Drinking At Home
Re-discover Drinking at Home
Drinking at home seems to have become a lost art. In the days before Disco, home gatherings typically involved the home bar that Dad or even Grandad built. In the cold war era, home bars were quite popular, and used almost every weekend, certainly on birthdays, anniversary’s and holidays….and every excuse in between.
Five centuries ago, German wine enthusiast Vincent Obsopoeus also wrote about “How to Drink – A classical guide to the art of imbibing“, the art of drinking has been evolving ever since.
Cocktail parties have always been popular, but since the 1980’s our fascination with “going out” seems to have become the new, preferred method of socializing.
While today’s bars, grills, gastropub’s and craft breweries are a fun and popular past time, some even feature axe throwing competitions, a home bar remains a safe option for intimate at home entertainment, without the worry of flying axes. Home is where the art is!
The Lost Art of Drinking at Home
Yes, the art of drinking at home seems to have been lost. Intimate home gatherings have always created the best of times and best of memories. Maybe it’s time to bring back the simple pleasures and close ties we seem to have lost. While you can pass around drinks and coasters, there’s no replacement for the fun of a home bar.
Events that Changed the World
After the events of 9/11, people started staying home a bit more often. The resulting high gas prices forced people to reconsider their entertainment options. Switching out a few nights or weekends to stay at home makes good fiscal sense, especially with gas approaching 5 dollars a gallon and a single cocktail costing more than that.
Personal Safety Concerns
Past Nightclub tragedies and the general public anxiety now make us think twice about our entertainment options, and drinking at home is sounding better and smarter every day. The founding premise of the barplan.com website 20 years ago was to encourage over-served people from driving by offering a home bar alternative. That alone is reason enough to discover the option of drinking at home.
Drinking at home does not necessarily mean drinking along. You can enjoy an intimate evening with a small group of friends or family.
A Global Paradigm Shift
Long after the end of the Cold War, we find ourselves in a new “Cold War” this time not based on the threat of nuclear weapons, but rather on the common cold virus, including new and more virulent strains that have the ability to not only shut down and nation, but also the global economy.
That is some pretty serious stuff. In our present day, we are seeing the complete shut down of bars and restaurants. Now is perhaps the time to reflect on the fun and practical practices of the past. Check out the cool home bar spaces our site members have built below…
Rediscovering The Art of Drinking at Home
With so many viable reasons, there is no excuse to ignore the wisdom of drinking at home, but there’s much more. Besides to common sense advantages, there is a new factor of fun technology in the home bar market. New lighting products like multicolor LED’s, replace old energy wasting incandescent bulbs.
In addition, TV’s have come a long way from the 1950’s, with affordable modern models in the 70″ range, rivaling the movie theater experience. Sounds systems are more compact and include the capability of connecting to cloud based music sources. No more plugging a jukebox when you can build your own PC or even a cell phone powered jukebox.
New home bar related products come out regularly. Let’s not forget, having a home bar is just plain old fun.
The Art of Consumption
Two words, drink responsibly. If you are taking the safety precautions and making the smart economic decision to drink at home, please don;t let it become too much a part of your life. It’s not for me to preach, but moderation is the key to life and the true art of drinking responsibly at home.
Build a Home Bar
Re-discover the Art of Drinking at Home