Build a Home Bar - The back-bar

The Back Bar is traditionally where the liquor bottles are displayed. Cheaper products in the front, down low and more expensive products in the back, up high. This is the origin of the term "top shelf".

My Back Bar area is built over the main drainage pipe so we had no choice as to height or placement. The basement wall on this end has a part cut out so the wall where the back bar goes is farther back than the wall in the dart area. This feature of the wall gave us a natural depth to make the back bar area of about 15 inches. This gives us room for two 4" shelves with enough space for liquor bottles in front of the first shelf as well.

The Liquor Shelves

The Liquor Shelves are four inches deep and four inches tall. Both shelves are laid out like steps against the back wall and are each 10 feet long. This gives a total of 30 feet of liquor bottle display area. The shelves do not run the full length of the back bar. There is a 16" space on each side of the shelves for decoration or appliances. On the left side I keep a three gallon beverage dispenser (very handy for large parties) and on the left is the purple "S" from a Toys R Us sign (a long story). Behind the S there is a 1.5 inch hole drilled into the counter to run the power cord for the S (yes, it lights up) and for Christmas Lights, Mardi Gras decorations and anything else that needs to be plugged in. There is an outlet in a cabinet under the counter.

The Bar TV

On the right end of the back bar, there is a cleanout on the drain pipe that had to remain accessible. To do this we ended the back bar counter and started a wall. Behind the wall is the drain cleanout and the vent pipe. In the wall near the ceiling is a 13" television on a quarter circle shelf. The TV up there now is the second one after I dropped the first one putting it up.

Glassware Display

Below the back bar counter is an area set aside for displaying my collection of glassware and antique bartending books and tools. The area consists of two bays that extend back to the wall, covered with 1/2 inch birch veneer plywood. Each by has a 12 inch glass shelf supported by chrome brackets and hardware. The display is lit using rope light that runs along the front inside edge. The lights are controlled by switch inside the cabinet to the left.

The Jukebox

The Jukebox that I have in the bar is simply a computer with software that I created to play a collection of MP3 songs. The part that is visible is a touch screen that covers a 15" monitor. The computer itself is in the cabinet underneath. The wood cover over the touch screen is hinged so that I can access the hardware. Inside the door, the platform that supports the monitor is floated on suspended threaded rod to allow for adjustments of height and pitch. This was necessary so that the touch screen was flush against the wood. Also, if there should be a problem in the future and I have to replace the monitor, the shelf can be adjusted for the new monitor easily. Below the monitor is a slide out drawer that holds the keyboard and mouse for the computer.

The computer is an eMachines P2 450 with 64 MB RAM, a 4 GB HD for the OS and software and a 120GB HD for MP3's.

The Wine Rack

The Wine Rack was added to nicely fill out the space between the jukebox and the jogg in the wall. The lattice used to make the rack was purchased pre-assembled from Outwater. It simply had to be cut to size and installed into the hole. The hole is lined with 1/8 inch birch veneer to conserve space while still looking nice.