Karl Weddell has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality business, consulting, supplying and importing drinks and running bars, pubs and event businesses such as Pin Up Events. We picked his brains on the key considerations when creating a drinks menu for the colder months.
How is a summer drinks menu different to a winter drinks menu?
In the summertime, a drinks menu doesn’t take much work. If the sun is shining, people will generally drink. Lager rules the beer roost, the whites, rosés and bubbles reign supreme in the world of wine and longer, fruit-forward drinks and spritz serves dominate in the land of spirits. During the winter months, it’s a completely different landscape. Consumer habits change and hospitality venues have to work extra hard to entice consumers off their couches and out of their homes. An electrifying drinks menu is a powerful weapon to have in the armoury. Here are my tips for the coming colder months….
Less is more
Huge drinks menus where bars try to stock and offer absolutely everything are often a big mistake, especially during the winter months. A shorter, more concise menu that provides high quality, good value and incites interest will work harder for the business. It’s easier to manage, it means less stockholding, better deals on the lines you choose, less waste and it makes it simpler for staff training. Get it right and it can also be a vital tool in positioning the venue, building a strong identity and generating word-of-mouth promotion.
Point of difference
There’s no point offering exactly the same drinks and brands as your neighbours or the same drinks that can be bought for a pittance in the supermarket. Look at what’s happening in your local area, what are your competitors doing and what are they stocking. Speak and collaborate with your local suppliers, producers, distillers, brewers, mixologists, growers and even foragers. Find those unique, great tasting drinks and ingredients that can give your line-up and business a point of difference.
Promotion
Don’t spend time on creating a drinks menu that is a work of art and then not shout about it. Promote it in the venue, on social media, on your website and digital channels. Try running festive promotions, aperitivo offers or tastings to entice people in and build a loyal local following.
Spirit trends
Rum, mezcal, gin, whisky, vodka, brandy, liqueurs, cachaça, pisco – the spirit category is bursting with innovation. You don’t have to do it all though so play to your strengths. While gin, whisky, vodka and rum will always be the big four, the agave train continues to gather pace so don’t forget the tequila and mezcal. Freshly shaken and prepared, pre-blended, batch-made cocktails, slushy cocktail machines – there are lots of solutions out there depending on your space, resources and the skill level of your staff.
Quality over quantity
While highballs and longer drinks are popular in the summer months, as the night’s draw in, it’s the smaller, more refined serves to savour that are the order of the day. Leave the tiki cocktails, over-the-top garnishes and volume heavy serves behind in favour of the more minimalist, yet indulgent and quality-laden tipples and drinks. Let the liquid shine – it’s about quality over quantity.
Serves for success
As more and more consumers eat seasonally, it’s a good idea to try and inject seasonality into your drinks menu, especially your cocktails. A pumpkin bourbon smash, a cranberry caipirinha – the opportunities are endless. As margaritas continue to have a moment, I expect to see plenty of seasonal autumn and winter twists. Coffee-inspired cocktails is another area to watch during the festive season. The Espresso Martini has been all-powerful this last decade but a new raft of creative serves are vying to knock it off the caffeine cocktail top spot.
Hot, Hot, Hot
Glühbier, mulled wine and mulled cider are fantastic products in the lead-up to the festive season, providing inner warmth on a cold day. Create your own blend, they’re easy to prepare in advance, it’s a simple, speedy serve and they provide a great margin.
Something new to try – fat-washing
Definitely a technique that has been growing in popularity, fat-washing is where you infuse an oily ingredient into a spirit before freezing it. The fat resolidifies and can be removed but the flavour remains along with a special silky texture. A relatively simple technique, I expect to see a lot of experimentation in this area. A fat-washed hot buttered rum is a thing of beauty, especially in front of a fire at Christmas.
Ice Ice Baby
Poor quality, boring ice cubes that dilute a drink too quickly are a thing of the past. Make your own in different moulds and shapes or infuse them with fruits, edible flowers, botanicals or herbs. Providing visual standout and infusing drinks, it’s time to roll the ice dice.
What about the beer?
Lager will continue to lead and be your volume line but the colder months see the darker beer styles fight back. Bitters, stouts, brown ales – it’s a great time to run some specials or even offer some complimentary beer and food matching offers. Tempt consumers into trading up by offering special beers with a story behind them. At our festive events, we often use Meteor Biere de Noel – a special spiced dark ale sold and drank in the Christmas markets of Strasbourg.
Savoury and spice
The Bloody Mary is thought to date back to the 1920s so the idea of savoury and spicy flavours in a cocktail is definitely not a new idea, but the hunger for this style of cocktail is growing at a fast rate. Imaginative mixologists are behind the surge in interest so keep an eye out for umami martinis, porcino old fashioneds, spicy margaritas, smoky negronis and much more. Vegetables, bacon, wagyu, salmon – nothing seems to be off limits so it’s a great time to experiment.
