Bartender HQ Podcast : Bar Culture, Cocktails and Flair Bartending for Everyone.

Are you making drinks with flavours your guests demand?

Caveat – in the UK, many bars need to list their entire cocktail menu as there isn’t always the assumption that bartenders can make off menu drinks.

There has long been a trend for using unexpected or unfamiliar flavours in drinks. It’s often seen as a way to show how progressive or original a bar is, but there is a danger that it can alienate guests.

It’s vital that even if you choose this way to demonstrate your mastery of flavour that your menu also includes “safe” options. Not every guest wants something adventurous every time they visit your bar. 

There are certain drinks and flavour combinations that are classics and popular for a reason – not every drink has to reinvent the wheel.

Does your menu describe them in a way your guests can understand?

Not every guest in your bar will be interested in every ingredient in each drink, but they’ll at least want to know roughly what to expect of the drink they’re throwing $12-20 at.

Not everyone will know what Tonka beans or tobacco taste of, or even the practical differences between lemon and lime juices. Even if they have an idea of the individual flavours, how do they work together?

Can your guest even tell from the menu if they’re getting a long drink on the rocks, something short and boozy or even straight up vs frozen? Different occasions and moods will find these factors more important to a decision even than the flavours.

Can your bartenders explain the menu to your guests clearly?

Just as important, if not more than your written menu is how well your bartenders can explain the detail and what to expect from the drinks on the menu.

Not just what the individual drinks taste like but how they relate to one another that counts here. Your bartenders should be able to take the guests through a journey from the first drink they order and progress them through flavours in a rational way.

How do you bring people through the doors to order the drinks?

Nothing matters if no-one comes into the bar to actually buy anything. So make sure you encourage social engagement. Dark bars were all the rage a few years ago but they’re terrible for the gram, so keep things a little lighter. Engage on social platforms as much as you can and be genuinely interested if you want to do well.

In this week’s Podcast we’re looking back at The Spirits Business predictions from last year to see how they did. We then look at what we see as 2020’s most likely trends and give our own predictions.

The Spirits Business 2019 Predictions

The cocktail trends to watch in 2019

* Sherry Based Cocktails* Simplifying Serves* Closing the loop (reducing and re-using waste)* Its ok not to be ok – Healthy Hospitality* Fermentation Experimentation

In general, The Spirits Business did a great job with their predictions here, if they were a little safe and generally looking at things continuing over beginning.

BartenderHQ’s 2020 Bar Industry Predictions

Low & No Cocktail Serves

Though these have been mentioned for years, there seems to be real momentum this year based on what is being released. While we’re not sure that the public is demanding these as much as the industry pushing them, it looks like they’ll gain more ground in 2020.

While many of the alcohol replacement products on the market are not great, they are improving. Our view is that creating and developing other alcohol free categories will be better received than creating alcohol free spirits.

More Customer Focused Menus

Following on from more simple menus in last year’s predictions, we believe bars will focus more heavily on well known drinks made with high quality ingredients.

Low Calorie Mixers & Cocktails

Along with the increased consumer awareness of calories in drinks and health awareness, we predict greater ranges of low calorie tonics including flavour ranges, and zero calorie syrups

Return to Commercial Ingredients Where Quality Exists

We also see many bars using commercially available ingredients to reduce labour costs (especially with rises in hourly rates). This will allow more consistency and reducing operating costs for many bars. The commercial producers are now making far better product than in the past.

Its becoming more difficult to attract guests to the bar as the years go on. Customers expect more today than just selling beer and being generally polite.

In this podcast we’re talking about how you can make your bar stand out, whether through flair bartenders or other ways to make your servers stand out, or through offering other experiences to your guests.

Join our Worldwide Bartender Community on Facebook or Tweet us to join the conversation!

Oh, and don’t forget to check out our Tik Tok too!

Are independent bars inherently better? We’re all told that we should be spending our money with local businesses to support the local economy and to avoid spending with large corporations.

Is that the right thing to do?

Well, like most things, yes and no.

Large Bar Chains

Large chain bars aren’t inherently bad, but there are a handful of factors that make it harder for them to be genuinely great bars. As with most things, there are pros and cons.

Pros of Large Bar Chains

* Pouring deals can reduce pricing for the bar and customer* Consistant experience so you know what to expect

Cons of Large Bar Chains

* Quality can suffer if the training isn’t cascaded well* Less dynamic than independents* Often has less personality

The difficulty of operating multiple bars, especially in the early stages is that getting consistency is tricky without spending all your time checking it. Many very large chains can use video to cascade information to all the team, but in person training is almost always more effective. That being said, video training is way better than no training!

