A Dapper Bar For A Dapper Man

There are some things that are a must-have for a dapper home. Certain things that we need as men. Things like a man cave, a decked-out garage, and a clean backyard are all necessary in order for your home to be considered dapper.

But there is one thing that can make your home a truly dapper place. This place is known as the bar. Every man should have a bar in his home—a real bar. A bar that can hold all your alcohol and supplies. Having a fully-stocked bar in your home can make you look like a true dapper man.

Having a bar inside your home can give you peace of mind, allow you to host a party, or can just flat out look good in your home. No matter where you live, whether it is an apartment, condo, or house, a bar can always make your home better.

You can have yourself a big elaborate bar or a small and simple one. The point is that men like to drink so you should have a bar in your home. If you do not have one, I will help you create one. If you do have one, let’s dapper it out.

When you have a bar in your home you can invite the fellas over to sit around and have a drink with a cigar. You can have your friends over and relax watching a baseball game with a few beers. Maybe after a long day on the job you might want to come home and unwind to some music and a couple of drinks. These are all things you should enjoy in the comfort of your own home. There is no need to go out and waste money at a bar when you have yours at home.

Let’s go over everything you will need for your dapper bar. Once you are done reading this article you will know exactly what you need to have in order to complete your bar.

Glasses

The first thing we need is to have are glasses. Having good glasses is essential to having a bar—not just any glasses, but the correct ones. Here are the must-have glasses that you will need, later you can add fancier glassware to your collection. If you need more advice on glasses visit our Drinking Glasses article filed under Food+Drink.

Remember, if you want to have a nice bar you need to have nice glasses. Buy glasses that match your bar and don’t have mismatched glasses. That’s not dapper.

Highball Glasses

These will probably be your most important glasses because most of your drinks will be served out of a highball glass.

Recommended number of glasses: 6-10

Old-Fashioned Glasses

These will be for you or your friends that like to drink whiskey, vodka, or scotch. Whether on the rocks or just straight up, you will need these.

Recommended number of glasses: 4-6

Cocktail Glasses

These will be for your shaken and not stirred drinks.

Recommended number of glasses: 4-8

Shot Glasses

You already know what these are for.

Recommended number of glasses: 6-10

Beer Mugs

Beer usually tastes better out of a mug. Keep a few of these in your freezer for those hot summer nights.

Recommended number of mugs: 4-6

Supplies

The next thing you will need is supplies. To have a dapper bar you need the right supplies. If you are going to have a bar in your home, have the complete bar with all the essential tools and supplies. This section will tell you what is needed for your bar.

Shaker

Having a shaker is a must. You do not need more than one–one will do just fine. The shaker is for the drinks that need to be made just right.

Ice Bucket/Cooler

The ice bucket is for convenience. Have an ice bucket and fill it up so you will not have to run back and forth to the freezer to get ice. For even more convenience you can add a small cooler behind your bar with ice already in it so you can reload faster.

Glass Pitcher

You will need a glass pitcher for multiple purposes: margaritas, beer, or plain ol’ water.

Cutting Board

You will need a cutting board to slice a few oranges and limes.

Mini Fridge/Wine Cooler

For ultimate luxury (and if you have the space behind your bar) you need to have a small mini fridge or wine cooler. You can stash beer and fruit in your mini fridge or chill your favorite drinks. You should also have wine coolers on deck for the ladies to choose their favorite wine.

Mini Keg

Having a mini keg on your bar will come in handy when your buddies come over and want their beer on tap. Not a bad investment.

Electric Wine Opener

There is no need to wrestle with a cork in order to open up a bottle of wine. Get yourself an electric wine opener to open wine bottles with ease.

Basic Set Of Bar Tools

You can get these at Wal-Mart or Target for under $30 dollars. This will pretty much get you everything you need tool-wise for you bar: bar knife, strainer, stirrer, etc.

Blender

All bars need a blender to mix drinks, especially for margaritas.

Alcohol

This is probably your most important section: The booze! Obviously, to have a complete bar, you need alcohol. When having a home bar it would be very smart to have a wide selection of alcohol. When people come over and you offer them drinks you want to make sure you have a little bit of everything.

Let us go over the must-haves for you home bar.

Tequila

Every home bar needs a bottle of tequila. You can drink the tequila straight up or mix it with other drinks. Your bar wouldn’t be complete without a bottle of tequila. A nice bottle of Patron of Don Julio will do just fine.

Vodka

Another essential bottle you must have is vodka. A lot of drinks that are mixed require vodka. Any vodka will do, but invest in the good stuff like Absolut, Grey Goose, or Ciroc.

Having a few different bottles of vodka will be best. It’s always nice to have a variety of vodkas and different flavors. Some of my personal favorites are Grey Goose Pear and Coconut Ciroc.

Gin

One or two bottles of gin will work. My two suggested bottles of gin are Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater. Just have these ready when the time calls for them.

Whiskey

Oh yes, we cannot forget about the whiskey. There is a lot of good whiskey out there that doesn’t cost much so pick what you like the most. My top choices are Jack Daniels, Crown Royal, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, or Johnnie Walker Black Label. Whiskey is always good to have in your stash and is the official drink of John Dapper.

Cognac

This is your Hennessy and Courvoisier. There are other brands available but these are two of the most popular ones. If you are not big on cognac, it’s OK. Just buy a bottle or two and let them age. Have them ready for the people you invite over that do like cognac.

Rum

Everyone loves rum, especially when you’re having it with a cigar. Some top rum choices are Bacardi Gold, Captain Morgan, and Malibu. Rum is also a great drink mixer and I recommend buying at least three different bottles of Rum.

Wine

Have plenty of wine available. Whether it’s cheap wine or expensive wine is up to you, but every dapper bar needs wine–especially when you invite the ladies over. The women ABSOLUTELY LOVE wine. Never be low on wine.

Once you have your basics of alcohol, you can of course expand your collection. It is always better to have an over-stacked bar than an under-stacked bar. It is always dapper to have real expensive bottles for special occasions, but like I said: for special occasions. Do not let guests come over and see your expensive bottles of alcohol and drink them up because it is a Tuesday. No. Those are only available when you say they are and do not be afraid to let your guests know that. Some bottles of alcohol are not made for everyday occasions.

These are the basics to having a dapper bar in your dapper home. Having a bar in your home can be fun and entertaining. The best thing about having a bar in your home is you can design the way you want it to be. So have fun and enjoy it. Make it resemble who you are. Let everyone be surprised on how your bar looks and of course look like the man.

Dapper Tip: The easiest way to always keep your bar fully loaded is to purchase a different bottle every time you go grocery shopping. This method will guarantee you never run out and it will also help you expand your collection.

Nathan Allen