BAR LOGIC
How to create an at-home bar, how to make it an experience, and some of the best bars in the world I take inspiration from
Wearstlerworld,
Some quick advice today on setting up a bar at home. It’s an incredible place to put some favorite serveware to work, and really, in terms of building and establishing a tone and vibe to an evening, a bar can do some heavy lifting at any scale – big, lavish bars with uniformed staff, or a beautifully simple cart. I have tips on both.
Entertaining, of course, is all about a choreography. You need to make sure the pace is right, the movement of your guests through your home is thought through, and above all else that people are actually entertained. And, the right bar is one of my favorite tools for this – it’s theater.
A bar should have elements that spark conversation, it can be a way to bring to life unlikely spaces in your home, and it’s definitely a magnet for guests to create flow.
When I launched Side Hustle (my new curatorial platform) at my home in Beverly Hills, the bar was totally essential (they were a USM configuration). Every touch point needed to elevate the moment – which was a big one for me! – and shape not just ‘a sense of occasion’, but help me build out a story. In this case, three signature cocktails named to call out dimensions of the evening – First Edition, Pure Form, Hustler. (I take to naming drinks like I’d name a collection, it sets the mood before the first sip.)
Today, I want to get deep into the home bar: how to set one up anywhere, and how to make it an experience.
And, since so much of what I’ve learned is from the hospitality business, and working alongside a chef or known mixologist, or clients that are constantly entertaining, I want to share some of my top inspirations – the best places for a drink from New York, to Mexico, to London, to Hong Kong.
First though, something important to remember - it’s not all about alcohol. It can be non-spirited drinks, or food, and it doesn’t need to be restricted to the adults. I once set up a little bar for Crosby and his friends, and had great ice bucket full of little chocolate milks – it was totally adorable.
A bar just has to be a little theatrical – mixing, or garnishes, and a little great styling. It’s a moment.
ROOM MIXOLOGY: BUILDING A BAR ANYWHERE (and everywhere!)
There’s a good reason you need to know how to build a bar anywhere - this is not just a creative hypothetical.
Good entertaining has a lot of ‘surprise’ in it, and especially when you have favorite guests that are invited back time and again, you have a responsibility to keep switching things up, and make it memorable. The bar is such an easy way to anchor a moment of the evening in a new space – not always just the living room or dining room.
It can give a reason to linger outside, or take people into the kitchen (if there’s something sort of theatrical in a meal’s preparation). Or maybe it’s a chance set a tone of real intimacy by setting up in a less formal family room or den – which really can make people feel very special, honestly.
No place should be off limits. In this way, a small bar can have a totally outsized impact.
BAR ON THE GO
If you have a smaller guest list – like a dinner of friends – then you don’t need to rig up something too serious. It’s better for the bar to be a chance to lead guests through the evening. So, make it mobile: trays or carts.
Here’s the pace:
First,
Open with a narrative.
Have an arrival drink planned and ready, something that won’t take up your time (if you don’t have a bartender) and that sort of hints at the flavors of whatever is coming. Plus, a first chance to personalize the night: some cocktail of your own creation, named as a way to give the evening a mood or purpose.
Then,
The bar – it’s either for another pre-dinner drink, or as a way to move on afterwards. But, it comes when everyone’s already arrived. Bring everyone to wherever it is you want them, and carry or wheel in your bar. Cart versus tray is really a “number of guests” questions – because you’ll want to set it up before and it has to make an entrance in one go.
And here’s what every good bar cart should have:
Something to pique interest; I have an amazing embellished nutcracker I picked up at Nickey Kehoe – it’s vintage, and was never posted online, and really goes to show that it pays to actually turn up to a physical shop!
Something to surprise; for me, it’s often an unusual vessel. What can you repurpose to hold garnishes or cocktail picks or linens? I have a silver gravy boat we bought from the last owners of this house which never really get used for gravy, but for flowers
The right glassware, and I don’t mean flute versus coupe versus whatever else – I mean it has to suit the vibe (or give a little design tension – even set in contrast to what you’re wearing). Elegant, avant garde, simple… make it perk people up.
