Archive for the ‘Home Bar Tips’ Category

A Surprisingly Functional Little Piece of Metal

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

If you have a bar, whether it be a busy commercial bar or a home bar, purse hooks will set you apart from all the others you frequent or have visited. I’m not kidding. Give a place for patrons or friends to hang their belongings, instead of draping things over the bar or piling them on the floor, and you’ve added impressive functionality for years to come.

Funny how a $3.50 little bronze hook can make that much of a difference, but it does.

Purse Hooks

A pub that my best friend and I frequent, Wellington, just installed handbag hooks across the face of the bar a few weeks ago. What a difference it’s made! No longer are coats, bags and the like taking up valuable bar, floor or chair space. Plus, patrons’ belongings are staying cleaner, too (if your crap isn’t all over the bar, you’re less likely to dowse it in whiskey).

Like I said before, these aren’t only great for commercial pubs. I know home bar owners who picked some up and it really keeps things tidy, especially when you have more than one guest at your bar.

On a completely unrelated note, I have an extreme aversion to the word "purse" and don’t really dig using it. I prefer "handbag" or just "bag," straight up.

TAGS [ PURSE HOOKS | HANDBAG HOOKS | COAT HOOKS | BAR FACE HOOKS ]

Magic is in the Eye of the Wine Holder

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Magic doesn’t have to end when you’re young. It can happen in the smallest things. A glint in an eye, an unforgettable moment, a seemingly improbable feat of science. This is one of the things that just seems impossible, but is delightful when you set it up.

This handmade bottle holder is perfect for displaying your favorite wines as a table centerpiece making your dinner a bit more special and even interesting. Made of recycled French and American barrels, these oak staves are put to good use again as a functional, but decorative must for your wine collection.

Just remember, magic doesn’t always have to end as soon as you figure out the Easter bunny…

TAGS [ WINE BOTTLE RACK | WOODEN WINE HOLDER | BALANCING WINE RACKS | WINE RACK ]

Bourbon vs Whiskey: What Makes it Bourbon, Anyway?

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Any regular readers know that, besides being a Guinness lover, my liquor of choice is almost always whiskey. And although I love a great number of whiskeys out there, including Canadian and Irish, my true favorites are the bourbons. (Yes Maker’s Mark, you’ll always hold a spot in my heart, and in my Manhattan, perfect, on the rocks).

The question is though, what makes a straight bourbon whiskey? How is bourbon different from other whiskeys? Dave shot me a link to William Litton’s article today, which did a rather good job of explaining key factors.

As Mr. Litton explains, bourbon is a corn whiskey that is aged in charred white oak barrels. This aging process, in these specific barrels, is what gives bourbon its distinctive coloring and tasty notes of honey, spice and floral, earthy complexity. There is however, a bit more to it than that.

In order to be labeled as an official straight bourbon whiskey, according to US federal law (it’s that big) whiskey needs to meet all of the following requirements:

  • It must be distilled within the United States
  • It must be made of grain mixture that is at least 51% corn
  • It cannot be altered in any artificial way; no coloring, flavoring or special filtering allowed
  • It must be aged for at least two years in new, charred white oak barrels
  • It must be distilled to no higher than 165 proof, and introduced into the barrel at no higher than 125 proof

Bourbon brands’ tastes are as varied as their names, from sweet to fiery and everything in between. My favorite, Maker’s Mark, tends to be on the sweeter side but still with enough fire to know you’re drinking bourbon. Basil Hayden’s is a bourbon that I liken more to candy than any other. If you’re looking for pure heat and the classic whiskey-face, try Knob Creek—it may be the tastiest fire water you’ve ever thrown back.

Looking for a classic bourbon cocktail recipe? The Manhattan or Old Fashioned always do me well, but here’s something we haven’t posted yet… the Kentucky B & B.

Kentucky B & B
2 oz bourbon
½ oz Benedictine

Pour bourbon and Benedictine into a snifter and stir. Drink and repeat.

TAGS [ BOURBON | WHISKEY | BOURBON WHISKEY | KENTUCKY B & B | KENTUCKY BOURBONS | COCKTAIL RECIPES ]

Inexpensive Bar Upgrade: The Modular Garnish Pod

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Modular garnish trays aren’t typically something that I would think that deeply about, but these are pretty nice. Gently tilted for ease of access, a nice rotating cover and a snap-in modular expansion coupler to connect 10’s, 100’s or even 1000’s of garnish trays for an infinitely expandable garnish army! (muhhahahahaaa!)

Stylish black plastic and a gently frosted top grace this svelte garnish tray. The modular expansion joint connects the trays for a useful and easy to connect and disconnect bar tool. I also love the no-slip pads at the base to keep this garnish pod from slipping across a wet bar.

Modular Cocktail Garnish Pods

I personally plan on getting enough to go around my entire basement, to fully democratize condiments for all (and so that I won’t have to get them for anyone who visits my house; so get it yourself!)

TAGS [ GARNISH TRAYS | BAR CADDIES | HOME BAR SUPPLIES | BAR EQUIPMENT ]

Give Your Bar or Den a Retro Feel in One Word… Leatherette

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Faux Leather…
Leatherette…
Pleather…

Call it what you will, but it always screams 70’s-riffic for me. Just think, you’re in your "super"-retro bar downstairs and you’ve never really removed all of the dark "wood" paneling downstairs. What do you do?

