A
bar (also called a
pub or
tavern) is a business that serves drinks, especially
alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor, and mixed drinks,
for consumption on the premises.
[1]
Bars provide
stools or chairs for the patrons along tables or raised
counters. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a
live band, comedians,
go-go dancers, a floor show or
strippers (see
strip club). Bars that are part of
hotels are sometimes called
long bars or
hotel
lounges.
The term "bar" is derived from the
specialized counter on which drinks are served and is a
synecdoche applied to the whole of the drinking
establishment. The "back bar" or "gantry" is a set of shelves of
glasses and bottles behind that counter. In some bars, the
gantry is elaborately decorated with woodwork, etched glass,
mirrors, and lights. When food is served elsewhere in the
establishment, it may also be ordered and eaten at the bar.
Types
There are many types of bars, which can be categorized
according to the types of entertainment provided at the bar and
by their clientèle.
Bars categorized by the type of entertainment or activities
offered at the bar include: Topless bars, where
topless female employees serve drinks or dance;
sports bars, where
sports fans watch games on large-screen televisions;
salsa bars, where patrons dance to Latin salsa music; and
dance bars, which have a modest-sized
dance
floor where patrons dance to recorded music. However, if a dance
bar has a large dance floor and hires well-known professional
DJs, it is considered to be
nightclub or
discothèque.
Bars categorized by the clientele who come to the bar
include: biker bars, which are bars frequented by
motorcycle enthusiasts, and in some regions, motorcycle gang
members;
gay bars, where
gay men or women dance and socialize; cop bars, where
off-duty law enforcement agents gather; and singles bars
where (mostly) unmarried people of both
genders can socialize and meet.
A bar's owners and managers typically choose establishment
names, decor, drink menus, lighting and other elements they can
control so as to attract a certain clientele. However, bar
operators have only limited influence over who patronizes their
establishments and a bar envisioned for one demographic can
become popular with another. For example, a gay bar with a dance
floor might attract an increasingly-straight
clientele over time and vice versa. As well, a blues club may
become a de facto "biker bar" if its main clients are biker gang
members.
There are also
retro
bars and lounge bars.
Wine bars
Although the trend of wine bars in the United States was not
well-received in the 1980s, they began to gain popularity in the
90s. By early 2000, wine bars became very popular and started
popping up in many metropolitan neighborhoods across the
country.[2]
Wine bars now rival the local hangouts such as coffee shops and
local bars.[3]
The wine bar phenomenon offers the taste before you buy
philosophy.[4]
Wine bars put a new spin on
wine tasting. They seek to remove the association of wine
with upscale clientèle and overwhelming wine lists and replace
it with a more casual and relaxing atmosphere. Many of these
bars are furnished with nooks and booths encased in rich colors
and plush surroundings in hopes their guests will linger.[5]
Wine bars look to embrace the intellectual stimulation linked to
wine and offer an alternative to the bar scene. The laid-back
environment lends itself to a good socializing setting with a
less crowded feel and more intimate appeal.[6]
Modern wine bars have begun to incorporate a larger variety
of food choices. Traditionally associated with cheeses and
desserts, wine bars are looking to combine wine with
appetizer-sized gourmet selections to enhance the palate. The
concept brings the tastes of fancy restaurants to a dressed-down
setting.[7]
Restaurant owners and chefs take the opposite approach and use
wine bars as an opportunity for expansion.[8]
Venues
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 (i.e. mixed drinking). This distinction is not
seen now as anti-discrimination legislation and women's 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
gaming machines into hotels, many 'lounge bars' have or are
being converted into gaming rooms.
In the major Australian cities there is an immense and
diverse bar scene with a range of ambiences, modes and styles
catering for every echelon of cosmopolitan society.
Canada
Canada has absorbed many of the
public house traditions common in the UK, such as the
drinking of dark ales and stouts, and the establishment of
British-style pubs. 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.
As Canada borders the United States, it has also adopted many
U.S. bar traditions (such as the "biker bar", and the "sports
bar"). As a result the term "bar" has often come to be
differentiated with the term "pub", in that bars are usually
'themed' and often have a dance floor (such as a dance bar), as
opposed to establishments which call themselves pubs, which are
often much more similar to a British tavern in style. The U.S.-
bar has become very popular in Canada. Canadian sports bars are
usually decorated with merchandise and paraphernalia featuring
the local hockey team, and patrons watch the games on
large-screen televisions.
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. In
Alberta, for example, patrons can order beer for "take-out"
at the end of the night, a practice which is illegal in
provinces such as
Ontario. 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 to the wayside, the issue
of
water closets led many powder rooms in taverns being either
constructed later, or in kitchens or upstairs halls where
plumbing allowed, and the same in former sitting rooms for men's
facilities.
India
Bars in
India
are mainly clustered in metro cities, like Delhi, Mumbai,
Bangalore, etc. The rest of the country has very few bar
formats. Mostly, drinks are served in establishments such as
restaurants. Many consumers prefer to purchase liquor at "wine
shops" (locally known as Thekas—shops that, until
recently, stocked only beer and liquor) and consume it at home.
More recently, bars are showing up in smaller cities; but,
these establishments cater to a mostly male clientèle and are
unlike the social hubs of the west.
Since last few years, many international brand have entered
the market, like 'Hard Rock Cafe', 'TGI Friday's', Ruby
Tuesday's', Pop Tate's, 'Ministry of Sound(MOS)', etc. Similar
chains of bars are now starting to emerge from within the
country. Olives, Punjabi by nature, Geoffrey's Dhadkkan at Solan
Himachal Pradesh and
All Sports Bar are among the few popular ones.
Italy
In
Italy, a 'bar' is a place more similar to a
Café,
where people go during the morning or the afternoon, usually to
take a
coffee, a
cappuccino, a
hot chocolate and eat some kind of snack like pastries and
sandwiches (panini or tramezzini). However, any
kind of alcoholic beverages are served. Opening hours vary: some
establishments are open since 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.
In larger cities like Milan, Rome, Turin or Genoa, many larger
bars are also restaurants and disco clubs. Many Italian bars
have introduced a 'so called' "aperitivo" time in the evening:
everyone who purchases an alcoholic drink then has free access
to an usually abundant buffet of cold dishes like pasta salads,
vegetables and various types of appetizers.
Spain
Bars in
Spain
are very 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 (bocadillos), as
well as snacks called
tapas
or
pinchos. Normally, most bars in Spain offer tapas, but some
of them are served on a complementary basis when a drink is
ordered, and others have to be ordered and paid. Normally, bars
in Southern Spain offer free-tapas with the drinks while in
North Spain bars tend to charge for them. Due to a recent law,
some bars ban smoking though their number is comparatively small
with the bars that allow it. Bigger bars must have always a
smoke-free zone.
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
[1]. 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's 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's
customary that, after social events, such as the Sunday catholic
mass, 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, and the Saloon Bar, 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 of America, 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 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, 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 (sealed) containers by
obtaining a take-out license.
Historically, the western United States featured
saloons. 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.
Many Irish or British-themed "pubs"
exist throughout United States and Canada and in some
continental European countries.
La Crosse, Wisconsin, has the most bars per capita with 362
bars and only 51,034 people living in the city limits.
Elsewhere
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, or a popular
D.J..
Fictional bars
Several fictional bars have featured prominently in movies,
including the following:
Several fictional bars have featured prominently in books,
including the following:
Several fictional bars have featured prominently in
television series, including the following:
Bars featured in plays
- The Rumpus Room in Bar Talk by Jay Parker
See also
References
