefully chosen additions. Here’s how to create your very own luxurious bar setting.
#1 Start A Premium Drink Selection
A home bar is only as good as the drinks it serves. Think about it: you wouldn’t go to the Ritz if it only served toilet-made moonshine, would you? A stellar vodka and whisky is a great place to start, specifically Haku Japanese Vodka and Bowmore Single Malt Whisky.
For the true whisky obsessive, Bowmore will be the true star of your home bar. It’s aged in one of the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouses and produced by Islay’s oldest licensed distillery, which has been expertly handcrafting whisky since 1779. Bowmore has stayed in the game for over 240 years because of one key trait: the distillers take their time. Ancestral techniques are still used to craft batches of their award-winning single malts, which involves malting their barley by hand in their own barns to unlock fuller and deeper character. This results in a luxurious Islay malt that is not just about mild smoke, but also about fruit and sea salt. This multi-layered style is the reason why Bowmore ages like no other, and why it is has become one of the most coveted whiskies amongst collectors (Black Bowmore 1964 being the most collected Islay malt in the world).
#2 Present Your Bottles On A Trolley
A drinks trolley is the best option for those limited on space. You can hunt your own down by hopping from one vintage shop to the next, but if you want a piece that isn’t going to be haunted by a 1950s dinner lady, it’s better to buy new.
This piece designed by Swoon screams Gatsby decadence with its 1920s gold finish and art-deco shape, inspired by the modernist architecture of the famous De La Warr pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea.
#3 Invest In Proper Glassware
Forget what your mother told you: what’s on the outside matters just as much as what’s on the inside, so your glassware has to be on point. This stackable decanter and tumbler set is made of crystalline and is an incredibly convenient, as well as suave, addition to any home bar – contemporary or classic.
#4 Give It A Soundtrack
You could listen to tinny tunes played from your smartphone like a youth on the backseat of a regional bus, or you could invest in a record player that’s as stylish as it is technically capable. This Bluetooth-enabled analog turntable allows you to play LP records wirelessly through headphones and speakers, while the heavy MDF cabinet significantly reduces vibrations and resonance for a clearer sound.
#5 Make It Comfortable
A high stool may be the traditional choice of chair for a bar, but you’re going to look like you’ve been put into a time out, sitting on one of those in the middle of your living room. Instead, kick back with a Bowmore whisky in this rust mohair porter chair, handcrafted in England. It’s inspired by the model they use in the Soho Houses in London, New York and Chicago. So, if they STILL won’t let you in after what you did last time (you should be ashamed of yourself), this is the next best thing.
#6 Share Your Scent
Every good bar has its own signature scent, even if that scent is ominous and sticky. But yours can be so much bougier than that. That’s where Tom Dixon’s decadent candle comes in, which boasts masculine notes of gunpowder, black pepper and suede. When someone asks what that smell is, just reply with, ‘Alchemy, darling.’
Start your own home bar with Bowmore Whisky, the luxurious single malt that has mastered the art of time
