The former UK Prime Minister John Major, now Sir John Major, once famously longed for "long shadows on cricket grounds, warm beer (and) invincible green suburbs". 

Not everyone recognised at the time that he was drawing upon a passage from George Orwell's "The Lion and the Unicorn".  "Orwell" was, of course, merely a pen name.  Ironically, the writer's real name was Blair.

Warm beer is actually mostly a fallacy.  Real ale drawn from the hand pump tends to be moderately cool on the tongue rather than cold.  Excessive warmth usually indicates that it is out of condition.

But temperatures of cask ales notwithstanding, there is today and has been for some four decades or more a movement towards the continental preference for beer that is very cold, and usually gassy.  Some quite impressive selections of bottled lagers from across the European continent and beyond (India, Japan, Mexico and several Caribbean islands now produce seriously comparable tipples) have been joined by sundry ciders, vodka blends, adults-only ginger beer and brightly coloured alcopops as the cool option for quenching a thirst.

Sir John, one suspects, wouldn't approve.

With the increasing popularity of cold drinks, soft as well as alcoholic, comes an increasing demand for spacious and adequate storage options.  Even the most modest of bars will still have a fridge, or bottle cooler, in which the selections on offer will be proudly displayed.  Indeed some larger establishments have rows of them, lined up strategically to enable the purchaser standing at the bar to make an informed choice from all the available options.

The three basics when it comes to choosing which bottle cooler to opt for are – it has to work, it's got to fit and it must look right.  As is the case with any form of presentation or packaging a fridge display mechanism that exhibits its contents in the best possible light is the most likely to achieve a sale.  Most bars have restricted space and so often the refrigerator must be capable of adjusting to that which is available.  When space is especially limited there is sometimes a need to restock at frequent intervals during a period of high demand.  Nonetheless whatever its dimensions a clean, clear window revealing rows of well displayed, suitably arranged bottles moist with cool condensation is by far the best invitation for the thirsty consumer.

Bottle coolers and commercial refrigeration options in general, when correctly displayed, play their part in creating the "feel" of a bar in which the customer wants to be and from which a refreshing and enjoyable experience can be anticipated.