Independent Bars

Where independent bars thrive is their ability to react to new trends and products quickly. While large chain bars need time to roll out products and training across an estate, independents can decide and implement immediately. The bartenders can often be briefed as they begin their shift by the person who created the serve for example. No confusion in the message here.

Also, especially with single outlet independents, the owner or at least operator will spend much of their time at the venue. This means they can manage the way the brand works in real time, making adjustments where they see issues quickly.

In Summary…

We love independent bars, but they’re only great when they’re great. People can be lazy in any bar, or just get the concept and the offer wrong. The difference is that small independents can fix problems much more quickly.

Pretty much all chain bars started off as an independent at some point, so the issue is not with intent or skill. However, the bigger a boat gets, the longer it takes to turn. Independent bars can be nimble and dynamic, reacting to their guests needs in real time. That doesn’t mean they all do, but they all have the opportunity.

Support great bars, regardless of whether they’re part of a group or owned by the guy behind the bar. Remember though, that if you don’t support them, they might not be there tomorrow.

On this podcast we’re discussing how to maximise the busy month of December to keep your bar or restaurant busy in the new year.

Every January, bars struggle to get consumers through the doors, whether they’re exhausted from Christmas parties or just scraping through till pay day, so its vital that you’re top of mind for anyone who is out to visit bars.

We cover how to make the most of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to grab more people into your bar this month, and build community to keep them coming back.

Thoughts on what we suggest, or want to share a tip with the community? Tweet us @BartenderHQ.

So on this week’s show we’re discussing the article from The Metro about Burger & Lobster in London creating a menu of gender neutral drinks.

In actual fact, what they’ve produced is a range of five cocktails, all of which are clear, unnamed and served in various glasses over ice, but with their own garnish.

Samuel at The Vanguard has done a similar thing for his business, so I decided to pick his brain on this!

We also mentioned Stryyk for next week, Three Spirits and more – videos soon!

On this week’s Podcast:

0% Alcohol Spirits // First Taste Recorded!

* Stryyk Not Vodka* Stryyk Not Gin* Stryyk Not Rum

This is our first taste of STRYYK’s Alcohol free “Not Vodka”, “Not Gin” and “Not Rum” – Now we’ve only tasted them neat at this point and during the week we’ll put them through their paces in some zero alcohol mixed drinks.

What are your thoughts on zero alcohol spirits in general? Tweet me @BartenderHQ with your view, and we’ll read the best on the next show.

Bartender Passions – what do you love outside of the bar?

We asked the Worldwide Bartender Community what they love away from the bar and talk about being a more rounded human, and how it makes your personal brand more engaging!

Creating content for you and your bar

As mentioned in the show, Gary Vaynerchuk has created a 250 slide deck on how to create massive amounts of content across images, text, video and audio to help share your story, whether for business or to grow your personal profile. You can find the deck at the link below, its free and you don’t even need to give an email address!

How To Make 64 Pieces Of Content In A Day

Gender Neutral Cocktails?

This is a topic we’ll be addressing next week but a bar in London has created a menu of colourless, nameless drinks in the hope that they’re able to remove preconceptions about who a drink is intended for and focus on the flavours.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over on Twitter! @BartenderHQ

Maguey Melate is a growing mezcal subscription service based in the Southern Mexican state of Oaxaca where mezcal culture got its start. While they are known for delivering artisanal Oaxacan agave spirits directly to customers, their primary focus is bringing attention to the hardworking creators of these beverages and the storied process of producing mezcal that makes it so culturally significant.

Mezcal Subscription Boxes

Sent out every two months, the Mezcalero Of The Month Club allows those that sign up to receive two 375ml bottles of limited edition agave spirits directly to their door with free shipping. Beyond the bottles itself, those that sign up will receive videos, photos, and information about the creators of the spirits being sent out to customers. Each shipment highlights new mezcaleros and the agaves they use, and every bottle includes a unique QR Code that leads to info about the specific agave spirit they are drinking.

With each order, customers are sponsoring the planting of one maguey tobala agave through the charity S.A.C.R.E.D. to ensure a sustainable future for the creation of mezcal. Customers are also supporting the sustainability of these family-owned companies, directly giving them the financial support to compete against corporate mezcal companies while continuing the traditional craft of these families.

