Source: Wall Street Journal
By CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN
Dec 26th
As cocktails have
become more popular in bars and restaurants, so has the practice of mixing
drinks for guests at home. When doing so, Facundo L. Bacardi believes in having
just the right setting for shaking up cocktails.
"Having a bar in
your home makes it seem more of an event, as opposed to you just pulling
bottles out of a cupboard," says Mr. Bacardi, chairman of the board of
Bacardi Ltd. "Once I get back behind the bar, making things, it's a great
place to sit and talk without the distraction of everything else in your home.
It feels much more intimate to me."
In that vein, Mr.
Bacardi likes having a home bar that feels like a destination. In his Coral
Gables, Fla., home, the bar is located within a library-like reading room.
"It looks like a club, almost," says Mr. Bacardi, who is the great-great-grandson
of Bacardi Ltd. founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó. Having a bar that is away
from the hubbub of the living room or kitchen makes the time he spends with his
friends focused, he says.
A traditional
full-scale bar isn't necessary; a piece of furniture or some shelving can work
just as well. Either way, Mr. Bacardi likes having the bar's décor blend in
with its surroundings. His bar has dark oak paneling to match the walls of his
reading room so "it all flows together." With a seamless look, the
bar area ends up being comforting to the eye instead of jarring. An incongruous
look, he says, may give off the air of "you've hired a bartender to come
to the house and they're bringing their own stuff."
Although the bar
counter itself is fairly small-about 4 feet across-Mr. Bacardi has it equipped
with items he believes all amateur mixologists should have: a measuring cup,
chopping board, a serrated knife for fruit, peelers for garnishes, a small
juice press and a shaker. "There's a big difference between when you stir
something versus when you shake something," he says. "The ingredients
come more alive when you shake them."
The idea of a home bar goes right to the basis of rumstylin and is always a fun place to hang out. ;o)
