MIXING METHODS

Basic techniques

Creating cocktails can be straight forward or artistic; depending on the person, their tastes, and how far
they want to take it. Often, the first lesson of bartending teaches basic skills - from shaking, to pouring
over a spoon. Most people can quite easily get by with these techniques.

Shaking

Shaking is the method by which you use a cocktail shaker to mix ingredients together and chill them
simultaneously. The object is to almost freeze the drink whilst breaking down and combining the
ingredients. Normally this is done with ice cubes three-quarters of the way full. When you've poured in
the ingredients, hold the shaker in both hands, with one hand on top and one supporting the base, and
give a short, sharp, snappy shake. It's important not to rock your cocktail to sleep. When water has
begun to condense on the surface of the shaker, the cocktail should be sufficiently chilled and ready to
be strained. When a drink contains eggs, fruit juices or cream, it is necessary to shake the ingredients.

Straining

Most cocktail shakers are sold with a build-in strainer or hawthorn strainer. When a drink calls for
straining, ensure you've used ice cubes, as crushed ice tends to clog the strainer of a standard shaker. If
indeed a drink is required shaken with crushed ice, it is to be served unstrained.

Stirring

You can stir cocktails effectively with a metal or glass rod in a mixing glass. If ice is to be used, use ice
cubes to prevent dilution, and strain the contents into a glass when the surface of the mixing glass
begins to collect condensation.

Muddling

To extract the most flavor from certain fresh ingredients such as fruit or mint garnishes, you should
crush the ingredient with a muddler, the muddler of your bar spoon, or with a pestle.

Blending

An electric blender is needed for recipes containing fruit or other ingredients which do not break down
by shaking. Blending is an appropriate way of combining these ingredients with others, creating a
smooth ready to serve mixture. Some recipes will call for ice to be placed in the blender, in which case
you would use a suitable amount of ice.
Building

When building a cocktail, the ingredients are poured into the glass in which the cocktail will be served.
Usually, the ingredients are floated on top of each other, but occasionally, a swizzle stick is put in the
glass, allowing the ingredients to be mixed.

Layering

To layer or float an ingredient (ie. cream, liqueurs) on top of another, use the rounded or back part of a
spoon and rest it against the inside of a glass. Slowly pour down the spoon and into the glass. The
ingredient should run down the inside of the glass and remain seperated from the ingredient below it.
Learning the approximate weight of certain liqueurs and such will allow you to complete this technique
more successfully, as lighter ingredients can then be layered on top of heavier ones.

Flaming

Flaming is the method by which a cocktail or liquor is set alight, normally to enhance the flavor of a
drink. It should only be attempted with caution, and for the above reason only, not to simply look cool.

Some liquors will ignite quite easily if their proof is high. Heating a small amount of the liquor in a spoon
will cause the alcohol to collect at the top, which can then be easily lit. You can then pour this over the
prepared ingredients. Don't add alcohol to ignited drinks, don't leave them unattended, light them
where they pose no danger to anybody else, and ensure no objects can possibly come into contact with
any flames from the drink. Always extinguish a flaming drink before consuming it.

Selecting the Right Mixing Method

When we mix cocktails we are usually trying to do two things – take different ingredients and combine
them to make new tastes and flavours; and use ice to cool the ingredients and the final drink.

Some ingredients will mix together easily while others are more of an ‘oil and water’ situation where
simply pouring them in the same glass will not be enough; depending on how much mixing is required
we use the mixing method that will give us the best result, anywhere from simply pouring all the
ingredients into the glass, through to a long hard shake which uses your energy and the ice to smash and
mix harder ingredients together.

The four main mixing methods are :

• Building

• Stirring

• Shaking

• Blending
Each of these methods can be used to make cocktails and which one you decide to use will depend on
how much mixing and cooling is required – building is the most gentle method and they become
progressively more intense down to blending.