Also, mix silhouettes: coupes, lowballs, stems. I love slipping in vintage pieces so each cocktail has its own “frame.” Same drink, different glass = different character.
Good lighting. Yes! It could be a great portable or some candles – for a book party for my friend Richard of Flamingo Estate, I used a lot of really inexpensive oil lamps. But, it focuses attention – and in any case, blaring overhead lighting is totally banned at parties (and always). It was the same for a dinner I cohosted for MasterClass, here:
Here are my top trays, carts, and ways to light the up – ones I’ve used, or really think could get some mileage:
CARTS
USM’s bar trolley – so many great colors (and reconfigurable)
Maris bar carts for GioBagnara
TRAYS
(PORTABLE) LIGHTS
Melange Portable Lamp from my collection
Liquid Candles in Glass Votive Tealight Lamp Holders used for Flamingo Estate event - we used so, so, so many, which had a magical effect
LOEWE Palo Santo scented candle
6 MORE GOLDEN BAR RULES:
Curate, don’t accumulate
A tight cast of bottles, a restrained color story, one sculptural object. The bar should feel edited, not encyclopedic.
Elevate the foundations: ice & napkins
Clear, oversized cubes or spheres feel quietly luxurious and melt slower. Pair them with real linen or cotton napkins and coasters—small, tactile signals of care.
Give spirit-free cocktails equal billing
At least one alcohol-free drink in beautiful glassware, with a proper garnish and layered flavor. It should feel like a choice, not a compromise.
Serve one perfect small bite
A single, thoughtful snack – a great nut, olive, crisp, or tiny toast – is more elegant than a crowded board. It keeps the focus on the drink and the conversation.
Choreograph the route
Ice, tools, glassware, garnishes, water – arranged in a clear sequence so making a drink feels like a smooth little performance, not a scramble.
Score the room
Treat the playlist as another design material: lighter on arrival, deeper as the night unfolds, always supporting conversation and the pace of the evening.
AT HOME
I’m right now planning our upcoming studio holiday party - which will be at my home, as it always is, around the fire. We’ll have a chef come and cook, do a white elephant gift exchange, and the bar situation is this: a big one outside, and several smaller ones in key spots inside – like by the tree.
(A couple of years ago, actually, the power went out during our party, and we just had to make do with hundreds of candles - actually the most memorable year so far!)
But, I was toying around with my bar set up, and here’s a collection of things that I think are sort of essential if you want something elevated:
GLASSWARE Metal Stem Martini Glass from Match; Sterling silver cocktail picks; Series B Champagne Cup by Lobmeyr; Series B Wine glass by Lobmeyr; Zuma low bowl, small and medium; Zuma Champagne flute; Zuma whiskey glass; Dune champagne coupe; Dune tumbler; Dune whiskey glass
MIXING AND SERVING Series B Decanter by Lobmeyr; Mixing Glass from Match; Cocktail Stirrer from Match; Zuma carafe; Maris bar accessories or this colorway for GioBagnara; Maris ice and champagne buckets for GioBagnara; Serax mussel shell beer bottle opener; Alessi cocktail shaker; Fabien Capello Fruit bowl for citrus or ice; FRAMA corkscrew; Lobmeyr champagne cooler; Henry Wilson champagne bucket
GARNISHES Edible flower mix by The Quiet Botanist; Service Projects ice cream bowls – but for olives or cherries!; Vipp small bowls; Yoshita Peeler;
DRINKS AND MIXERS High Rhode Mixer by Kin Euphorics; Olga Vodka made in California!; IESSI non-alcoholic aperitif
BAR TO STAY
A bigger bar is like a temporary architecture intervention.
We had these two USM bars designed to nestle perfectly into each end of the terrace - and that’s how we had them for Richard's book party, decked out with tons and tons of Flamingo Estate scented candles.
But for bigger parties, like 250+ people, as we had for the Side Hustle launch, we push them together. For that, we wanted the bar service to add to the dynamism of the event – so we had like five bartenders in white jackets mixing the three cocktails and it looked fantastic.