Maguey Melate Connects Artisans with Consumers & Bars

Beyond the ability to receive farm to table, chemical-free, small-batch spirits from diverse agaves and distillation techniques through their subscription service, Maguey Melate offers customers the chance to order individual bottles of these agave spirits through their website. This includes agave styles like cuixe, tobala, and tepextate from Felix Angeles Arellanes, Marta and Isaac García, and more local distillers.

Maguey Melate Signature Box

Maguey Melate also offers the Melate’s Signature Box for dedicated mezcal lovers or beginners looking to dive into the culture. The beautifully designed pine box includes three artisanal 375ml bottles from 100% recycled glass, a handmade clay cup, three hand-carved artisanal mezcal cups, two 100% recycled sipping glasses, a limited edition piece of art from a local artisan, three wood corks, and much more.

When customers order the Melate’s Signature Box, they also receive over three hours of entertainment. This includes a photo gallery from the palenques where each spirit was made, unique videos about the process of making artisanal agave spirits, and mezcaleros discussing their favorite agaves and flavors.

Beyond the customer focus, Maguey Melate has established a business to business distribution system with a unique private label offer. Bars or restaurants can order their own exclusive batch that won’t be sold to anyone else in the US, provide a curated tasting flight to customers complete with info and videos about that specific agave spirit, and order cases of limited-edition agave spirits at discounted prices.

You can learn more about Maguey Melate here. This includes a focus on supporting family-owned companies and their artisanal methods, as opposed to corporate companies focused on profits and the “faster-cheaper economy” that is harmful to the hard-working creators of mezcal in Oaxac...

On our podcast update today we’re talking about my new project – helping bars and brands to share their stories.

BartenderHQ has been around for over 5 years now – and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve met more amazing bartenders and done more crazy bar things in that time than ever before.

But it’s time for a change. Don’t panic.

What is next for BartenderHQ?

I know we’ve had a few false starts. I’ve talked about things changing a number of times in the past. It’s always when I was moving from one gig to the next, and I thought I’d have more time. The plan is, with what I’m doing, that should finally be a reality.

Now, I don’t mean I’ll be sitting on a beach somewhere watching the money roll in. That’s a fantasy for people who don’t want to work. I WANT to work harder than I ever have before, just in a new way.

I’m not a person who believes in fate. I think you make your own luck through hard work and commitment. By not wasting time. Example, I’m writing this whilst on an elliptical at the gym. Don’t believe me?

These were taken about 14 seconds apart. Sorry for the blur!

Last week, I left my old job. I spent a week pretty much off grid in the woods with my family. And a plan came together.

BartenderHQ as an agency.

Over the past couple of years, my passion has moved from being behind the bar day to day towards Marketing. I came via a couple of sales jobs, but marketing is my new love. And I still love the bar industry, and know it better than anything else, and certainly better than 99.9% of people in marketing. So… let’s combine those things.

Is this going to work? I don’t know. Am I going to give it everything I have? 

Absolutely.

But here’s where the ask comes. I’ve given 5 years of value to the bar industry. So far, running BartenderHQ has cost me money, out of pocket, no ask to get the value (apart from an ebook on learning cocktails faster, which I’ll be giving away pretty soon for free, tweet me if you’d like a copy.)

So the ask? If I’ve ever given you any value over these 5 years, and you know someone who you think could benefit from working with BartenderHQ to get their story to more customers, let them know who we are. Send them a link to the website.

I’ll carry on making more content than ever before, for free, regardless of if you can help me with that, so stick around. And I won’t be holding back or trying to get money from people who enjoy the content. No high ticket online courses, just my best stuff, for you for free.

Thanks for being a part of the community, and I hope you stick around.

I went on a short rant about what I think is one of the biggest problems in the industry right now, even though its not as bad as it has been in the past.

Some bartenders have such egos, that they won’t give guests the drinks they actually want.

I genuinely believe that the reason a lot of AMAZING bars fail is because their menu is more tailored to winning awards and impressing other bartenders than they are to providing an experience that their guests care about.

It is not for the bartender to decide what drinks are good or bad, that’s a completely subjective topic. The guest who is buying and drinking the drink gets to decide if a drink is good or not. Not the bartender.

Now, of course, we have years of tasting more drinks, developing our tastes behind us, but our guests do not. Fernet Branca, while it may be your favourite flavour in the world is not a favourite yet of a typical consumer, and they may not want to put in the work to enjoy it.

So when your guest asks for a drink they like, don’t judge them. When you’re writing menus, consider what they want, not what you want to show off.