A bar is a retail business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor,
and cocktails — for consumption on the premises. Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed
at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as
a live band, comedians, go-go dancers, or strippers. Bars which offer entertainment
or live music are often referred to as music bars or nightclubs.
Types of bars range from dive bars to elegant places of entertainment for the elite.
Many bars have a happy hour to encourage off-peak patronage. Bars that fill to capacity sometimes
implement a cover charge or a minimum purchase requirement during their peak hours. Such
bars often feature entertainment, which may be a live band or a disc jockey playing recorded
music. The term "bar" is derived from the specialized
counter on which drinks are served. Patrons may sit or stand at the bar and be served
by the bartender, or they may sit at tables and be served by cocktail servers. The "back
bar" is a set of shelves of glasses and bottles behind that counter. In some establishments,
the back bar is elaborately decorated with woodwork, etched glass, mirrors, and lights.
History
There have been many names throughout history for establishments where people gather to
drink alcoholic beverages. Even when an establishment uses a different name, such as "tavern," the
area of the establishment where the bartender pours or mixes alcoholic beverages is normally
called "the bar." The sale and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages
was prohibited in the first half of the 20th century in several countries, including Finland,
Iceland, Norway, and the United States. In the United States, illegal bars during Prohibition
were called speakeasies or blind pigs.
Legal restrictions Laws in many jurisdictions prohibit minors
from entering a bar. Cities and towns usually have legal restrictions
on where bars may be located and on the types of alcohol they may serve to their customers.
Some Muslim countries, prohibit bars for religious reasons, while others, including Qatar and
the United Arab Emirates, do allow bars in some specific areas but only permit non-Muslims
to drink in them. Types
A bar's owners and managers choose the bar's name, décor, drink menu, lighting, and other
elements which they think will attract a certain kind of patron. However, they have only limited
influence over who patronizes their establishment. Thus, a bar originally intended for one demographic
profile can become popular with another. For example, a gay bar with a dance floor might,
over time, attract an increasingly straight clientele. Or a blues bar may become a biker
bar if most its patrons are bikers. A cocktail lounge is an upscale bar that is
typically located within a hotel, restaurant, or airport.
A full bar serves liquor, cocktails, wine, and beer.
A wine bar is an elegant bar that focuses on wine rather than on beer or liquor. Patrons
of these bars may taste wines before deciding to buy them. Some wine bars also serve small
plates of food or other snacks. A beer bar focuses on beer, particularly craft
beer, rather than on wine or liquor. A brew pub has an on-site brewery and serves craft
beers. "Fern bar" is an American slang term for an
upscale or preppy bar. A music bar is a bar that presents live music
as an attraction. A dive bar, often referred to simply as a
"dive," is a very informal bar which may be considered by some to be disreputable.
Entertainment Bars categorized by the kind of entertainment
they offer include: Blues bars, specializing in the live blues
style of music. Comedy Bar specializing in a stand-up comedy
entertainment. Dance bars, which have a dance floor where
patrons dance to recorded music. But if a dance bar has a large dance floor and hires
well-known professional DJs, it is considered to be a nightclub or discothèque.
Karaoke bars, with nightly karaoke as entertainment. Music bars, specializing in live music.
Drag bars, which have live shows, where men dress as women and generally lip-sync to recordings
of female vocal artists; often with hilarious results.
Salsa bars, where patrons dance to Latin salsa music
Sports bars, where sports fans watch games on large-screen televisions
Topless bars, where topless female employees dance or serve drinks
Patrons Bars categorized by the kind of patrons who
frequent them include: Biker bars, which are bars frequented by motorcycle
enthusiasts and motorcycle club members College bars, usually located in or near universities,
where most of the patrons are students. Neighborhood bars, a bar that most of the
patrons know each other; it is generally close to home and is frequented regularly
Cop bars, where off-duty law enforcement agents gather
Gay bars, where gay men or women dance and socialize
Mixed gay/straight bars Singles bars where unmarried people of both
sexes can meet and socialize Women's bars
Bar
The counter at which drinks are served by a bartender is called "the bar." This term
is applied, as a synecdoche, to drinking establishments called "bars." This counter typically stores
a variety of beers, wines, liquors, and non-alcoholic ingredients, and is organized to facilitate
the bartender's work. The word "bar" in this context was already
in use in 1591 when Robert Greene, a dramatist, referred to one in his A Notable Discovery
of Coosnage. Counters for serving other types of food and
drink may also be called bars. Examples of this usage of the word include snack bars,
sushi bars, juice bars, salad bars, and sundae bars.
