PopSugar

Do You Like to Eat at the Bar?

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:42 -0700

I'm a big fan of bars, and not just for drinking. If I'm dining alone or on a date, I love to eat at a restaurant's bar. It's cozy and intimate, and I enjoy being able to place my entire meal order with the bartender. How about you?

Source: Flickr User Mat Honan

Roundup: Cocktail Trays

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:00:53 -0700

Every entertaining household should have a stocked bar with an ice bucket, glassware, cocktail shakers, mixers, and a few choices of poison. I recommend keeping these bar essentials out in the open on a console table of sorts, so guests feel they can serve themselves. Sometimes a closet or cabinet is the only option, though. Regardless, a cocktail tray is crucial for keeping all these items in a cohesive, orderly arrangement. I recommend a rectangular tray with a raised edge and handles so you can carry the tray around to guests if you want to serve a special cocktail. See a few of my tray picks when you read more.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Do You Have a Bar Cart?

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:00:06 -0700

I've been on the hunt for a retro bar cart lately, and was recently tempted by a Lucite one on Craigslist. To be honest, I don't even drink liquor - I prefer vino and Hefeweizen - but I just love the way they look. Admittedly, I also dream about having groovy cocktail parties, serving up spirits to my pals in my growing collection of highball glasses, while doing the twist. I wish I were that cool. Do you have one?

Inspired: Bloodhound Bar

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:00:09 -0700

7x7, San Francisco's city magazine, recently wrote about a new bar in the SoMa neighborhood called Bloodhound. My life isn't short on watering holes, and I rarely find myself in that 'hood, but I was impressed by the design of the space. The coolest thing, as the mag points out, is the flock of black birds painted on the ceiling. Beyond that, reclaimed wood paneling and rustic accents like an antler chandelier and wildlife artwork give the space a spooky, lost-in-the-woods aura. I came across the CB2 Flock Rug ($249), which would be ideal for re-creating the look of this bar. Using it as a jumping off point, I decided to round up a few more items inspired by this San Francisco spot. To see them, read more.

A dining room, I thought, would be the natural room to design with Bloodhound as inspiration, seeing as we don't all have bars in our homes. See more photos of the space here.

Source

Crave Worthy: Victoria Cocktail Cabinet

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:30:00 -0800

You can't get away with serving two-buck Chuck and Popov from this magnificent Pedro Sousa Cocktail Cabinet ($22,750). Well, maybe you could, since your guests might be so distracted by the fabulousness of this cabinet they'd miss out on the bottles altogether.

The first of a collection of limited edition cabinets by the young Portuguese designer Pedro Sousa, who graduated from design school in 2002, this case piece is not only a sleekly luxurious and unusual confection, but an investment in fine art. Its base may look like cast iron, but it's actually hand-carved and lacquered wood, and its drawers are made of high quality leather. The exterior of the cabinet is akin to the Batmobile - multi-faceted, slick, and intimidating - but its sunshine-yellow interior pours a spoonful of fun into your domestic mixology.

How Would You . . .

CasaSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:15:15 -0700

Would you like a little horsing around with your gin and tonic? This Fredrick Weinberg Horse Shaped Drink Trolley ($950) will definitely add some eccentricity to your home bar.

For this challenge, I'd like you to tell me how you'd use this cart in your home. Would you up its kitsch factor with more equine-themed accents? Would you repaint it? What room would it look best in? Would it work for a children's playroom? What would you store on it? Tell me in the comments below!
Source

Handle This: Your Date Invites Along Another Girl

DearSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Via a birthday party for a male friend, you meet a guy who seems absolutely great - he’s friendly and flirty, too! To top things off, he ends up giving you both his email and phone number before the night is over with the hope that you’ll call him soon.

When a group happy hour comes up soon thereafter, you decide to take the initiative and send him an email. You’re thrilled when he actually attends and seems just as into you as he was before. But within minutes of arriving, a girl shows up asking for him. It doesn’t take a genius to read their body language - it’s obvious they have something going on. Your intentions were clear, so how do you handle this?

Source

Party Foul: Understaffed Bar

partysugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:13:31 -0700

A few Fridays ago, I attended the opening of a new club. The party was great; there was no line to get in, our names were actually on the list, it wasn't overcrowded, and the music was perfect! What put me in a bad mood very quickly was the wait to get a drink. The bar was completely understaffed. I stood at the front of the bar trying to get the bartender's attention for a half an hour! I know it's hard to make a lot of drinks super quickly - I was a bartender once - but the owner should know how many bartenders are needed based on the amount of people invited.

This is something to consider when hosting any party - a wedding, a birthday, or a shower - with a staffed bar. If you don't want guests (or bartenders) getting cranky because they had to wait forever for a cocktail, be sure your bar is staffed appropriately.

So what's the longest you've ever had to wait to get a drink? Have you ever left a party or bar because it took too long to get served?

Source

Guess Who Designed This Bar?

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:15:55 -0700

The walls of this bar are covered in large-scale images of Versailles's interiors, table lamps hang upside down from the ceiling as pendants, and mismatched tables and chairs make up the cozy bohemian lounge setting. It was designed by a well-known Frenchman who designs interiors as well as mass-produced consumer goods. Do you know who it is?

Steal of the Day: Ballard Designs Nicobar Folding Tray Table

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:00:04 -0800

Even if you don't have time to turn a TV cabinet into a bar, you can still be a hotshot bartender with the Ballard Designs Nicobar Folding Tray Table ($149, reduced from $249). Wait, did I just say hotshot and Ballard Designs in the same sentence? Yes, this tray table is actually pretty darn cool. It unfolds easily, and has a removable tray top with a designated locale for your bottles and glassware. Whip out your mixology skills when your friends are over, and then store it when it's not in use. That way, when your parents stop by unexpectedly, they won't know you're such a booze hound. Perfect for studio living, too.

Simrin Botanical Large Rectangular Tray - $108.00	GG Collection - $245.00
Barneys New York Mondrian Mini Handle Tray - $165.00	Alessi Recinto, Rectangular tray with handles - $168.00
R & Y Augousti Brownlip Circles Tray- Multi - $115.00	R & Y Augousti Shagreen Tray- Ivory - $396.00
Vellum Mercer Tray - $325.00	Alessi Tau Rectangular Tray With Handles - $220.00
Cork Tray - $39.00	Elegant Lacquer Trays - $125.00
Match - $65.00	All-Over Mother-of-Pearl Trays - $88.00
Mother-of-Pearl Tray - $98.00	Christofle Anemone Large Rectangular Tray - $1,570.00
Christofle Three-Part Cocktail Server - $330.00

Nautical Round Wood Mirrors - $149.00	Voyager Trunk - Brown - $999.00
Roost Halo Chandelier - $270.00	Jason Miller 4 Antler Chandelier - $1,700.00
Belleville Swivel Counter Stool - $289.00	Cooper's Small Draftsman Stool - $159.00
Limited Edition Thomas Edison Table - $1,595.00	Artel - black birds glassware by artel - $68.00
Wall Sticker Birds Black - $64.00	Flock Rug - $299.00