Nothing files away the carefree edge of happy hour like a cocktail carte littered with pretentious , self - gratulatory tidings . “ Craft . ” “ Bespoke . ” “ Housemade . ”
Stop it .
Flowery language , vague descriptors and poor design have no place on a cocktail menu . Here are the problems we see far too often , along with tips on how to doctor them .
1. Housemade/Handcrafted
gratefully , legal community and barman have moved away from the sleazy bottled mixer that dominated bar drinks throughout the eighties and ‘ 90s . In today ’s best cocktail bars , a wide array of syrups , mixers andbittersare made in - house . But remark that item on your menu are “ housemade ” or “ handcrafted ” does n’t make you front fancy . It make you look defensive . If you use good ingredients in your swallow , customers should n’t have to discover about it from you scratch their faces in it .
2. Fresh
If you ’re work in a cocktail legal profession and not using fresh citrous fruit and other fruit juices — first of all , ew , no . And second , know that any discerning drinkers out there will be capable to taste the difference . No need to underline it on your bill of fare unless you ’re using fresh durian , jackfruit or noni succus .
3. Craft
Though it ’s one of the biggest points ofcontentionin the sprightliness industry , “ craft ” means next to nothing . The term is often used to describe products from smaller distillery , but even that is n’t always accurate . Steer clear of any reference of “ craftbourbon ” or “ craftvodka ” on cocktail menus . depend on your definition , spirits like Maker ’s Mark and Absolut could reasonably be described as craftsmanship , even though they ’re own by jumbo pot .
4. Artisan
On a interchangeable note , companies making other cocktail ingredients like syrups and bitters have the propensity to lean on the term “ artisan ” and ( sorry yet ) “ artisanal . ” While we ’re sure these people are , in fact , artisans , leave it off the cocktail menu . You vocalise like someone we do n’t want to pledge with .
5. Bespoke
Your cocktails are made to order . Congratulations . We order drinks . You make them . You are not a Savile Row tailor .
6. Free-floating flavors
This is the sin of enunciate too niggling . Your carte du jour say there ’s “ lavender ” in this drink . Is it syrup , tincture , bitters , amiable , liqueuror some other shape of linear ? Being specific gives your customer a more concrete idea of what a drink will taste like . serve us realise what we ’re ordering before we spend $ 15 on it .
7. Precious typefaces
We get it . You met this designer at a party last calendar month and he offered to redesign your menu for a forgiven bar tablet and he used all these edgy distressed typeface that look like they ’re from a steampunk Wes Anderson film . But we ca n’t set up from your menu if we ca n’t show it . store your hipster obscurantism for the bar . We spend a lot longer depend at that .
8. Poor Design
A menu that showcases the personality and fashion of a bar is an easygoing room to draw in customers in . But yellow textbook on a livid background knowledge ? Hard passing . Poor organization ? We ’re seek to decompress , not solve a mystifier . Make it easy to secernate between the solid food , cocktails , beer and wine-colored , and utilise emphasis to steer us to what we ’re look for quickly . When in doubt , keep it simple : bootleg lettering on a white scope is the piffling black wearing apparel of cocktail menu design .
