Tap into the Potential of Draft Cocktails
Feb. 28, 2017
It’s quite rare to find a bar or restaurant that doesn’t offer beer on draft – whether it’s a few easy options or a whole slew of craft beers. But beer isn’t the only beverage with potential to tap into. Keg wine joined the scene several years ago and has continued to gain more and more popularity in restaurants and bars. The newest beverage to join the keg party? The cocktail. While draft cocktails are no novelty, bars and restaurants are just now starting to tap into the trend. We recently spoke with our Beverage Development Specialist Mike Page about what makes cocktails on tap so great and how to get up and running with a draft cocktail program.
Four Reasons Cocktails on Tap will Benefit Your Business
1) Efficiency
“Draft cocktails provide a fantastic opportunity for bartenders to utilize downtime for prepping and spend less time during service on execution,” Page says. While it may take some time on the frontend, it affords bartenders much more freedom and flexibility during critical times such as a bar’s rush hour or on its busiest nights. This is especially beneficial when it comes to craft cocktails, as some of them can take up to 15 minutes to create. Page says this is also useful for bars and restaurants that have signature drinks, or drinks that are consistently ordered by its customers. “By having that signature drink on tap, you’re freeing up all of the time you would spend making those drinks over and over again during service, and that time can then be utilized making other drinks, serving more customers, and so forth.”
2) Accountability
“Batching cocktails for draft purposes affords the opportunity to better utilize labor and to streamline ordering, preparation and costing.” When batching, the bar plans out exactly how many ingredients they will need, which helps eliminate wasting product. Additionally, this enables the owner or operator to know, for example, if they batched 5 gallons, it will yield 100 servings. Buying in bulk for batching also allows for potential discounts on large quantity purchases.
3) Consistency
“When a guest has a cocktail that they really enjoyed, they definitely yearn for that same experience a second time.” Consistency is key in making cocktails – especially classic drinks. Even if bartenders follow the exact same drink recipe, there will always be slight nuances between the drinks. Having draft cocktails eliminates those variances, ensuring that the cocktail tastes the same in every serving.
4) Adaptability
“Many owners and operators can benefit from finding innovative ways to use equipment that they already possess.” Page points out that many bars and restaurants are already set up with draft programs, and that those systems can easily be adapted to serve draft cocktails. Adaptability doesn’t stop there, however, it can also come into play with dual batching. “You can transcend the cocktail on draft, and create in-house sodas on tap that can then be used for both mocktails and cocktails.” Page explains that by batching your spirits and citruses or sodas separately, that it affords many more applications of the draft system.
Running + Maintaining a Successful Draft Cocktail Program
A majority of bars and restaurants already have some type of draft system set up, which makes it an easy transition to build off of or adapt what is already in place. Page says some of the most common systems used are Cornelius kegs, which are often used for home brewing.
No system in place? No problem. Bars and restaurants can have one installed relatively easily, or they can opt for the route of a mobile unit such as a kegerator. Regardless of the direction chosen, Page advises that it’s necessary to have a professional install the system. Ask around for a recommendation, or conduct a quick internet search for local draft installation professionals.
Once set up, Page says it’s essential to have routine maintenance on the draft system. “You’ll need to have a professional clean out the system every two weeks.” In addition to cleanings, it’s important to rotate products and change the cocktails frequently. While there are some systems with built-in agitators, Page recommends steering clear of those, as they are more expensive and often break.
With a well-kept system, options are limitless for a successful draft program. Consumers are always craving variety, and being able to offer beer, wine and cocktails on tap is a huge advantage. Tap into this trend today and talk to your Breakthru Sales consultant about the best craft cocktail ingredients.