There are a few more mix methods that we use for slightly more specific functions:

• Dry Shaking

• Rolling

In general, the more simple the ingredients in a cocktail the less mixing it will need. For example – a
Martini is made of only two clear ingredients, gin and dry vermouth. Gin is the base spirit and contains
around 40% abv, vermouth is also alcoholic so simply stirring the two ingredients in an ice filled mixing
glass will allow them to mix nicely and chill down.

When we start adding juices, syrups, liqueurs and such then we need to get a little more aggressive and
this is when we’ll want to shake the drink.

There are more elements making up the taste of a cocktail than just the initial raw ingredients; the final
product is also going to be a result of the cocktails dilution, texture and appearance, all of which can also
be manipulated through the mixing method chosen.

Dilution

Dilution is the amount of water that is in your cocktail as a result of ice melting. Many people seem to
think that water is the enemy of cocktails but it is actually an important ingredient in itself as it can help
soften the flavour of the alcohol and allow background flavours to be more apparent. Think of the
Mojito; if you didn’t have the crushed ice melting and diluting the cocktail the rum flavour would be
much stronger and it would be harder to appreciate the mint, sugar and lime flavours that make the
cocktail special.

How much dilution you get is directly related to how much ice. The speed at which ice melts is related to
the surface area of the ice so the smaller the ice cube = the faster it melts = the more it will dilute your
cocktail.

Crushed ice will dilute more than large ice cubes so keep this in mind when you are making your
cocktails – this is why we use large ice cubes when we stir or shake. More ice = a colder drink = slower
melting, which is why we always try to fill our glasses with ice when we are making drinks; we are trying
to minimise unnecessary dilution.

Also, when we shake hard, the ice in the shaker will chip into small pieces that will dilute the cocktail
more – if you strain into a cocktail glass after a hard shake then you can use a tea strainer (fine strainer)
to catch these little ice shards and at the same time make the cocktail look a little nicer.
Appearance

If you shake clear ingredients then you often end up with a cloudy looking drink so you can also keep
this in mind when deciding which mix method to use. A stirred Martini will look clear and refreshing
when placed next to its cloudy, shaken counterpart.

Cloudy ingredients usually need more aggressive mixing and this can actually improve the appearance of
the cocktail with some ingredients – things like pineapple juice, coffee, eggs or crème can create foams
and layers when shaken that can really add to the overall appearance of the drink.

Texture/Mouth Feel

Finally, the mixing method you select can also play a part in the texture or mouth feel – how the drink
actually feels in your mouth; light, heavy, creamy, oily etc.

Just like whisking an egg, heavier ingredients, juices, crèmes and similar will often fluff up and become
soft and foamy in texture when they have been shaken. In fact many cocktails will actually use egg
whites shaken hard for exactly this reason.

Read more: BARTENDER GUIDE: Basic techniques including stirring, shaking, layering, muddling,
blending and building. http://www.drinksmixer.com/guide/1-4.php#ixzz3yPgnmPv0

Read more: BARTENDER GUIDE: Basic techniques including stirring, shaking, layering, muddling,
blending and building. http://www.drinksmixer.com/guide/1-4.php#ixzz3yPgH87Wh
Contemporary Classics
1. BELLINI

Sparkling Cocktail

10 cl Prosecco

5 cl Fresh peach puree

Pour peach puree into chilled glass and add sparkling wine. Stir gently. Variations:

Puccini (fresh mandarin juice), Rossini (fresh strawberry puree), Tintoretto (fresh pomegranate juice).

2. BLACK RUSSIAN

After Dinner Cocktail

5 cl Vodka

2 cl Coffee liqueur

Pour the ingredients into the old fashioned-glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently. Note: for White
Russian, float fresh cream on the top and stir gently.

3. BLOODY MARY

Longdrink

4.5 cl Vodka

9 cl Tomato juice

1.5 cl Lemon juice

2 to 3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce Tabasco

Celery salt Pepper

Stir gently, pour all ingredients into highball glass. Garnish with celery and lemon wedge (optional).
4. CAIPIRINHA

Longdrink

5 cl Cachaça

1/2 Fresh lime (4 wedges) 2 teaspoon sugar

Place lime and sugar in old fashioned glass and muddle. Fill glass with ice and Cachaça. (Caipiroska – use
Vodka instead of Cachaça.

5. CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

Sparkling Cocktail

9 cl Chilled Champagne 1 cl Cognac

2 dashes Angostura Bitters 1 sugar cube

Add dash of Angostura bitter onto sugar cube and drop it into champagne flute. Add cognac followed by
pouring gently chilled champagne.

Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

6. COSMOPOLITAN

All Day Cocktail

4 cl Citron Vodka

1.5 cl Cointreau

1.5 cl Fresh lime juice 3 cl Cranberry juice

Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a large cocktail glass

Garnish with lime slice.

7. CUBA LIBRE

Longdrink

5 cl White Rum 12 cl Cola

1 cl Fresh lime juice

Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

8. FRENCH CONNECTION

After Dinner Cocktail

3.5 cl Cognac

3.5 cl DiSaronno

Pour all ingredients directly into old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.

9. GOD FATHER

After Dinner Cocktail

3.5 cl Scotch

3.5 cl DiSaronno

Pour all ingredients directly into old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.

10. GOD MOTHER

After Dinner Cocktail

3.5 cl Vodka

3.5 cl DiSaronno

Pour all ingredients directly into old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.
11. GOLDEN DREAM

After Dinner Cocktail

2 cl Galliano 2 cl Triple sec

2 cl Fresh Orange juice 1 cl Fresh cream

Pour all ingredients into shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly for few seconds.

Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

12. GRASSHOPPER

After Dinner Cocktail

3 cl Créme de cacao (white) 3 cl Créme de menthe (green) 3 cl Fresh cream

Pour all ingredients into shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly for few seconds.

Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

13. FRENCH 75

Sparkling Cocktail

3 cl Gin

1.5 cl Fresh lemon juice 2 dashes Sugar syrup

6 cl Champagne

Pour all the ingredients, except champagne, into a shaker. Shake. Strain into a champagne flute.

Top up with champagne. Stir gently.

14. HARVEY WALLBANGER

All Day Cocktail

4.5 cl Vodka

1.5 cl Galliano (to float on drink) 9 cl Orange juice

Pour vodka and orange juice into a highball glass filled with ice.

Stir gently and float Galliano on top. Garnish with orange slices and cherry.
15. HEMINGWAY SPECIAL

All Day Cocktail

4.5 cl Vodka

1.5 cl Galliano (to float on drink) 9 cl Orange juice

Pour vodka and orange juice into a highball glass filled with ice.

Stir gently and float Galliano on top. Garnish with orange slices and cherry.

16. HORSE’S NECK

Longdrink

4 cl Brandy

12 cl Ginger Ale

Dash of Angostura bitters (optional)

Pour brandy and ginger ale directly into hi-ball glass with ice cubes. Stir gently. Garnish with rind of one
lemon spiral.

If required, add dashes of Angostura bitters.

17. IRISH COFFEE

Hot Drink

4 cl Irish whiskey 9 cl Hot coffee

3 cl Fresh cream

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Warm the Irish whiskey over a burner. Pour into the glass (for hot drink) hot coffee, and add a teaspoon
of sugar. Float Cream on top.
18. KIR

Before Dinner Cocktail

9 cl Dry White Wine 1 cl Créme de Cassis

Pour Créme de Cassis into glass, top up with white wine. For Kir Royal: Use champagne instead of white
wine.

19. LONG ISLAND ICED TEA

Longdrink

1.5 cl Tequila

1.5 cl Vodka

1.5 cl White Rum

1.5 cl Triple sec

1.5 cl Gin

2.5 cl Lemon juice, fresh

3.0 cl Gomme syrup 1 dash of Cola

Add all ingredients into highball glass filled with ice. Stir gently. Garnish with lemon spiral. Serve with
straw.

