open bar

American  

noun

1. a bar at a reception that serves drinks whose cost has been borne by the host, an admission charge, a sponsor, etc..

   Before the banquet there will be an open bar from 5 to 7 p.m.

---

Etymology

Origin of open bar

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Fans can watch large screens live at an open bar area.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

In an era of increasingly coy, event-specific signature cocktails — and the quiet pressure of an open bar — there’s something deeply charming about a punch bowl.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2026

Visitors there on Saturday sipped sparkling wine and cocktails from an open bar, decorated Christmas cookies and munched on pizza and tacos from food trucks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Some bolted for the door; others made a beeline for the open bar.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2025

To the office, which is in fact a long open bar, the guest walks up, and there inscribes his name in a book.

From North America — Volume 2 by Trollope, Anthony