Should you have a Home Bar in Your Man Cave?

We note that this article contains affiliate links, including products from Amazon. As an Amazon associate, we may earn a Commission at no extra cost to you on qualifying purchases.

Don’t you want to go where everybody’s knows your name? That is, a place that whenever you enter, every person in the establishment yells your name. You know, kind of like Norm from one of the best sitcom’s ever, Cheer’s.

Well, that best chance of that happening is in your own home. Actually, your Man Cave. In fact, it probably could only happen if you set up a sensor that when you enter your Man Cave, it triggers a voice recording that calls out your name. Okay that would be weird, but still pretty cool. You’re thinking about it.

But first you need a home bar in your Man Cave. Well, first you need a television and seating and other Man Cave products or items. But you will eventually want a home bar in your Man Cave. And your initial decision on a home bar for your Man Cave is whether you want to build it yourself (you can stop laughing now), hire a contractor, or simply purchase a pre-made home bar from a litany of retailers or manufacturers locally or on-line.

The average cost to have a contractor build you a home bar is around $8,000. Remember, this is the average cost with the most elaborate home bars costing upwards of $20,000. Obviously, it can be done for much less, especially if you go the do-it-yourself route, but you may not necessarily get all the bells and whistles, or how you want your home bar to look and feel. Yes, a home bar does have a personality just like your kids. At the end of the day, it may be most efficient to buy a pre-made home bar.

But if you really inclined to do-it-yourself, here is a video you may want to review before you begin the long-frustrating process of trying to build a home bar from scratch.

You also need to ask yourself what you want in your home bar? Do you want a sink, which would require plumbing? Do you want a kegerator? If so, will you have enough traffic in your Man Cave to make it worthwhile. Do you want space under the home bar to have a compact refrigerator? If the answer is yes, then your more inclined to hire a contractor to build you a custom home bar for your Man Cave. But if you are merely looking for a home bar in your Man Cave for you to sit and watch sports and that has enough storage for your liquor and wine, then a pre-made home bar may be the simplest and best way to go.

What type of home bar do you want in your Man Cave? Are you going for that traditional club look? Probably, if you already have leather chairs and couches in your Man Cave. If so, then you probably want to focus on a traditional home bar. Or, do you want a contemporary, modern, or transitional home bar in your Man Cave. In case you are curious as to what constitutes transitional style, it blends traditional and modern contemporary design elements, creating a look that’s classic yet modern. Okay, you understand it now.

Also, what about the shape of the home bar, which will be dictated by the space you have in your Man Cave and how may patrons, we mean friends, you want to be able to sit at your home bar. The most common bar configurations are straight, L-shaped, or a U or horseshoe shaped bar, and even a square or rectangular bar. We think these configurations are self-explanatory.

Going forward we assume you decided either (1) not to build your own home bar because you do not have the patience or skill necessary to design and construct a high-quality home bar for your Man Cave; or (2) to not hire a contractor because it may not be cost-efficient and it may not get timely built because you are the type of person that wants something sooner rather than later.

Well then, let us focus on some types of pre-made home bars you can purchase for your Man Cave.

The Sports Corner Bar

WHY BUY THIS? We know what you are thinking. I might as well hire a contractor to build my own home bar. And it could be similar to this beauty. True. But take a look at this. It’s the closest to a Cheer’s bar. Surprisingly it doesn’t come with Norm Peterson. But it comes with everything else. This is essentially an English Tavern in your Man Cave. You can charge a cover to allow folks the opportunity to sit at this home bar. And, as they explain, “When it comes to choosing a bar to integrate into the design of your living space, there is no equal to this one. Featuring authentic Tiffany glass panels and hand-carved, solid mahogany, no two of these spectacular pubs are exactly the same.” And it looks like it can be delivered within 10 days. Can your contractor build this beauty in 10 days? Don’t answer. That’s a rhetorical question.

Howard Miller Libby Bar

WHY BUY THIS? Howard Miller, whoever is, makes some really nice home bars. He also makes some really nice clocks. This bar is described as having “a rare Italian marble top provides an elegant surface for serving drinks on this demilune (half-moon) shaped bar.” It also has plenty of storage space with two pull-out drawers.

Home Fare Rustic Plank Bar

WHY BUY THIS? This particular bar is a reasonably priced home bar that should seat up to three. It has “Cerused oak finish features wire brushing distressing and a blue stone insert for contrast.” Oh, and it has a charging station. We’ll take it.

Howard Miller Cheer’s Bar

WHY BUY THIS? Another beautiful looking Howard Miller Bar. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s called a Cheers Bar that “features a Hampton Cherry finish on select hardwoods and veneers to compliment your home decor. Three columns have carved caps and inset panels of ash burl veneers in a parquet pattern framed with decorative moldings on the front and ends. You buy this and maybe Cliff Claven (and his Mom) will stop by to deliver your mail and have a drink.