20. MAI-TAI

Longdrink

4 cl White Rum 2 cl Dark Rum

1.5 cl Orange Curaćao

1.5 cl Orgeat syrup 1 cl Fresh lime juice

Shake and strain into highball glass.

Garnish with pineapple spear, mint leaves and lime peel. Serve with straw.
21. MARGARITA

All Day Cocktail

3.5 cl Tequila 2 cl Cointreau

1.5 cl Freshly squeezed lime juice

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with salt (note:Fruit Margarita – blend selected fruit
with the above recipe).

22. MIMOSA

Sparkling Cocktail

7.5 cl Champagne

7.5 cl Orange juice, fresh

Pour orange juice into flute and gently pour Champagne. Stir gently. Garnish with orange twist
(optional).

Note: a Buck’s Fizz and a Mimosa are the same drink.

23. MOJITO

Longdrink

4 cl White Cuban Rum 3 cl Fresh lime juice

6 Mint sprigs

2 teaspoons white sugar Soda water

Muddle mint springs with sugar and lime juice.

Add splash of soda water and fill glass with cracked ice. Pour rum and top with soda water. Garnish with
spring of mint leaves and lemon slice. Serve with straw.
24. MOSCOW MULE

Longdrink

4.5 cl Vodka

12 cl Ginger beer

0.5 cl Lime juice, fresh

1 slice lime in a highball glass

Combine the vodka and ginger beer. Add lime juice.

Garnish with a lime slice.

25. MINT JULEP

Longdrink

6 cl Bourbon whiskey 4 fresh mint sprigs

1 teaspoon powdered sugar 2 teaspoons water

In a highball glass gently muddle the mint, sugar and water.

Fill the glass with cracked ice, add Bourbon and stir well until the glass is frost. Garnish with a mint
spring.

26. PINA COLADA

Longdrink

3 cl White Rum

9 cl Pineapple juice 3 cl Coconut milk

Blend all the ingredients with ice in a electric blender, pour into a large goblet or Hurricane glass and
serve with straws.

Garnish with a slice of pineapple with a cocktail cherry.

27. ROSE

2 cl Kirsch

4 cl Dry Vermouth

3 dashes Strawberry syrup

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

28. SEA BREEZE

Longdrink

4 cl Vodka

12 cl Cranberry juice 3 cl Grapefruit juice

Build all ingredients in a rock glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

29. SEX ON THE BEACH

Longdrink

4 cl Vodka

2 cl Peach schnapps 4 cl Cranberry juice 4 cl Orange juice

Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange slice.

30. SINGAPORE SLING

Longdrink
3 cl Gin
1.5 cl Cherry liqueur
0.75 cl Cointreau
0.75 cl DOM Bénédictine
12.0 cl Pineapple juice
1.5 cl Lime juice 1 cl Grenadine
1 dash Angostura bitters

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into highball glass.
Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry
31. TEQUILA SUNRISE

Longdrink

4.5 cl Tequila

9 cl Orange juice

1.5 cl Grenadine

Pour tequila and orange juice directly into highball with ice cubes.

Add a splash of grenadine to create chromatic effect (sunrise), do not stir. Garnish with orange slice and
cherry.

Other Popular Cocktails

1. ALEXANDER

After Dinner Cocktail

3 cl Cognac

3 cl Créme de Cacao (brown) 3 cl Fresh cream

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle with fresh ground nutmeg.

2. AMERICANO

Before Dinner Cocktail

3 cl Campari

3 cl Red Vermouth

A splash of soda water

Mix the ingredients directly in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice-cubes, add a splash of soda water
and garnish with half orange slice.
3. ANGEL FACE

All Day Cocktail

3 cl Gin

3 cl Apricot brandy 3 cl Calvados

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a cocktail glass.

