Many consumers stroll up to the bar without a clue in the world as to what they want to drink. They’ll be looking to you—the bartender—or your menu for recommendations.
There is a lot riding on this moment. It’s like when you used to walk into a video store knowing that you wanted to rent something funny but were totally open to what that movie was going to be.
Now a crafty bartender is going to ask the customer not what spirit they like, but what style they prefer—more on this in a minute. The customer knows their own style—sweet, sour, fizzy—and after they tell you what the style is, it’s up to you to build a memorable cocktail.
It’s quite possible this moment ends with your bar becoming their new go-to spot, but you’re going to need a well-balanced cocktail menu to make it this far!
We tapped into one of our resident mixologists, Breakthru Colorado’s Mike Henderson, to get his thoughts on a few different ways that you can bring a bit more balance to your cocktail menu.
Base The Menu On Styles, Not Base Spirits
Mike Henderson: Building a balanced menu is all about getting the right styles for your customers, not focusing on making sure every available spirit is represented. Focusing on styles also offers you flexibility to utilize a variety of spirits within that style.
Here are six styles that will appeal to a high number of your customers.
1) Old Fashioneds - Simple, spirit-forward cocktails like the Old Fashioned or a Sazerac that are a combination of spirt(s), sugar, water, and bitters with additional modifiers, if desired.
2) Martinis/Manhattans - These cocktails are similar to the Old Fashioned but with the addition of vermouth or fortified wine that are typically lighter bodied and have a lower ABV.
3) Sours - Cocktails that focus on the combination of spirts, sugar, and acid (lemon/lime) plus modifiers. These types of cocktails often take up the lion’s share of most menus and tend to be the most approachable. Think
Daiquiris, Sidecars or Margaritas.
4) Fizzes - Effervescent, light-bodied cocktails that are similar to the sour but incorporate fizzy elements like soda water or champagne for a lighter, lower ABV cocktail. Think French 75, Tom Collins, Paloma, and even a Moscow Mule.
5) Bitters - Cocktails that incorporate any of the bright red bitter Italian aperitivos that give the drink a distinctly bitter character such as the Negroni.
6) After Dinner - Cocktails that can act as a digestif after a meal or be a sub in for desert. These drinks can skew slightly toward the sweeter end of the spectrum and often incorporate heavier elements such as amaros, creams or coffee cocktails such as an Irish Coffee or even an Espresso Martini.
Identify a cocktail or two in each of these styles and you’ll have a well-balanced cocktail menu with a flavor for everyone.
Identify Your Identity
Here is a big one that I work on with a lot of bar programs, and that is finding your bar’s identity. Some places will offer a huge variety of different cocktails, and the menu is just not digestible at all, nor does it give a customer any impression into what your bar does really well.
Several factors may play into what shapes your bar’s identity, including the personalities of your staff, what neighborhood you’re located in, what the décor and lighting are like in your business, and what your favorite cocktail is to make. All of these things can play a factor into your menu picks.
If you decide to be a gin bar, then do gin better than anyone else around. Just figure out what is your unique story because customers will gravitate to places that have a clear identity, and once you have that identity, you can build a themed cocktail menu around it.
Listen To Your Customers
The key to longevity in the bar industry is for an element of your operation to be guest driven, and what I mean by that is, simply, listen to your customers.
Be aware of what people are drinking in your bar and build off any trends you are seeing noticing from their orders. Let your guests figure out what your signature drink is. You should have a good balance of drinks that you want for your bar and ones that you essentially source from your customers.