Locations Australia
In Australia the major form of licenced commercial alcohol outlet from the colonial period to
the present was the pub, a local variant of the English original. Until the 1970s, Australian
pubs were traditionally organised into gender-segregated drinking areas—the "public bar" was only
open to men, while the "lounge bar" or "saloon bar" served both men and women. This distinction
was gradually eliminated as anti-discrimination legislation and women's rights activism broke
down the concept of a public drinking area accessible to only men. Where two bars still
exist in the one establishment, one will be more downmarket while the other will be more
upmarket. Over time, with the introduction of gaming machines into hotels, many "lounge
bars" have or are being converted into gaming rooms.
Beginning in the mid-1950s, the formerly strict state liquor licencing laws were progressively
relaxed and reformed, with the result that pub trading hours were extended. This was
in part to eliminate the social problems associated with early closing times—notably the infamous
"Six O'Clock Swill"—and the thriving trade in "sly grog". More licenced liquor outlets
began to appear, including retail "bottle shops". Particularly in Sydney, a new class
of licenced premises, the wine bar, appeared; there alcohol could be served on the proviso
that it was provided in tandem with a meal. These venues became very popular in the late
1960s and early 1970s and many offered free entertainment, becoming an important facet
of the Sydney music scene in that period. In the major Australian cities today there
is a large and diverse bar scene with a range of ambiences, modes and styles catering for
every echelon of cosmopolitan society. Canada
Public drinking establishments were banned by the Prohibition of alcohol, which was a
provincial jurisdiction. Prohibition was repealed, province by province, in the 1920s. There
was not a universal right to consume alcohol, and only males of legal age were permitted
to do so. "Beer parlours" were common in the wake of prohibition, with local laws often
not permitting entertainment in these establishments, which were set aside for the purpose solely
of consuming alcohol. Since the end of the Second World War, and
exposure by roughly one million Canadians to the public house traditions common in the
UK by servicemen and women serving there, those traditions became more common in Canada.
These traditions include the drinking of dark ales and stouts, the "pub" as a social gathering
place for both sexes, and the playing of games. Canada adopted the UK-style tavern, which
was the most popular type of bar throughout the 1960s and 1970s, especially for working-class
people. Canadian taverns, which can still be found in remote regions of Northern Canada,
have long tables with benches lining the sides. Patrons in these taverns often order beer
in large quart bottles and drink inexpensive "bar brand" Canadian rye whisky. In some provinces,
taverns used to have separate entrances for men and women.
Canada has adopted some of the newer U.S. bar traditions of the last decades. As a result,
the term "bar" has come to be differentiated from the term "pub", in that bars are usually
'themed' and often have a dance floor, as opposed to establishments which call themselves
pubs, which are often much more similar to a British tavern in style. Before the mid-1980s,
most "bars" were referred to simply as pubs; the word "tavern" was never prevalent in Canada.
Often, bars and pubs in Canada will cater to supporters of a local sporting team, usually
a hockey team. There is a difference between the sports bar and the pub; sports bars focus
on TV screens showing games and showcasing uniforms, equipment, etc. Pubs will generally
also show games but do not exclusively focus on them. Pub culture was most popular in Canada
until the 1980s, when American-style bars became popular. However, by the end of the
1990s the British- and Irish-style pub had become popular once again and Canadian pubs
became even more similar to their British and Irish counterparts. For example, pub names
like "The Fox and Fiddle" and "The Queen and Beaver" reflect naming trends in Britain.
Pubs are generally more common in Canada than bars although both can be found.
Legal restrictions on bars are set by the Canadian provinces and territories, which
has led to a great deal of variety. While some provinces have been very restrictive
with their bar regulation, setting strict closing times and banning the removal of alcohol
from the premises, other provinces have been more liberal. Closing times generally run
from 2:00 to 4:00 a.m. In Nova Scotia, particularly in Halifax, there
was, until the 1980s, a very distinct system of gender-based laws were in effect for decades.
Taverns, bars, halls, and other classifications differentiated whether it was exclusively
for men or women, men with invited women, vice-versa, or mixed. After this fell by the
wayside, there was the issue of water closets. This led to many taverns adding on "powder
rooms;" sometimes they were constructed later, or used parts of kitchens or upstairs halls,
if plumbing allowed. This was also true of conversions in former "sitting rooms," for
men's facilities. Italy
In Italy, a "bar" is a place more similar to a café, where people go during the morning
or the afternoon, usually to drink a coffee, a cappuccino, a hot chocolate and eat some
kind of snack like pastries and sandwiches. However, any kind of alcoholic beverages are
served. Opening hours vary: some establishments are open very early in the morning and close
relatively early in the evening; others, especially if next to a theater or a cinema, may be open
until late at night. Many larger bars are also restaurants and disco clubs. Many Italian
bars have introduced a so-called "aperitivo" time in the evening, in which everyone who
purchases an alcoholic drink then has free access to a usually abundant buffet of cold
dishes like pasta salads, vegetables and various types of appetizers.
