House bar

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Living room with house bar (bar compartment in a shelf wall, 1961)

A house bar ( English home bar ) is a small bar in a private household and serves to serve alcoholic beverages, sometimes also to prepare cocktails .

A house bar can only consist of a few spirits bottles and glasses , but usually also includes bar tools and, depending on the size, other equipment such as a refrigerator. The bottles form the so-called barstock (from English stock inventory). A house bar can be on an open shelf, in the bar compartment of a wall unit , on a serving trolley or in specially designed bar furniture ( e.g. cellarette, bar cabinet, bar trolley). Larger house bars have a counter with bar stools , other bar furniture and technical equipment and are either set up as part of a room or in a separate room, like the cellar bars popular in the 1970s.

history

In an article in an interior design magazine from 1932, the “small house bar” was described as “one of the 'inventions' of our modern times”. Regarding the different shapes and types, it also said:

“The most primitive beginning was the cognac bottle hidden behind books ; then there was a small supply of ' liqueurs and cigars' in a compartment of the bookcase […]. Then the actual expansion of the 'liquor and cigar cabinet' began. It went 'self-employed' and took on various forms, with luxurious interiors. Glass, metal, synthetic materials with shiny, clean surfaces guarantee the appetizing effect and the best storage of the delicious cabinet contents. He not only became independent, but also 'flexible'. On wheels - as a 'liquor trolley' - or on metal runners - as a 'bar sledge' that glides noiselessly over the carpet, built in a handy shape, the small house bar has already made its appearance with us. In Italy, a small house bar in the form of a small sideboard […] is modern; electrically operated, with a built-in small ice machine for cooling bottles, fruits, for ice cream; with lemon and orange press, ice crusher , shaker for flips , cocktails , punch and whipped cream; with mocha machine. In America, the latest thing is the 'portable little bar' in an airplane suitcase - to take with you for a car or airplane picnic [...] "

- Hugo Lang : The Small House Bar (in: Interior Decoration , 1932)

House bars have enjoyed great popularity in German-speaking countries since the 1950s and into the 1970s. Several guides were published with tips on set-up and equipment and with mix recipes suitable for private purposes. Examples are Hermann Ochsenbein's Kleine Hausbar (Zurich 1957) and in particular the books by Peter Schmoeckel ( Freude am Mixen , Gütersloh 1962) and Aladar von Wesendonk ( 888 cocktails, long drinks and other mixed drinks for the bar at home , Munich 1965), that reached high editions. In 1962 Schmoeckel differentiated between different types of house bars, including the bar compartment in the living room cupboard, the sideboard, the dining area with hatch and finally the large, built-in bar with a refrigerator, sink and electrical connections.

Fold-out bar compartments were particularly popular in add-on furniture and wall units in the 1960s and 1970s. The open flap served as a work surface, and inside there was space for bottles, glasses and bar utensils. The bar compartments were often mirrored or illuminated from the inside.

In the 21st century, interest in one's own home bar has grown again. In 2011, market researchers found increasing enthusiasm among Germans " to get behind their own counter as a hobby bartender ".

  • Gentlemen's room with house bar (Leipziger Messe, 1954)

  • Desk with built-in bar (Leipziger Messe, 1955)

  • House bar in a "Carat" wall unit in the DDR Museum Berlin

  • Home bar on a serving trolley (New York City, USA, 2016)

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Germanized "Homebar" and "Heimbar" by Christian Kopp: The Homebar needs that. In: mixology.eu. November 21, 2015, accessed December 21, 2018 .
  2. ^ A b Hugo Lang: The little house bar . In: interior decoration . tape 43 , no. 5 . Alexander Koch publishing house, Darmstadt 1932, p. 164 ( uni-heidelberg.de ).
  3. ^ Hermann Ochsenbein: Small house bar . Sanssouci Verlag, Zurich 1957.
  4. ↑ a b Peter Schmoeckel: The joy of mixing . Bertelsmann, Gütersloh 1962, p. 27–45 (Chapter The house bar and its forms ).
  5. ↑ Aladar von Wesendonk: 888 cocktails, long drinks and other mixed drinks for the bar at home . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1965, p. 12–39 (chapter The Do-It-Yourself-Bar ).
  6. ↑ Timo Steppat: The return of the house bar. In: handelsblatt.com . February 18, 2014, accessed December 21, 2018 .

Web links

Commons : Home Bar  - Collection of Images