Last year, I went to the USA for the first time in my life. I travelled to New York with a simple goal: to explore bar culture and have a drink in some of the top bars in the world.
Five days and a good thirty bars later, I returned to Switzerland with a new insight that can be summed up in three words: "simple is sexy". Short waiting times, more time for the guest and most importantly, high-quality spirits keep their shine.
A lot has happened in the bar world in recent years. Especially in the last few months, creativity and economy are more important than ever due to Covid-19. QR codes have partially replaced bar cards, food is handled more carefully for cost reasons and cashless payment has become the standard.
If you want to draw something positive from this difficult time, you have to admit that now is the right time to redesign bar menus, optimise drinks and use the understanding of the guests to break new ground.
Scenario 1
Let's put ourselves in the role of a guest who hardly ever drinks cocktails. You come into a bar, there is still a seat free at the counter. You sit down and ask for the bar menu.
You get a whole encyclopaedia of cocktails and spirits, the Barkeeper is busy and hardly has time for you. After leafing through the first few pages, you are overwhelmed and order the usual: a mojito, a hugo, a spritzed white wine.
Scenario 2
You sit at the bar, ask for the bar menu and get a recommendation from the Barkeeper or service staff. The menu offers a choice of fifteen of the bar's own creations, which are described with keywords.
The Barkeeper has time for you, as most drinks have only three components instead of eight. Instead of a bouquet of flowers as decoration, a single flower is placed in the middle of the drink. Instead of a goblet filled with crushed ice, a simple but elegant long drink glass is placed in front of you.
In the second scenario, the guest does not feel overwhelmed because a smaller selection incl. recommendation is available. The Barkeeper gains time, as the extra handles for decoration and other cocktail components are eliminated. Less mise en place is needed and it is easier to design cocktails seasonally.
Simplicity is very much in vogue at the moment and guests appreciate it when the decision is made easier for them when ordering.
In addition, costs are saved, which can be used to focus on higher-quality and regional spirits in order to offer the guest added value. The fruit basket as decoration is great for Instagram, but after the first sip, it is placed next to the glass and disappears in the trash when it is cleared away.
Simplicity is very much in vogue at the moment and guests appreciate it when the decision is made easier for them when ordering.
A more compact bar menu saves time and money and also leaves more room for individuality and creativity than the "encyclopaedia bar menu".
Be creative, be brave and keep it simple!
Less is more
The bigger my cocktail menu and my range of spirits, the more I can sell. Logical, because that way I can make sure that there is something for everyone. Wrong, because with an enlarged assortment, sales can even decrease. This effect was proven in the so-called jam experiment.
In a supermarket, a table was set up with 24 different jams for customers to try. Those who visited the stand also received a discount for buying a jar.
On another day, the researchers reduced the number of jams to just six flavours and lo and behold, the number of jars sold was significantly higher.
Of course, there is now no magic number for how many drinks should be on the bar menu of an average cocktail bar. But one should be aware that a guest can be overwhelmed by too much choice.
Even terms like Shōchū, Orgeat or Tepache are unlikely to be of much help to most guests, who are much more interested in knowing whether the drink tastes sweet, sour or bitter-tart, "how long" it is and in which glass it is served.
No one wants to have to Google one or two terms for every menu item - or have every drink and ingredient explained by Barkeeper or the service staff.
