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Glossary

Back-bar cooler

A low, counter-height refrigerator with glass or solid doors, built to sit behind or under a bar counter and keep bottles, cans and mixers cold within reach of the bartender.

Also called: Underbar cooler, Bottle cooler, Bar fridge

Back-bar coolers are designed around bar work. They are usually around counter height or lower, so they fit under the back counter or the main bar top, and they often have glass doors so the bartender and customers can see the stock. Shelves are spaced for bottles and cans, and many units are front-breathing because they are built into joinery with no rear ventilation gap.

Bars are hard environments for refrigeration: the cooler sits beside glass washers, ice machines and coffee equipment that all reject heat, and doors open constantly during busy hours. Choosing a unit with adequate capacity for that ambient heat, and with lockable doors where liquor is stored, avoids warm beer and stock loss.

A brewpub in Bengaluru might run a row of three back-bar coolers: one for bottled beer, one for mixers, juices and garnishes, and one locked unit for premium stock. The doors face the bartender, keeping everything within a step during a Friday night rush.