Design Ideas for a Butler's Bar

Serving Space

• Top the lower cabinets of your butler’s bar with a waterproof countertop you can use as a serving or pouring station. Repeat the countertop material you used in the rest of the kitchen or butler’s pantry, or opt for a contrasting counter to make your butler’s bar a focal point.

  Incorporate lights and electrical outlets into the serving space. The lights add drama and help you see what you’re mixing. You’ll need the outlets for appliances, such as blenders and ice crushers. Install the countertop at a comfortable height for standing. Mount your upper cabinets high enough to allow large bottles to stand upright on the counter.

Refrigeration

• Because the lower half of a butler’s bar typically consists of closed cabinets, consider adding hidden refrigeration behind them. If you’re a white wine drinker, you’ll make good use of a wine refrigerator -- the type with racks designed especially for bottles.

  Small refrigerators with regular racks are ideal for chilling mixers, lemons and limes, as well as jars of olives, cocktail onions and cherries. Look for a refrigerator unit with a small ice maker, or opt for a separate ice maker if you have the space.

Wine and Spirit Storage

• A butler’s bar needs storage space for both grape and grain. Grid-like wine racks -- straight-lined or diamond-shaped -- are both functional and decorative when incorporated into the upper cabinetry. Wine racks sandwiched between glass-fronted upper cabinets look particularly attractive.

  For hard liquor storage, consider shallow shelves mounted behind your serving station, or just build the countertop deep enough to accommodate a large tray for bottles. If you need secure liquor storage, consider locking, glass-fronted upper cabinets. Install them all the way down to the countertop on both sides of the pouring station so you’ll still have reachable upper cabinet space for glassware.

Glassware Storage

• Display stemware by installing stemware racks on the bottoms of your upper cabinets. Store rocks, pint, shooter and shot glasses in lighted, glass-fronted upper cabinets. To prevent breakage, store them on shelves within easy reach. Reserve the highest cabinet shelves for the items you use less frequently, such as extra wine and ice buckets.

Accessory and Appliance Storage

• Make sure you allow space in your butler’s bar for two to three shallow drawers. You’ll need them for small items such as cocktail napkins, knives, corkscrews, stirrers and garnish picks. Place the drawers in a horizontal row just below the countertop for the easiest access, or try a vertical stack of drawers in the center of the lower cabinets. Reserve at least one small lower cabinet with a solid door for hiding appliances and a tiny trashcan.