Why is a Bar ( as in a place where you drink) called a "bar"?

Question

Why is a Bar ( as in a place where you drink) called a "bar"?

Answer 1

before the counter bars used to have just that , a bar between you antd the beer seller

Answer 2

Good question. And why when you are banned from a bar you are "barred"? Strange world this eh?

Answer 3

Because at one time there were no bar seats along the serving counter, and men [very few woman actually bought their own drinks] tended to stand at the counter to drink and chat, there was a brass or wooden bar which ran the length of the counter aboutsix inches off the ground which the customer rested one foot on. Quite a few of the older pubs still have them

Answer 4

The bar (establishment) gets it's name from the "bar" or counter on which the drinks are served. Originally, in the US the bar/counter was a highly ornate and prized piece of furnature. I'll site wiki as a reference, but I first learned this on The History Channel's Modern Marvels episode about drinking establishments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_(establ...

Pubs get their names from a shortening of the term "Public House."

A tavern gets it name from the Greek world taverna or Latin taberna.

Answer 5

Well in the early 80s. (Sorry am just gonna chat s***) they just decided to call a place where you drink beer a bar you know beer - bar lol

Answer 6

Because they used to have there serving area behind a long bar top.

Ja.

Answer 7

A bar is a counter from which drinks are dispensed and we have come to call the retail establishments that serve alcohol based drinks a "bar" as well.

Answer 8

In the late 18th century, drinking establishments were generally small.  They were closed with a gate consisting of horizontal bars.

Answer 9

bar are called that because in the past bars didn't have seats in front of them the only had a brass bar attached at the bottom to rest a foot on.

that's why people say "belly up to the Bar" and not "take a seat at the bar"  

Answer 10

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/at-the-bar...  If you can get past the bad jokes she has the right etymology for the word "bar" in your context..

Answer 11

Maybe because you are at the bar - literally