On-Trade Education: The Knowledge

On-Trade Education: The Knowledge

In the first of Imbibe’s The Knowledge seminars, in association with JTI, the focus was on devising an effective – and profitable – cocktail list. John Porter reports

The challenges of creating a cocktail menu that appeals to customers, while still generating profits for the bar, was the subject of the first of Imbibe’s The Knowledge seminars. Held at the Royal Horseguards in Westminster, the event was led by Michael Butt of cocktail training and development specialists Soulshakers, and run in association with Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

The seminar was attended by bar professionals working at a wide range of venues, from gastropubs to speakeasy-style basement bars and upmarket hotels. Despite this variety, as the delegates discussed their expectations, it very quickly became clear that turning a diverse collection of cocktails into a coherent list was a common issue across the board.

Related challenges raised by delegates included pricing, developing themed cocktail menus, and understanding how to create house or signature cocktails. With several attendees saying they had found themselves responsible for running their bar’s cocktail offer without any formal training, Butt kicked off with a session on the basic science of mixology.

‘There’s always a perfect temperature and a perfect dilution for a drink,’ he said, ‘but the perception of where that perfection lies will be different for each person.’ By understanding factors such as the ingredients of spirits and the effects of distillation – as well as the way alcohol reacts with other ingredients, and the physics of adding ice – bartenders can start to separate their subjective preferences from the objective need to create drinks with the widest possible appeal.

The way different ingredients complement each other is also crucial. ‘Every cocktail needs an intense initial hit followed by a long and pleasant balance of flavour. The more ingredients you use, the more flavours that have to work together.’ Cocktails that are a ‘mish-mash’ of too many poorly-matched ingredients are a common fault. ‘Limit it – four ingredients is about right.’

Cocktail lists themselves are about sales optimisation. ‘The cocktail menu is not meant to be a replacement for customer service, it’s meant to be a sales tool.’ Butt advised that six was
the minimum number of cocktails needed for a list, and that 12 guaranteed a wide enough range of choice for most outlets and occasions.

‘Beyond that, there is no optimum size for a list, apart from what you can actually sell.’ However, if customers struggle to make a choice without asking staff for recommendations, ‘it may be that your menu is too long or badly written.’ Rather than too much detail, use key ‘sizzle’ words such as ‘fresh’ and ‘fruity’ to liven up descriptions.

The list should also take different customer occasions into account, offering a mix of sessionable drinks, aperitifs, digestifs and celebration drinks. Grouping cocktails by these types, as well as by price, makes it easier for customers to navigate than those grouped by type of spirit. Break up the list, since more than six or seven drinks a page will overtax customers’ attention span.

On pricing, Xalo Muniz of The Bar at Chancery Court asked if one-price cocktail menus were a good approach. Butt’s advice: ‘I think you need variation. People like to have a range of options.’

A range of prices will also help maintain profit margins. A good approach is to estimate the likely sales volumes of the core cocktails on the menu, and ensure that those likely to sell in the highest quantities also deliver the best margins. ‘Ultimately, though, you don’t bank margins, you bank cash. If you have a “hero” cocktail that will sell in high numbers but at a lower margin, you may decide it’s worth it,’ said Butt.

He summed up with some common cocktail menu mistakes:

Poor spelling and grammar: ‘Proofread your menu, ask someone else to read it, and then proofread it again’;
Poor design: ‘Always use a professional designer’;
Incorrect use of spirit brand names and logos, ‘especially if you’re going to ask brand owners to support your list’;
Big price changes without clear justification: ‘It’s better to group super-premium cocktails on their own page’;
Clever puns and in-jokes: ‘These exclude customers. Rename competition-winning cocktails with simple names and clear descriptions.’

THE VERDICT ‘Mike gave us some great tips to keep the cocktails flowing with success, and the event was definitely time well-spent. A high standard has been set with this first seminar, and if other Imbibe The Knowledge seminars continue at this level you can count me in.’ Roselind Craig, Urbanjuicebar ‘We’re currently finalising our cocktail menu, and after The Knowledge session there are some aspects that I want to look at again. For example, I’m asking myself whether we have too many cocktails on the list, and whether we’ve gone into too much detail in the descriptions – perhaps they could be simpler.’ Ryan Osnowski, The Hinds Head ‘We have an upstairs cocktail bar, but it often gets used as an overflow when we’re busy. We want to develop it to give it its own identity, with more of a speakeasy feel. The Knowledge seminar has already been very useful, in helping us start planning the range of cocktails.’ Shae Robbins, The Fellow ‘We have a core list of about 24 cocktails. We’re often asked to go off-list, especially by regulars, which we’re happy to do, but it’s important to understand the principles of making cocktails profitably. I understand much more about that now.’ James Sims, Bourne & Hollingsworth

THE VERDICT

‘Mike gave us some great tips to keep the cocktails flowing with success, and the event was definitely time well-spent. A high standard has been set with this first seminar, and if other Imbibe The Knowledge seminars continue at this level you can count me in.’
Roselind Craig, Urbanjuicebar

‘We’re currently finalising our cocktail menu, and after The Knowledge session there are some aspects that I want to look at again. For example, I’m asking myself whether we have too many cocktails on the list, and whether we’ve gone into too much detail in the descriptions – perhaps they could be simpler.’
Ryan Osnowski, The Hinds Head

‘We have an upstairs cocktail bar, but it often gets used as an overflow when we’re busy. We want to develop it to give it its own identity, with more of a speakeasy feel. The Knowledge seminar has already been very useful, in helping us start planning the range of cocktails.’
Shae Robbins, The Fellow

‘We have a core list of about 24 cocktails. We’re often asked to go off-list, especially by regulars, which we’re happy to do, but it’s important to understand the principles of making cocktails profitably. I understand much more about that now.’
James Sims, Bourne & Hollingsworth