Warm Caribbean breezes. The smell of the sea mixed with meat cooking over a fire. Laughter. Freedom. Adventure. And of course, plenty of rum to go along with it.

This is what comes to mind when I sit at my home bar, set in a theme of the 18th Century’s Golden Age of Piracy. In the evening, with only the light of some flickering candles, a lantern, and the fire in the hearth, I can sip at a tumbler filled with my favorite spirit, a dark spiced rum, and the cares of the day evaporate.

The home bar is an ever-growing and popular hobby in homes across America. Once that daily grind sets in, it gets harder and harder to get out of the house and get to your favorite bar or brew-pub.

But hopefully your basement, sitting room (or even that spare-bedroom you don’t use) is still accessible, just a few steps away. The home bar allows you to have some quiet moments to yourself to recover from a hectic work-week, or enjoy some time with friends without having to leave your home.

You could have a simple home bar with a bare cart, some bottles, and some glasses, but where’s the fun in that? Setting up a theme for your bar really helps to personalize it and makes it more fulfilling and enjoyable to share with others.

There are numerous themes you could pick from and it all depends on what interests you and what helps you to “get away”. For me, it’s the classic feel of a dimly-lit 18th century tavern with some extra “piratey” elements: some cutlasses, a skull, a clay jug, treasure chest–and a couple Captain Jack Sparrow figures. I also like including a few of my souvenirs from travels to the Caribbean to give it an island feel.
The pirate theme is only one of many, but even if it’s not your thing, then you’re in luck. This website is designed to provide start-up inspiration for any home bar with some of the essentials: different styles of bar carts or permanent bars and how to construct one, basic liquors to have on hand to make a variety of common drinks, and the core tools of the trade that you can’t do without.

If the pirate theme is what you want, then you’re in even bigger luck because the rest of the site is devoted to decorating, atmosphere, special drinks, and even food menu choices to help accentuate your pirate bar.