Embrace it! Do you really want to do the work of ripping down all of the paneling just to find 852 different layers of wallpaper and crumbling plaster underneath, or do you want to channel your inner pimp and go with the groovy flow!

Leatherette Bar Pub Table for Cocktails or Your Den

Alright, so you’ve finally realized the potential of your "new" pimp-tastic bar. This is what you need. A faux leather table! This is the stuff that helps you realize your dream and gets you back to drinking, rather than drywalling the entire basement with your buddies again, because you installed it backwards.

Think about it. Let me know.

TAGS [ COCKTAIL TABLES | PUB TABLES | BAR TABLES | LEATHER TABLES | FAUX LEATHER TABLE | LEATHERETTE TABLES | BAR FURNISHINGS | DEN FURNITURE ]

Here’s to Teamwork! Boston Beer Co. and Weihenstephan to Release New German Brew Together

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

There’s a new beer collaboration going on! The oldest brewery in the world and the largest independent American brewery are joining forces to create a new craft beer that’s sure to be just as legendary as its founders.

The Associated Press reports that Germany’s Weihenstephan and Boston Beer Co, maker of Samuel Adams, are working on jointly producing a new craft beer to be marketed in both Germany and the U.S. next spring.

The beer has yet to be named, but here’s what we know:

  • It will be bottled with corks instead of metal caps
  • It will be high octane with more than 10% alcohol
  • It’s being described as a champagne-like "crisp pale brew"

It follows Germany’s famed Reinheitsgebot, or purity law, which states that beer can be brewed with only four ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast.

While discussing the new project, Jim Koch (Boston Beer founder and master brewer) told the AP, "Today the U.S. and Germany have two great brewing cultures - one that’s emerging and one that’s 1,000 years old. There’s enormous creativity, energy and excitement about beer in the U.S."

Apparently, the beer is already 2 years in the making. I’m glad I didn’t know until now because I’m pretty excited! If Weihenstephan’s wheat beers that I’ve had are any indication, this is gonna be good.

It seems the large U.S. craft breweries are very into the collaboration thing this year. Boulevard Brewing (the eighth largest independent craft brewery) announced its plans to create an Imperial Pilsner with Jean-Marie Rock of Orval from Belgium. Dogfish Head has six different collaborations under their belt (they’ve worked with Harold Brewery in Prague, Sierra Nevada, Norrebro Bryghus Brewery in Copenhagen and Birra del Borgo outside of Rome, Italy - just to name a few) and I’m sure there’s more to come! The good news is that when you put two great brewers’ heads together, you just might end up with better beer!

TAGS [ WEIHENSTEPHANER | BOSTON BEER CO | SAM ADAMS | COLLABORATION | BEER COLLABORATION | BEER NEWS ]

Are You a Beer Snob Too?

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

I attended the Buffalo Sabres’ first preseason game last week. Before the game I enjoyed a few microbrews on draft at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery across the street from the HSBC Area. Once I arrived at the game however, I realized that I my draft options consisted of Bud Light and Labatt Blue. Even though I knew the answer already, I asked "do you have anything light on tap, besides the Bud Light?"

As the bartender shot down my hopes for another option, an acquaintance I was with asked me, "what’s wrong with Bud Light?"

I instinctively thought "what’s NOT wrong with Bud Light?" and subsequently realized that I have officially become a beer snob.

The Subtle Art of beer SnobberyToday, I came across a hilarious article titled "The Subtle Art of Beer Snobbery" on the Modern Drunkard site and I feel compelled to share.

Not only is it funny, it’s kind of true! Check out an excerpt below on types of beer snobs or read the whole thing here.

Types of Beer Snobs

Deciding you want to be a beer snob is not enough. You also have to decide what sort of beer snob you want to be.

1. The Beer Fuehrer
This curmudgeonly gentleman will declare he would rather guzzle urine than drink what he considers "bad beer." And by bad he means any beer that comes in a can, has commercials on television, or has been heard of by more than fifty people. He can only pity the poor fools who sit in bars drinking the swill disgorged by the vast corporate vats, when they could be drinking swill produced in much smaller ones.

2. The Hops Head
The power-crazed Dr. Frankenstein of beer snobs, this wretched soul has descended so deeply into the pit of snobbery he has convinced himself that the vile liquid (he will call it something akin to Super Duper Black Cherry Berry Power Porter) he concocted in his basement is not only non-poisonous, but superior to the stuff it took monks 50 generations to perfect. One caveat: the longer and more grandiose the title of his obscene creation, the more likely it will be good for poisoning the rats in your cellar.

3. The Beer Geek
The beer world equivalent of a Trekkie, this fan is forever making pilgrimages to far flung festivals and conventions, will belong to any number of beer associations (and wears the T-shirts to prove it) and has never had sex with a woman where there wasn’t money involved. Beards are common and they have a powerful fetish for steins.

4. The Beer Lover
These are the Rex Reeds of the beer snob community. They have never met a beer that was not "gorgeously fabulous" or "fabulously gorgeous." The closest they ever come to a bad review is when they mistake the glass of water used to clear the palate for beer, and even then they’ll give it three stars and declare it "a promising new light lager worth keeping your eye on."

I’d classify myself as a Beer Fuehrer… what kind of beer snob are you?

TAGS [ BEER | SNOB | MICROBREWS | CRAFT ]