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The Method to the Menu
Strategies for a Successful Cocktail Menu
A well-conceived beverage program can be told by its cocktail
list. The drink menu helps define the bar’s image. It’s like a brochure
or Web page — an extremely important marketing tool. As human beings,
we evaluate our bar experience visually and emotionally, and the menu
plays an important role, becoming a very valuable detail to the overall
guest experience.
As they say, it’s not all gold what glitters. Many
cocktail lounges still believe that having 120 “Martinis” on the list
will attract more guests in an effective way. First of all, the menu is
a merchandising tool and doesn’t define the success of the
establishment. Also, if you try to have a drink before dinner, by the
time you finish reading the entire list the kitchen is already closed.
Let’s be clear: What makes the bar is the staff — enthusiastic
bartenders who are cheerful, courteous and knowledgeable. It is
unnecessary to feature 100 single malts or 60 vodkas on the drink menu
if your staff doesn’t recognize half of the brands and can’t pronounce
them properly. A lack of confidence in pronouncing the brand correctly
is also a deterrent for your staff.
Quality, Not Quantity
I firmly believe that fewer choices make for more sales. Rotate
your cocktail menu often, at least quarterly, to have new — but still
few — choices. Promote seasonality.
Today’s consumers are becoming more sophisticated, seeking new
beverage experiences. They strive for an adventure, relying on the
bartender and waitstaff to transport them in an exotic, gourmet
journey. New flavors are setting up trends such as pomegranate, lychee,
ginger and lemongrass, as well as home-made bitters and syrups
recipes.
The bar is such a major profitable business, whether it is in a
vacation resort or in a downtown restaurant, and pricing mistakes,
along with inefficient cost control and lack of staff training, allow a
great opportunity for failure. Committing to a sophisticated cocktail
list is demanding but rewarding.
Let’s start with the basics. The cocktail list, as a general rule of
thumb, shouldn’t exceed a dozen of drinks. A mistake that many new bars
tend to make is to offer lots of choices, and bartenders have a tough
time with execution. I would suggest increasing the offering gradually.
Start with six to eight cocktails, including three or four classic
cocktails — such as French 75, Negroni, Pisco Sour, Caipirinha, Mojito
— and four new trend-oriented drinks with hot flavors like pomegranate,
yuzu, etc.
Cosmopolitans and Lemon Drops, as well as Apple Martinis, are
no-brainers, so rather than occupy premium real estate (as in space on
the page), substitute bartenders’ signature drinks.
Also, provide your bartender with cocktail trivia. Remember: Stories sell!
Key Considerations
When putting together a beverage menu, there are several factors to consider, such as:
• Mixology skills of your bartenders. Jumping from draft beers and
B52s to Mojitos and Pisco Sours is unfair to your bartenders. They
must understand cocktail balance first.
• Bar staff commitment to mise en place. Be able to provide fresh
garnishes, juices, purees, infusions, etc., on a daily basis.
• Plan to have a key review of your drinks with front-of-house staff.
• Consider creating extra space behind the bar for new liquor bottles, garnishes, glassware, etc.
• Product availability. Know what is in your distributors’
portfolios and if they are able to bring in special items for
you.
• Fresh produce availability. Rely on trustworthy purveyors.
• Type of clientele and drink trends. Are they Baby Boomers, Generation X or what?
• Bring your customers to their senses. Cocktail descriptions must
be stimulating and believable to your guest’s senses, or there
will be no persuasion to try. Here are two examples. Example 1 is
very plain and static; Example 2 provides origins of the drink and
stimulates sensory evaluation:
1. Mojito: Rum, mint, lime and soda.
2. Mojito: Enjoy a true 1900s classic Cuban long drink. Premium
light rum enriched with freshly squeezed lime
juice, mint leaves and cane sugar. Hemingway’s
favorite!
• Define and understand your bar/restaurant concept, such as whether
it is a pub, nightclub, piano bar, gourmet restaurant, casual
dining, etc.
• Promote products of your bar-restaurant ethnicity. For example,
cocktails that have Thai, Latino, Italian or other specific
origins.
• Know exactly your pour cost and assess your pricing position.
• Time every cocktail you decide to feature on the menu. It
shouldn’t take more than 35-60 seconds max for its execution.
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