No matter what type of home entertaining you are planning to do, a bar is almost always a necessity. Here are tips to having a party-worthy bar at home!

Make a clear path to the watering hole. The first thing people do at a party is head towards the bar so I is important to set a good traffic flow for this area. An easy access to the fridge or a cooler and a sink is a pretty good place to set up shop.

A Bar Sign. This adds a personal touch to your DIY home bar. Try something quirky, like this:

Have your drinks ready. Avoid having your guests do the bottle-two-step and uncork the wine or champagne. Have a bottle opener handy for your craft beer selection and make sure your beer is cold before the party. You can reuse a bucket, fill it up with ice and presto, you have a charming cooler!

Set up a single drink bar. Choose a cocktail that your guests can make for themselves. A martini bar with all the trimmings, cuts your bar duties in half.

Make sure there is enough to drink. It is safe to assume that each guest well have 2 glasses of wine or cocktails at the first hour before dinner and then a glass each hour after.  

Don’t forget the ice. Nobody wants a warm cocktail. Allocate about three to five pounds of ice per guest for evening parties and about six to seven pounds of ice for day time parties.

Glassware. Have a good supply of glass wear, even mismatched ones look great. Each guest will use about three glasses or you can also personalize it so they can hang on to their glass for the evening. Paper cups are a big no-no.

Non-alcoholic drinks. Keep a steady supply of water, lemonade or iced tea for your non-drinking guests. About two to three gallons of virgin punch per 25 guests is a good place to start. Having some coffee and tea ready is also a great idea.

Last and final tip. Enjoy the evening!