Spain Bars in Spain are common and form an important
part in Spanish culture. In Spain it is common for a town to have many bars and even to have
several lined up in the same street. Most bars have a section of the street or plaza
outside with tables and chairs with parasols if the weather allows it. Spanish bars are
also known for serving a wide range of sandwiches, as well as snacks called tapas or pinchos.
Tapas and pinchos may be offered to customers in two ways, either complementary to order
a drink or in some cases there are charged independently, either case this is usually
clearly indicated to bar customers by display of wall information, on menus and price lists.
The anti-smoking law has entered in effect January 1, 2011 and since that date it is
prohibited to smoke in bars and restaurants as well as all other indoor areas, closed
commercial and state owned facilities are now smoke free areas.
Spain is the country with the highest ratio of bars/population with almost 6 bars per
thousand inhabitants, that's 3 times UK's ratio and 4 times Germany's, and it alone
has double the number of bars than the oldest of the 15-members of the European Union. The
meaning of the word 'bar' in Spain, however, does not have the negative connotation inherent
in the same word in many other languages. For Spanish people a bar is essentially a
meeting place, and not necessarily a place to engage in the consumption of alcoholic
beverages. As a result, children are normally allowed into bars, and it is common to see
families in bars during week-ends of the end of the day. In small towns, the 'bar' may
constitute the very center of social life, and it is customary that, after social events,
people go to bars, including seniors and children alike.
United Kingdom In the UK bars are either areas that serve
alcoholic drinks within establishments such as hotels, restaurants, universities, or are
a particular type of establishment which serves alcoholic drinks such as wine bars, "style
bars", private membership only bars. However the main type of establishment selling alcohol
for consumption on the premises is the public house or pub. Some bars are similar to nightclubs
in that they feature loud music, subdued lighting, or operate a dress code and admissions policy,
with inner city bars generally having door staff at the entrance.
'Bar' also designates a separate drinking area within a pub. Until recent years most
pubs had two or more bars - very often the Public bar/Tap room, and the Saloon Bar/Lounge,
where the decor was better and prices were sometimes higher. The designations of the
bars varied regionally. In the last two decades many pub interiors have been opened up into
single spaces, which some people regret as it loses the flexibility, intimacy and traditional
feel of a multi-roomed public house. One of the last dive bars in London was underneath
the Kings Head pub in Gerrard Street, Soho. United States
In the United States, legal distinctions often exist between restaurants and bars, and even
between types of bars. These distinctions vary from state to state, and even among municipalities.
Beer bars are legally restricted to selling only beer, and possibly wine or cider. Liquor
bars, also simply called bars, also sell 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 and this makes them
clearly different from liquor stores. Some 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 and Savannah, Georgia, open containers of alcohol may be prepared
to go. This kind of restriction is usually dependent on an open container law. In Pennsylvania
and Ohio, bars may sell six-packs of beer "to-go" in original containers by obtaining
a take-out license. New Jersey permits all forms of packaged goods to be sold at bars,
and permits packaged beer and wine to be sold at any time on-premises sales of alcoholic
beverages are allowed. During the 19th century, drinking establishments
were called saloons. In the American Old West the most popular establishment in town was
usually the Western saloon. Many of these Western saloons survive, though their services
and features have changed with the times. Newer establishments have sometimes been built
in Western saloon style for a nostalgic effect. In American cities there were also numerous
saloons, which allowed only male patrons and were usually owned by one of the major breweries.
Drunkenness, fights and alcoholism made the saloon into a powerful symbol of all that
was wrong with alcohol. Saloons were the primary target of the Temperance movement, and the
Anti-Saloon League, founded in 1892, was the most powerful lobby in favor of Prohibition.
When Prohibition was repealed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the states not to permit
the return of saloons. Many Irish- or British-themed "pubs" exist
throughout United States and Canada and in some continental European countries.
As of May, 2014, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had the most bars per capita in the United
States. Gallery
See also
References
Bibliography Hamill, Pete. A Drinking Life: A Memoir. NewYork:
Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-34102-8.
Maloney, Ralph. How to Drink Like a Mad Man. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-48352-8.
A humorous account of the drinking culture of Madison Avenue advertising executives during
the 1960s. Originally published in 1962 as The 24-Hour Drink Book: A Guide to Executive
Survival. Moehringer, J.R.. The Tender Bar: A Memoir.
New York: Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0064-2. External links
Bar Database