A COCKTAIL LIST IS THE BAR EQUIVALENT OF A SHOP WINDOW or price list for a business. It is more than just what it sells – it should also reflect what the bar is.

“A cocktail list should always offer a selection of drinks with different flavours and include a range of spirits to suit the consumer’s preference,” says Frazer McGlinchey, Caorunn gin’s UK on-trade brand consultant.

Tom Green, in-house cocktail consultant with Matthew Clark – the UK’s largest on-trade distributor – says: “A good cocktail list is one which caters to every type of consumer. It should offer a range of long, short and straight-up serves, including the classics, modern classics and house specialities. A good menu doesn’t have to be long, it just needs to offer a bit of everything.”

Sune Risum-Urth, from Ruby in Copenhagen, Denmark, says: “In compiling a cocktail list it’s important to balance it so it can be executed fast but still looks interesting. If everything is painfully laborious, guests are going to end up waiting 30 minutes for a drink in a quiet bar. First, make it obvious what kind of place you run. Take a stand regarding your style.”

Andrea Montague, GB whisky brand ambassador for Diageo Reserve Brands, tells Drinks International: “A list has to reflect the branding of the bar and its offering. It should be easy to read. If a customer is struggling to find something then it isn’t user friendly. You have to use language so the customer recognises what is being offered.”

“When I create menus, I have to think Fat Duck (top English restaurant) or Cheers (US TV series),” says Sean Ware, Bombay Sapphire’s UK ambassador. “Do you want customers to come once for an exceptional experience or do you want your guests to be in every other day?

“I’d start with making sure you have something for everyone, now I mean from your gran to the off-duty bartender. 

“Have a great aperitif and digestif drink that can stand alone, or work alongside a food offering – something you can get out to your guests quickly that is tall and tasty,” he says. 

“And have confidence in what you sell. Make sure all staff are behind the drinks then your guests feel more comfortable in ordering the drinks you want them to try,” says Ware.

Terry Barker, director of marketing & sales at Cellar Trends, a UK distributor handling more than 40 brands, says: “Cocktails based on champagne and the main spirits – gin, vodka, whisky, rum, tequila, cognac – supported by major mixer ingredients from bitters to liqueurs. The list should contain recognisable cocktails such as Mojito, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Bellini, Bloody Mary and creations unique to the bar. It is often the bar manager’s special creations that bring customers back repeatedly.”

Barker goes on to make an important commercial point: “Cocktails have been responsible for the continued growth in sales of the spirits and liqueurs sector. 

“We have seen our Scottish and Japanese whisky brands such as Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Suntory Hibiki and Yamazaki on an upward trend, along with Patron tequila and Pusser’s rum. 

“It has not just increased volume through existing outlets, but bars that have not been strong on cocktail offerings in the past realising the potential they have been missing,” says Barker.

Adolfo Comas, product training and mixology manager at Bacardi Brown Forman Brands (BBFB), says: “There is no benefit to ordering 10 new gins simply because they are ‘on trend’. The reality is that the gin will gather dust on your back bar either because your customers don’t want to drink it, it’s too expensive, or your bartenders don’t know how to sell it.”

Something for everyone

George Workman, managing director of on-tap sparkling wine brand, Frizzenti, says: “A great cocktail list has something for everyone and evolves to stay relevant to consumer trends and changing tastes. It should include the classics and a selection of house specials, as well as a few changing seasonal options to keep things interesting. 

“One of the most important things to remember is the need to be flexible and anticipate that a bartender will sometimes have to go ‘off-list’,” he says.

“You should give consumers the chance to try something new and exciting, but your list should also be as accessible as possible, using clear language and recognisable names. 

“Cocktail lists can be intimidating and the aim is to empower people to be more confident when choosing, not put people off,” adds Workman.

But what is right for the London or New York scene may not be correct for elite bars in other countries.

Ibolya Bakos-Tonner, Caorunn gin global brand manager says: “In Europe, cocktails are dictated by a country’s tradition and climate. 

“Spain was the first to see the success of experimenting with niche garnishes – we have since seen this spread across many other markets.

“Global markets such as the US are interested in foraging. Bartenders are keen to experiment with local flavours and botanicals to differentiate their cocktail lists,” she says.

“Caorunn Gin showcased how local comestibles can add new dimensions to cocktails at the Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans last month (July). Mixologists from New York, San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans showcased Caorunn in cocktails that have been inspired by foraging and that represent their local area,” says Bakos-Tonner.

Risum-Urth picks up the point: “I’ll give my notion of Denmark. The clientele in Scandinavia is undergoing a rapid transformation. Four or five years ago it was all Long Islands and Mojitos, but people seem to be waking up to the concept of drinking something you don’t know. 

“More and more we get orders for ‘three of something fresh, please’. Industry people I talk to say it’s the same everywhere. Danes tend to be the most adventurous, but also the most heterogeneous group. 