4. AVIATION

All Day Cocktail

4.5 cl Gin

1.5 cl Maraschino

1.5 cl Fresh lemon juice

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

5. BACARDI

Before Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl Bacardi Rum White 2 cl Fresh lime juice

1 cl Grenadine

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes, shake well, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

6. BETWEEN THE SHEETS

All Day Cocktail

3 cl White Rum 3 cl Cognac

3 cl Triple Sec

2 cl Fresh lemon juice

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes, shake, strain into chilled cocktail glass.
7. CASINO

All Day Cocktail

4 cl Old Tom Gin 1 cl Marachino

1 cl Orange Bitters

1 cl Fresh lemon Juice

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes, shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish
with a lemon twist and a marachino cherry.

8. CLOVER CLUB

All Day Cocktail

4.5 cl Gin

1.5 cl Raspberry syrup

1.5 cl Fresh lemon Juice Few drops of Egg White

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass.

9. DAIQUIRI

Before Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl White rum

2.5 cl Fresh lime juice

1.5 cl Simple syrup

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

10. DERBY

All Day Cocktail

6 cl Gin
2 Drops Peach Bitters 2 Fresh mint leafs

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice.

Stir. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh mint leaves in the drink.
11. DRY MARTINI

Before Dinner Cocktail

6 cl Gin

1 cl Dry Vermouth

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes.

Stir well. Strain in chilled martini glass. Squeeze oil from lemon peel onto the drink, or garnish with olive.

12. GIN FIZZ

Longdrink

4.5 cl Gin

3 cl Fresh lemon juice 1 cl Sugar syrup

8 cl Soda water

Shake all ingredients with ice cubes, except soda water. Pour into tumbler. Top with soda water. Garnish
with lemon slice.

13. JOHN COLLINS

Longdrink

4.5 cl Gin

3 cl Fresh lemon juice

1.5 cl Sugar syrup 6 cl Soda water

Pour all ingredients directly into highball glass filled with ice. Stir gently. Garnish with lemon slice and
maraschino cherry. Add a dash of Angostura bitters. (Note: Use Old Tom Gin for Tom Collins)

14. MANHATTAN

Before Dinner cocktail

5 cl Rye Whiskey 2 cl Red Vermouth

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.Garnish
with cocktail cherry.
15. MARY PICKFORD

All Day Cocktail

6 cl White Rum 1 cl Maraschino

6 cl Fresh pineapple juice 1 cl Grenadine syrup
Shake and strain into a chilled large cocktail glass.

16. MONKEY GLAND

All Day Cocktail

5 cl Gin
3 cl Orange juice 2 drops Absinth
2 drops Grenadine
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

17. NEGRONI

Before Dinner Cocktail

3 cl Gin
3 cl Campari
3 cl Sweet Red Vermouth
Pour all ingredients directly into old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir gently.Garnish with half orange
slice.

18. OLD FASHIONED

Before Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl Bourbon or Rye whiskey 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 sugar cube

Few dashes plain water

Place sugar cube in old-fashioned glass and saturate with bitters, add a dash of plain water.

Muddle until dissolve. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whiskey. Garnish with orange slice and a
cocktail cherry.
19. PARADISE

All Day Cocktail

3.5 cl Gin

2 cl Apricot Brandy

1.5 cl Orange juice

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

PLANTER’S PUNCH

Longdrink

4.5 cl Dark rum

3.5 cl Fresh orange juice

3.5 cl Fresh pineapple juice 2 cl Fresh lemon juice

1 cl Grenadine 1 cl Sugar syrup

3 to 4 dashes Angostura bitters

Pour all ingredients, except the bitters, into shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour into large glass, filled
with ice. Add Angostura bitters, “on top”. Garnish with cocktail cherry and pineapple.

20. PORTO FLIP

After Dinner Cocktail

1.5 cl Brandy

4.5 cl Red Port 1 cl Egg yolk

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass.

Sprinkle with fresh ground nutmeg.

21. RAMOS FIZZ

Longdrink

4.5 cl Gin

1.5 cl Lime juice

1.5 cl Fresh lemon juice 3 cl Sugar syrup

6 cl Cream

1 Egg white

3 dashes Orange flower water 2 drops Vanilla extract

Soda water

Pour all ingredients (except soda) in a mixing glass, dry shake (no ice) for two minutes, add ice and hard
shake for another minute. Strain into a highball glass without ice, top with soda.

