So outside of the right liquor, I suppose the perfect home bar would also actually have a bar. I know everyone’s idea of a home bar is different, but join me while I dream about building the perfect home bar…

Desirable qualities:

• Warmth. Applies to the quality of the hospitality, community, and also the temperature. Must have a fireplace.
• Lots of wood.
• Leather seating.
• Taxidermy. I am not an outdoorsman by any sense of the word, but I imagine large, horned animals will serve two desirable purposes: adding authenticity to the bar and frightening children away from the bar. Ideas include deer, buffalo, and moose.
• A chalkboard paint wall. For specials and patron messages.
• Good music. Maybe even quiet, pleasant live music.
• Separate entrance from the house and a separate bathroom.
• Cigar and pipe smoking occasionally allowed. No cigarettes.

Undesirable qualities:

• Neon. Beer signs, jukeboxes, etc.
• Technology. No computers, no TVs, no video games. Rare exception made for sports-based gatherings.
• Visible modernities. Stuff like stainless steel, blenders, or microwaves. Those can be present, but preferably hidden below the bar.
• Overuse of cell phones. They’re allowed, but only barely.
• Bad attitudes and booze snobbery. People are allowed to drink Jägermeister or Loopy with minimal persecution.

Many thanks to DevonTT on Flickr for permission to use a photo of her home bar. It’s almost word-for-word what I’ve described, and I think we can agree it’s pretty incredible, right?