The mancave mainstay that became a kitchen must-have

World health events have always made an impact on the domestic front. From the introduction of indoor plumbing to deal with water borne diseases in Victorian times to the rise of seaside resorts as a panacea for respiratory ailments like tuberculosis, architectural design has always risen to the challenges and demands of modern living. 

So while the recent pandemic has elevated the importance of domestic design ranging from bigger and better bathrooms to fully equipped home offices, there are quieter but no less significant changes afoot in the kitchen.

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As lockdowns kept all but the most essential workers at home, many began looking at ways to replicate restaurant and bar experiences within their own four walls. Although some people already had dedicated bar areas, others gathered in communal areas like the kitchen to try their hand at making their favourite drink. As restrictions eased, it’s a trend that has continued to gather pace.

Whiskey ambassador, James Buntin, says often it simply makes good sense to make drinks at home.

“When you’re paying between $22 and $25 for a cocktail and you have four of those, that’s $100,” he says. “It becomes quite expensive and so during COVID a lot of people started to create their own drinks instead.” 

For connoisseurs with a particular preference for spirits like whiskey, vodka or gin, Buntin says perfecting your favourite cocktail at home can be a more satisfying experience than ordering it at a bar.

“The home bar is not usually set up for making lots of different drinks — you won’t get a menu,” he says. “Generally, it’s one or two drinks that are the owners’ favourites. It’s about simplicity, so it’s your space and you have everything within reach and it becomes a pleasure.”

Kitchen designer and director of Minosa, Darren Genner, says a built-in bar has become a popular must-have among his clients.

“During COVID, the kitchen became the headmaster’s station where mum or dad sat while the kids did their school work,” Genner says. “Then it became more about  entertaining at home.”

Rather than the freestanding, mobile drinks trolley that gained popularity among millennials in recent years, the new look bar is curated and integrated, with the occasional touch of glamour. 

“It used to be we had the drinks trolley with bottles of whiskey and vodka but now we don’t want to see it all the time,” he says. “We have clients, for example, that love their gin and collect the bottles and they want a place to store them.”

Most recently, Genner created a pop-up bar in a kitchen in Sydney’s Alexandria that emerges from the kitchen benchtop, James Bond-style, at the touch of a button.

“Home automation is the next step,” he says. “We are fitting voice activation now so that you can say ‘hey Alexa, I’m thirsty’.” 

The concealed nature of this new style of in-kitchen bar is also about increasing the functionality of the space within an open plan area over the course of the day.

“There is a touch of the nightclub about them,” Genner says. “When you are sitting in the lounge, you don’t want to see a kitchen — you want to see a beautiful piece of joinery. Materials are metallics, marble and smokey glass with LED lights with sensors that are really positioned to illuminate bottles. 

“All those kinds of things make it special.”

Architect Carla Middleton says as footprints shrink, it just makes sense to create spaces with dual functionalities. She has created several spaces on tight sites for clients that are dedicated to easy drinks preparation, including an area under the stairs in her own home at Tamarama.  

“It’s a combined coffee and bar area and it was the only thing my husband really wanted,” Middleton says. “We couldn’t do a cellar and this is central to the living and entertaining area that you can seal off when you are not entertaining. 

“It’s a nice area when friends come over to set up and let your guests help themselves.”

Rather than creating a separate bar or mancave, a luxe mini version in a shared space like the kitchen also ensures that everyone feels welcome, including the cook. Whether it is concealed or not, for it to be successful, Middleton says a drinks station needs a few essentials.

“You want a good open benchtop, when you are entertaining, to serve as a cocktail station and then a sink big enough to have some ice in it,” she says. “A wine and beer fridge is also good, perhaps one of those under bench wine fridges, and then a separate fridge for soft drinks.”

While the materials and technology might have changed, Middleton points out that the idea of having a cocktail bar at home goes back some way.

“It’s not a new thing. We used to have a drinks trolley in my grandmother’s house,” she says. “It’s just transforming in its style and location.”

Here’s cheers to that.