Gifts for someone with a home bar (who seems to have everything)
Stocking fillers, things for the bar itself, and the present that turns their bar into a proper pub.
Buying for someone with a home bar is harder than it looks. They’ve already got the bottle opener, the novelty sign and the fridge full of lager. Whether it’s a parent with a shed pub, a partner with a garden bar or the friend who always hosts, the best presents are the ones that make the bar feel more like a real pub.
Stocking fillers
Beer mats with the bar’s name on. Plenty of printers will do a small run, and it’s the sort of thing nobody buys for themselves.
A proper bar towel for the counter, to catch the drips.
Big ice cube moulds. Large cubes melt slowly and make a whisky or a G&T look like it came from a cocktail bar.
A good bottle opener fixed to the wall, with a cap catcher underneath.
Something to drink from a local brewery or distillery they haven’t tried yet.
Things for the bar itself
Proper glassware. A set of pint glasses, copa glasses for gin, or tumblers for whisky. Mismatched glasses are the giveaway of a home bar.
A pub sign. A painted or engraved sign with the bar’s name over the door. If the bar doesn’t have a name yet, this is the excuse to give it one.
A cocktail kit. A shaker, a jigger and a bar spoon cover most drinks. Add a recipe book if they like a project.
A spirit optic stand for the back wall. It’s practical, and it’s the thing that makes a shed look like a pub.
A bar game. A dartboard, a shut-the-box board or a set of table skittles keeps people at the bar after the food has gone.
A gift they’ll use every weekend
Most home bars have everything except a menu. With Orders Up you can give someone their own bar online: a menu with their drinks and food on it, a QR code for the tables, and orders from every guest’s phone landing on theirs. They choose from nine looks, from a traditional pub to a tiki bar, and can change the menu whenever they like.
You make the gift card yourself. Print it to go in a card or under the tree, or email it so it arrives on the day. When they scan it, a short reveal plays and they’re shown how to get started, with their own code to run the bar.
How to choose
If the bar is new, go for glassware or a sign. It’s the thing that makes it feel finished.
If the bar is well stocked, go for something they’ll use with other people: a bar game, a cocktail kit or their own menu.
If they host a lot, anything that keeps them out from behind the bar is a win. Read how to run a home bar at Christmas for more ideas.
Questions people ask
What do you buy someone who has a home bar?
Proper glassware, a sign with the bar’s name, big ice cube moulds, a cocktail kit, a bar game, or their own menu and QR code ordering with Orders Up.
What is a good gift for a shed bar?
A pub sign for the door, a wall-mounted bottle opener, a spirit optic stand and a dartboard all make a shed feel like a proper pub.
Can I give Orders Up as a present?
Yes. You set up the bar, make a gift card from your account, and print it or email it to arrive on the day. They get their own code to run the menu.
What are good stocking fillers for a home bar?
Beer mats with the bar’s name on, a bar towel, large ice cube moulds and a bottle from a local brewery or distillery.
Give them their own bar
Set up the menu, print the gift card, and let them open the doors on Christmas Day.