“You’ll get Danes insisting on vodka-soda or a Cosmo and others ‘just something with Campari, your choice’, while Swedes, for instance, all order Whisky Sours and Old Fashioneds. All of them,” says Risum-Urth.

How often should lists be changed or updated? “I worked at Callooh Callay (which won Tales of the Cocktail’s World’s Best Cocktail Menu in 2012) and we changed the menu twice a year,” says Diageo’s Montague. 

“It was quite a challenge but you don’t want a Sazerac or hot toddy in the summer or a Mojito in the winter. You need a backbone and then seasonal favourites.”

Seasonal updates

Caorunn’s McGlinchey says: “A cocktail list should be updated once or twice a year, but this is dependent on the bar or venue itself. As cocktail lists are dictated by the frequenting consumers, it is important there is a selection of drinks that appeal to their taste preferences. 

“For those bars that offer primarily classic cocktails, it is better to introduce occasional promotions on these drinks than to substitute them with newer creations that may not prove to be as well-liked.”

Risum-Urth says: “The main menu at Ruby changes with the seasons, and that works for us. So we launch a list of four new concoctions every three months, change the in-house section and the classics section. So, 12 new cocktails, four times a year. But you can change it as little or much as you want. If your guests are content with a shortlist of recommendations don’t spend too much time on it.”

Bombay Sapphire’s Ware adds: “Some bars change drinks on a daily basis, while others might not have changed the menus for years. I think the approach to take is the demand for the individual drinks on the list. 

“Bearing in mind seasonality and such influences, you need to have an offering that brings people back and keeps your stock rotating. I’d aim for a 10 to 14-day stock cycle for cocktail spirits – if they ain’t moving, change it.”

Comas says: “The BBFB training team advocates ‘trickling in’ new products after undertaking initial research into potential new brands, perhaps introducing one new brand per month. 

“However, it is important to remember that training is essential with the introduction of any new brand. The Three Point Rule is a tried and tested method that the team promote in the on-trade, whereby every bartender must learn three things about everything they sell behind a bar, including the country of origin, how it is made, and how best to serve it,” says Comas. 

So what’s hot? Puns are big in the UK, according to Montague and Ware. “Puns seem to be the trend of the moment, but that starts with a name and works backwards,” says Ware. But Risum-Urth warns: “I get rashes from over-poetic lingo fapping. Wine menus especially have a tendency to fall into the flaming pits of pretentiousness.

“Short descriptions, an easy-to-read font. Please, just black letters on a white background. Tell me what it’s going to cost me and make it easy to navigate the different sections. ‘Wines’ is a great headline for the wine list. ‘We’ve carefully chosen these precariously handcrafted grape wonders to let you explore the wonders of malolacticity’ is not.” 

“A few weeks back Bombay Sapphire hosted 14 nations at the global final of Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender,” says Ware. 

“We saw the use of savoury ingredients used to enhance the cocktails in much the same way a chef would with food. Vinegars were used as a sour alternative, as well as oils used to encapsulate aromas or used for texture within the drink.” 

Montague is dismissive of devoting space on the list to low/non-alcoholic offerings. She feels juices should be just there ready to be mixed and served according to a customer’s tastes.

But Risum-Urth says: “I definitely believe a menu should have low or non-alcoholic options. We have a whole section of the menu with only non-alcoholics. 

“There’s always someone driving or pregnant, and being able to offer them something serious and thought through is pricelessly good service.”

Light on the branding

How branded should a list be? McGlinchy says: “While it is good to include brands that offer versatile taste experience and mixability, cocktail menus that include too much of any given brand can have too much of a marketing focus and feel, which can detract from the authenticity of the creation. 

“Branded cocktail lists can also refer to the fact the brands are paying to be included in the cocktail list, thus the decision is driven by commercials and not necessarily by the drink profiles.” 

Montague says: “Brands are important. There is a reason brands are so big. The reassurance of a brand helps to make customers comfortable. They want to know what they are drinking and not feel scared.”

How big should a cocktail list be? Ware says: “My personal feeling would be from about 12 to 18 drinks. It’s easier to manage stock and quality of drinks going out while maintaining enough variety for your guests. You should have a strong knowledge of classic drinks and these should be offered too.”

Green says: “There are no rules here. I have seen and written menus with more than 100 cocktails and have also worked on a 10-strong list that has been well received. 

“Whatever the number of cocktails on the list, the most important thing is that they are made well. However, I would suggest that any more than 30 and the reader will start to switch off.”

Comas says: “There is no magic number but the BBFB team would recommend quality over quantity. In fact, some of the best bars in the world only have a selection of six to 10 drinks on the menu.”

Risum-Urth sums it up. “Whatever floats your boat. Happiness Forgets has a great comment at the end of its very short list: ‘The list is short but the library is big.’ And at the other end 1806 in Melbourne has a bloody book to read through. The fashion these days seems to be shorter menus that change more often. In a few years we might be going the other way.”