The devil’s in the details, they say – which has no demonic origins, but really just means that everything should be done properly.

SOUNDSCAPE
No matter the airplay genre in any establishment, it shouldn’t reach the decibel levels that require manic screaming among friends. In bars and restaurants, just balance the music levels between loud-enough-to-enjoy and soft-enough-to-converse-by.

The exception to this rule is the dance club, since I think no one goes to one reasonably expecting an evening of polite conversation. Still, even in a dance club, there should be some kind of guideline for how loud things can get – my personal rule is, if my teeth feel like they’re loosening from all that bass, it’s time for me and my eardrums to get out of there. Prolonged exposure to more than 85 decibels (the general measurement for amplified music is about 110) can cause hearing loss and judging from my recent conversations (“Eh?? What?? Whassat??”), I’m quite deaf enough already.

And please, music is an important part of setting the ambience, so it shouldn’t be an afterthought; one CD on repeat the whole night is not going to cut it. Think twice before making me listen to Air Supply over and over again, unless you want a tear in my beer.

AIRSPACE
Breathing is a fundamental function! And if a bar has an air circulation system in the poor-to-none range, customers will be sipping their cocktails and gulping their beer in between gasps for air. Not a pleasant experience by any means.

Let’s face it, many bar-trippers in Malaysia smoke, and until non-smoking regulations are put in place here the way they have been in Singapore, that’s the reality. So bar-owners need to take that into consideration, since the main reason I keep hearing for people not going out to bars/ clubs now is that “I can’t take all that smoke!”

Al fresco joints like Waikiki in PJ’s Kelab Syabas and high-ceilinged clubs like Rootz on Lot 10’s roof have less of a problem with air circulation, but the smaller enclosed pubs really need to invest in a good system to keep patrons nicely oxygenated. And who wants to go home smelling like the end of a cigarette butt anyway?!


TEMPERATURE
This one is two-fold – firstly, I’m talking about atmospheric temperatures. Alcohol makes most of us hot, and I’m not just talking about in the fun way – so bars should keep drinkers cool, especially if they want them to keep ordering more liquor! I think 20ºC to 23ºC is a nice range to keep everyone cool but not shivering.

The second temperature range to look at is the one for drinks service, and it’s equally important especially when it comes to wine and beer. As a general guideline, white wines should be served between 7ºC and 13ºC – closer to the former for acidic wines, closer to the latter for richer, more rounded ones – and red wines between 13 ºc (for lighter, fruitier wines) and 17ºC (fuller-bodied wines). When it comes to wine, ‘room temperature’ certainly doesn’t refer to Malaysian room temps! It actually refers to cellar temperature, or European room temperature, which is on the cooler side.

When pulling a pint, look at 4ºC to 8ºC for lagers and ales, 10ºC for darker beers like porters or stouts.