22. RUSTY NAIL

After Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl Scotch whisky

2.5 cl Drambuie

Pour all ingredients directly into old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir gently. Garnish with lemon twist.

SAZERAC

After Dinner Cocktail

5 cl Cognac

1 cl Absinthe

1 sugar cube

2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Rinse a chilled old-fashioned glass with the absinthe, add crushed ice and set it aside.

Stir the remaining ingredients over ice and set it aside. Discard the ice and any excess absinthe from the
prepared glass, and strain the drink into the glass. Add the Lemon peel for garnish. Note: The original
recipe changed after the American Civil War, rye whiskey substituted cognac as it became hard to
obtain.

23. SCREWDRIVER

All Day Cocktail

5 cl Vodka

10 cl Orange juice

Pour all ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice. Stir gently.Garnish with a orange slice.

24. SIDECAR

All Day Cocktail

5 cl Cognac

2 cl Triple Sec

2 cl Fresh lemon juice

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

25. STINGER

After Dinner Cocktail

5 cl Cognac

2 cl Créme de Menthe (white)

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into a cocktail glass.

WHISKEY SOUR

Before Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl Bourbon Whiskey

3.0 cl Fresh lemon juice

1.5 cl Sugar syrup

Dash egg white (Optional: if used shake little harder to foam up the egg white).

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain in cocktail glass.

If served ‘On the rocks’, strain ingredients into old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with half
orange slice and maraschino cherry.

26. WHITE LADY

All Day Cocktail

4 cl Gin

3 cl Triple Sec

2 cl Fresh lemon juice

Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into large cocktail glass.

27. TUXEDO

All Day Cocktail

3 cl Old Tom Gin 3 cl Dry Vermouth

1/2 bar spoon Maraschino 1/4 bar spoon Absinthe

3 dashes Orange Bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and a lemon zest
twist.

HOW TO CREATE A PROFITABLE SIGNATURE DRINKS IN YOUR BAR OR RESTAURANT

BY JOHN GARCIA ON FEBRUARY 27, 2015BAR, CATERING, HOW TO

In order to make great signature drinks, you need to make sure those drinks taste good and have a high
perceived value. The goal is to gain recognition for a unique offering that gets people coming back to
your place to try it. There are several important components of creating a profitable signature drink
program, so keep these things in mind as you concoct your exclusive creations.
1. Know Your Clientele

As with any business, it is essential to cater to your target market. You need to know what your guests
are coming for, how much they are willing to pay and what new things they might enjoy.

2. Determine What Patrons Want

This is often one of the first things to do when opening a bar or restaurant. Determining what people are
looking for in the area is a good way to set up shop and cater to those needs specifically. If you run a bar
near a college campus, you may know for sure that your target market is a younger clientele who wants
inexpensive drinks in a laid-back but modern environment. If you run an upscale lounge, you may have
more possibilities to play with, including more expensive liqueurs or exotic garnishes.

3. Involve Your Patrons

When you focus on building a relationship with your customers, you can better gauge what they are
looking for in their favorite bar. Regular customers will often be happy to give their opinion on what kind
of drink they would be willing to try, or what type of alcohol they enjoy the most. When creating new
signature drinks, involve your guests and try to obtain feedback to point you in the right direction.

4. Cater to a New Market

Creating new, enticing drinks can also be a great way to cater to a different group to try and bring in new
guests. For instance, you might appeal to a younger, hip market in your area by offering a selection of
fun, fancy cocktails.

Promote a small martini menu and see if what new guests you can attract.

