Bar (establishment)
A
bar is a business that sells
alcoholic beverages for immediate on-premises consumption. (By contrast, a
liquor store sells alcohol for off-premises consumption.) Some bars serve food or may be parts of restaurants. Bars that are part of
hotels are sometimes called
long bars. Alternatively, "bar" can refer to the
specialized counter on which the drinks are served, and it is from this term that the establishment itself as a whole gets its name. The "back bar" is a (sometimes ornate) set of shelves of glasses and bottles behind that counter. Frequently when food is served elsewhere in the establishment, it may also be ordered and consumed at the bar.
A topless bar is a bar, where, as an attraction, personnel (usually female) are
topless. A biker bar is a bar marketed to and frequented by
bikers, often sharing the "outlaw" reputation. A sports bar is where sports fans go to to watch sports games an possibly meet other sports fans. A gay bar is where gay men and lesbians go to meet other gay men and lesbians.
United States
In the United States, legal distinctions often exist between restaurants, bars, and even
types of bars. These distinctions vary from state to state, and even among municipalities.
Beer bars (sometimes called
taverns or pubs) may be legally restricted to only selling beer or possibly wine, cider and other low-proof beverages.
Liquor bars sell everything from beer to hard liquor.
Bars are sometimes exempt from
smoking bans that restaurants are subject to, even if those restaurants have liquor licenses. The distinction between a restaurant that serves liquor and a bar is usually made by the percentage of revenue earned from selling liquor, although increasingly, smoking bans include bars too.
In most places, bars are prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages
to go. There are some exceptions. Usually
brewpubs and
wineries can serve alcohol
to go, but under the rules applied to a liquor store. In some areas, such as
New Orleans and parts of
Las Vegas, alcohol may be prepared
to go. This kind of restriction is usually dependent on
open container law.
Historically, the western United States featured
saloons. These bars featured swinging doors, dirt or sawdust-covered wood floors, and spitoons. Whiskey was the most common drink. The establishment might feature a piano player, an adjunct hotel, and prostitution. Many saloons survive in the western United States, though their services and features have changed with the times. Newer establishments have been built in the saloon style to duplicate the feeling of the older establishments.
United Kingdom
In the
UK 'bar' used to mean a wine bar, but now, 'Style Bars', trendy and generally high-quality drinking establishments are more common. However the main type of establishment selling alcohol for consumption on the premises is the
public house or pub. The origin of this division is related to the times when exclusive drinking establishments which were admissible by membership only have barred entry from normal members of public, as oppose to the Public Houses which are open to all; this distinction remains true today as most bars will have some admissions policy and on weekends and other busy times even a selector / bouncer while pubs remain completely open with no admissions policy or dress code. Bars are also areas that serve alcoholic drinks within establishments such as hotels, restaurants, and universities.
Australia
In
Australia, traditionally the 'public bar' was where only men drank, while the 'lounge bar' or 'saloon bar' was where women or men could drink (ie mixed drinking). This distinction is not seen now as anti-discrimination legislation and womens' rights activism has broken down the concept of a public drinking area accessible to only one sex. Where two bars still exist in the one establishment, one (that derived from the 'public bar') will be more downmarket while the other (deriving from the 'lounge bar') will be more upmarket. Over time, with the introduction of
pokies into hotels, many 'lounge bars' have or are being converted into gaming rooms.
Italy
In
Italy, a 'bar' is a place similar to a
Café, where people go during the morning or the afternoon, usually to take a
coffee, a
cappuccino, a
hot chocolate, some small pizzas, or a sandwich (
panino or
tramezzino). However, any kind of alcoholic beverage are also be served. Most bars are open late into the evening, although those in the suburbs close at the sunset.In the main cities as Milan, Rome, Tourin and Genoa there are hundreds of bars that proposed a mix of bar, restaurant and disco club service.All the bars of Milan offer an "aperitivo" time everyday at the sunset, with sometimes happy hour and evrytime with a large offer of pastas, beef dishes, vegetables and appetizer, all that completely free.
Elsewhere
In most major cities of the world there is at least one
Irish pub. Some capitals such as
Brussels have more than twenty.
Bars range from down-and-dirty "dives" which are little more than a dark room with a counter and some bottles of liquor, to elegant places of entertainment for the elite.
Many bars set a
happy hour to encourage off-peak patronage. Contrastingly, bars that fill to capacity typically implement a cover charge, often similar in price to one or two cocktails, during their peak hours. Such bars often feature entertainment, which may be a
live band (often of the
blues variety), a popular
D.J., or a variety (
female impersonation) show.
* The longest bar in the world is 684 feet or about 208.5 meters long and is located at the New Bulldog in Rock Island,
Illinois.
* A bar is now located in the
New York City building that once housed the
National Temperance Society.
* The
United States Marine Corps' first recruiting station was in a bar.
* Actors
Tom Arnold,
Sandra Bullock,
Chevy Chase,
Bill Cosby,
Kris Kristofferson, and
Bruce Willis, and musician
Dave Matthews are all former bartenders. Additionally, the concepts of retrobars and lounge bars also exist.
Several fictional bars have featured prominently in movies, including the following:
*
Coyote Ugly*
Cocktail*
Star Wars*
Rick's (Casablanca)Several fictional bars have featured prominently in television series, including the following:
Archie Bunker's Place* Babylon on
Queer as Folk*
Cheers* Karatos on
Angel*
Moe's Tavern on
The Simpsons* Phil's on
Murphy Brown* The Queen Victoria on
EastEnders* The Regal Beagle on
Three's Company*
Ten Forward on
Star Trek: The Next Generation*
Rovers Return on
Coronation Street*
The Drunken Clam on
Family Guy* P3 on
CharmedFor more, see the
List of fictional bars.
*
tavern*
inn*
pub*
café*
izakaya*
dive bar*
juke joint*
Honky Tonk*
cantina*
List of famous hotel bars*
Alcohol Trivia*
Better Bureu of Bartending Schools - Information for those interested in Bartending, State Laws and Bartending School Reports.
