Drink News PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION
Getting both right is a recipe for success says Gill Head, Marketing Manager of Artis, offering some advice on backbar strategy that will help improve your bottom line.
Mixology or Alchemy?
Increasingly there is a fascination with the art of the mixologist. A good barman adds value to the cocktail proposition with style and panache. The mystique to mixing a good drink, tends to make customers watch the skill of the professional at work in anticipation and who knows, maybe pick up a few tips for themselves.
A buoyant cocktail market means you really have to be on top of your game and you need to make your cocktails stand out from the competition. That might mean choosing unusual spirits, varying your cocktail list, foraging for garnishes and botanicals and improving the presentation of the drink. In some cases, serious mixologists are going so far as to mix their own vermouths, bitters and juices. Do remember, the better the show you put on, the more you can command for your drinks.
Your box of tricks
The tools of your trade are jiggers, shakers, muddlers, bar spoons, dash bottles and so on. If you are under close scrutiny at the bar, these also need to look the part. Our advice is to refresh these items before they start to look tired. A one-stop shop is what you need and the
2017 Artis catalogue has an entire section dedicated to bar equipment. One area that we have paid particular attention to this year is dash and bitters bottles. These are often served from plastic containers with little forethought. That is why we have introduced a stylish, but cost-effective range under the Elixir and Authentica brands. These are elegant cut-glass style bottles with silicon stainless steel pourers. It’s worth reviewing your mixing glasses, too. These get scratched and quickly look dated. Artis has added to its collection of mixing glasses this year, so please do take a look.
Presentation is key Preparation is vital in serving the perfect
cocktail. The spirit itself, liquor ratios, the flair and the garnish are all important in creating that ‘wow’ factor when your customer receives the end product. But, arguably more important than any of these is the glass (or vessel) it is served in. Glassware is a fashion business and you really should consider the condition of your glassware regularly – certainly well before it begins to look chipped, scratched and, frankly, sad. Actually, stylish glassware is not so expensive and, increasingly, you will find glasses that you can use for a variety of purposes, so you won’t need a huge range. Many styles these days are stackable so that you will be able to save space in the backbar area, which is always at a premium. A good example of stackable
22 DECEMBER 2017
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