Farmhouse Wood Bar

WHY BUY THIS? Fairly inexpensive medium brown wood Home Bar for your Man Cave. As explained, “You’ll be the center of attention when you step behind this gorgeous, farmhouse bar unit. With multiple storage compartments, a convenient stemware rack, and additional storage for wine bottles, it’s is ideal for gatherings of all sizes and occasions.” Well, we think it’s simply ideal for hanging out in your Man Cave with your friends.

Gettysburg Heavily Distressed Walnut Bar

WHY BUY THIS? We think this qualifies as a nice traditional L-shaped home bar that would fit your Man Cave if you are going for that club look. Hey, it’s about half the price of The Sport Corner Bar, and should seat four comfortably. Go for it.

Cordoba Vintage Reclaimed Teak Bar Cabinet

WHY BUY THIS? This is definitely unique and cool looking. In fact, as described, “Across the front of the bar is a unique, geometric design of hexagon-shaped pieces of teak wood that fit together in a simple yet intricate pattern.” Yeah, you’ll take it. We know it’s a smaller sized home bar that probably would be an ideal for a Man Cave with limited space but still, we think it would look good in any Man Cave. Remember, you can always have more than one home bar in your Man Cave.

Graystone Burnished Gray Bar

WHY BUY THIS? This is a nice looking smaller sized home bar measuring 6 feet in length. Still, it should fit two comfortably and possibly three. It “Includes wine rack, drawer, doors and matching wooden foot rail.” You might want to consider two or three of the Hart Gray Velvet Counter Stools…

Homestead Dark Brown Bar

WHY BUY THIS? A traditional bar at a great price. This bar is described as having “a rich mahogany finish with a tobacco leaf frame which makes this bar look elegant and stylish. The features include 2 drawers below the top, a pull-out tray, metal foot rail, and wine storage are just some of the details that make this bar unique.” Yes, it will look good in any Man Cave, including yours.

Monticello Distressed Walnut Bar

WHY BUY THIS? This is a rustic home bar that has that classic look. It would look nice in any Man Cave. Hey, and it has a stainless steel dry sink and condiment tray and laminated top. What more do you want?

You can also purchase the Monticello Distressed Walnut Back Bar with Hutch.

There are plenty of other choices at colemanfurnture.com. Just search under Bars and Bar Cabinets.

Bar Starters

Now that you have decided on a home bar for your Man Cave, you must stock it with some of the following items. Trust us, this list is far from inclusive. We know that there are plenty of items you can include in your home bar that we are sure will be put to use, so we will list the following ten starter items.

1. Alcohol. Duh, you should have at a minimum, a bottle of Gin, Bourbon, Tequila, Rum, Whiskey, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. You need liquor in your Man Cave Bar. And some Mixers as well. And if you really want to simplify things, just purchase a Bartesian Premium Cocktail and Margarita Machine for the Home Bar with Push-Button Simplicity and an Easy to Clean Design…

2. Beer Stein(s). We love Beer Steins at Mancavia. They are just flat out cool and every Man Cave should have at least one…or two…or infinity plus one. C’mon, you remember saying that when you were a kid. If you want to learn more about Beer Steins, read our article on Have an Octoberfest Every Saturday in Your Man Cave.

3. Cocktail Shaker. You’ll probably make a cocktail or two while hanging out in your Man Cave and you will need a Cocktail Shaker.

4. Cocktail Strainer. Why do you need a Cocktail Strainer? Well, why do you need a Cocktail Shaker? You just do…

5. Muddler. We just love the sound of Muddler. We want to muddle something, don’t you? What should we muddle today? A tomato? Nah, maybe some limes…

6. Beer Mugs. In addition to Beer Stein(s), you will need several Beer Mugs, just in case any of your friends have Beersteinaphobia – the fear of Beer Steins. Uh, we just made that up…

7. Rocks Glasses. Well, you will need some Rocks Glasses to drink your Whiskey or Bourbon. We mean, you can’t drink out of a Dixie cup, can you? We guess you probably can but you want to have class while you hang out in your Man Cave.

8. Collins Glasses. You need to drink your Tom Collins, whoever he is, out of a Collins Glass, don’t you?

9. Martini Glasses. Again, you need to drink your Martini out of a Martini Glass, don’t you? Yeah, we know…”shaken, not stirred…”

10. Bar Set. In lieu of some of the items listed above, you can always simply purchase a Bar Set. Yes, it includes a muddler…

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now that you have (or already had) a home bar in your Man Cave, you are confident that you can run a drinking establishment and serve as the primary bartender, which we are sure is a dream of all visitors to our website. Just in case, here is How to Open a Bar.