Not to go on and on about USM here, but it just goes to show what an investment in something more modular and adaptable can get you.
BAR, BAR AWAY
When I travel, I’m always, always scouting bars (and hotels, and restaurants… ) – it’s research. I’m a hospitality designer, and my studio is deeply involved in the full food-and-beverage experience on our projects. I love seeing how people create a truly memorable impression: the pacing, the light, the sound, the way a drink arrives at the table, whether it’s a classic cocktail or a beautiful spirit-free one. Those experiences push us to keep upping our game, and I bring that thinking back home when I entertain.
This is a small cast of bartenders and mixologists I think you’d love to know and research – icons of today and tomorrow. Great people to know and follow, and if you’re thinking about creating a vibe, maybe look to them as a benchmark:
THE ICONS
Dale DeGroff, “King Cocktail,” the godfather of the modern classic
Audrey Saunders – Pegu Club legend; turned a bar into a training ground for a generation
Julie Reiner – Clover Club / Leyenda; precision, warmth, and timeless cocktails
Sasha Petraske – Milk & Honey; rules, ritual, and intimacy as an art form
Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan) – Concept-driven, sustainable bars that feel like installations
THE NOW
Eric van Beek – Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City; tiny room, huge precision
Lorenzo Antinori – Bar Leone, Hong Kong; neighborhood bar with global edge
Iain McPherson – Panda & Sons, Edinburgh; playful speakeasy with serious technique
Lynnette Marrero – New York; cocktails, mentorship, and women reshaping bar culture
Ivy Mix – Leyenda, Brooklyn; Latin spirits and bold, story-driven drinks
THE NEXT
Oscar Perry – Murder Inc., London; high-energy, guest-first creativity
Mandi Tabatabai – The Cocktail Trading Co, London; big personality, big ideas
Rueben Clark – Silverleaf, London; research, R&D, and quiet innovation
These are the people I’d Google before a trip, bookmark on Instagram, and – if you’re lucky enough to sit at their bar – watch first hand. Their rooms, their drinks, and their hospitality are all masterclasses you can bring back to your own table.
I was lucky enough to collaborate with Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan), and it changed how I look at bars. He builds cocktails the way I build rooms: story first, then form, then all the small details of experience. (We hosted a great party at my house – and you can imagine the bar was spectacular.)
Here’s what I’ve learned from Mr. Lyan:
Story over recipe
From Mr. Lyan, I learned to treat a drink like a story, not a formula. The idea and mood come first—ingredients follow.
Edit harder
He’s fearless about stripping a cocktail back to what’s essential, which has pushed me to edit my rooms the same way.
Design the system
His bars are concepts and finely tuned machines. That taught me a space has to work on night 100, not just in the photo.
Let sustainability drive creativity
Watching how he uses every part of an ingredient showed me that constraint can actually make the concept stronger.
Hospitality is the hero
No matter how experimental the menu is, his bars feel human and welcoming. That reinforced my belief that how people feel is the real luxury.
POUR IT PERSONAL
Always, always make a bar your own, and have it reflect you and whatever else is going on – choose an earthy room scent that complements the warm spices of a drink, or load up a cart with candles in heirloom candlesticks to encourage people over to a special corner of the room. You want to use the bar to build the story – not just through drinks but design and placement.
We host pretty big events at home, and so we keep white jackets for bar tenders and staff when they’re here to help us host. But I didn’t want them to feel generic – so, they’ve been embroidered with a little emblem on the lapel to represent this home.
We’re now so deep into designing the hospitality elements at our Cal Neva project, and it’s really so fun creating the uniforms, and how that will play into the experience. There’s so much nostalgia for the Sinatra era, so it’s amazing to pick up on that reinterpret it.
Ultimately, you want every night to feel special, different, surprising, and like it had something to say. And you should try and set the bar very high for yourself - pun intended.
Let me know what signature cocktails you have planned!
Fantastic tips! Love that you keep monogrammed white jackets on hand for staff . Genius 🤌🏾
Nice I know someone with a cool hospitality podcast, that’s been a fanboy of yours for years, that would love to talk with you about this and all your other successes. 😉