5. Create Something Unique

With your signature drinks, you want to create an impression of exclusivity. Try a new method of mixing
or start using a new flavored liqueur. Look at the tips below and try something you have never done
before:

6. Blend Different Alcohols

Some bartenders have found success by blending alcohol types that may not seem intuitive at first.
Blend a blackberry or other sweet vodka with a port wine for a unique and interesting drink. For beer,
take the Black and Tan a step further and try floating a porter over a pilsner. You may need to do some
experimenting to get it right, but you could be surprised by the results—and have a lot of fun trying.

7. Try an Infusion

Bring out your personal mad scientist and experiment with infusions. All you need are glass jars, vodka,
and a selection of fruits, vegetables, herbs, candy or other interesting morsels that might add a unique
flavor. Simply add your ingredients to your jars of vodka, and wait a week or two. Some bars create
entire concepts around unique infusions like this.
8. Add Perceived Value

When guests come to drink or dine at your restaurant, you want to offer them a good value. Adding
perceived value puts that little something extra in the customer’s mind as something they find
exceptional, exciting and ultimately, worthy of a higher price. Bar and restaurant owners and managers
can add perceived value in a number of things, but here are a few examples of ways to tack on that
special something:

9. Production Value

When a guest sees a bartender making a drink, they will probably either ask themselves if they can make
something like it at home, or they will look on in awe as their masterful bartender whips out a seemingly
complicated drink in no time flat. If your guests believe that they can only find a drink of this kind at your
bar, you have made the right impression.

10. Make the Garnish Count

For many bars, a few lime slices thrown in with the ice counts as a garnish. If you want to create
perceived value, this will not fly. With signature drinks you expect people to pay good money for, you
want to create the sense of style, class, pizzazz, or whatever it is you think people want. A kabob of
tropical fruit on a skewer makes any Mai tai look better. A rock-candy swizzle stick in a fruity martini
adds something out of the ordinary. The garnish goes a long way in adding perceived value for the guest,
often at low cost to you.

11. Choose Glassware Wisely

You may think of your bar glassware as mere vessels for your alcoholic concoctions. However, glassware
is incredibly important to your profit margins as well as the value customers find in them. For instance,
simply choosing an eight-ounce rocks glass instead of a ten-ounce one can give you another shot or two
per bottle of spirits. When it is packed full of ice and filled almost to the top with alcohol, guests believe
they are getting a great deal. Likewise, choosing a fancier glass, such as a martini glass or a hurricane
glass, can give your customers the impression of value without the addition of more alcohol. This may
cost more at first, but over time these small changes in glassware can save you money.

12. Make it Memorable

Creating a signature drink is about more than just the drink. You want your guests to have a memorable
experience at your establishment; the drink is just the gateway. Often, making a memorable drink adds
spice and flare to the overall experience, encouraging people to think of your bar or restaurant next
time they are looking for a great time.

13. Choose a Jazzy Name

Choosing a fun or memorable name can give your customers a sense of curiosity about the drink before
even tasting it. Some bars name their signature drinks after the owner or a relation to the owner, such
as a “Bloody Mary Jane,” to put a spin on a traditional favorite. You may even choose a nonsensical
name like “Woo Woo” to gain interest. As soon as a guest asks, “what is a Woo Woo?” servers have a
good opportunity to sell one.

14. Make Your Service Unforgettable

Some bars are known for their signature drinks because they light them on fire before serving them to
the guests. Others give their drinks a ride down an ice luge before serving them. Things like this create
an extraordinary experience and give the customer something to remember about your bar instead of
the competition.

15. Remember Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Just because the majority of your adult clientele will be looking for a drink that will give them a buzz
does not mean you should not provide an exciting non-alcoholic beverage menu. After all, there are
designated drivers, children and other non-drinkers who will appreciate the chance to try something
other than a Coke or virgin daiquiri. Try whipping up a rum-free frozen Mai Tai with chunks of fresh
pineapple, or offer unique flavors of Italian soda with real whipped cream. Specialty coffee drinks are
also great options for your sober guests. These drinks may even be more profitable for you, since they
often contain mainly juice mixes and garnishes. By catering to every one of your customers, you are
more likely to get the respect and repeat business you want.