Photo Credit -gettyimages/grandriver

In a past life, I was a beverage manager for multiple cocktail bars, and the first thing I always taught new hires was classic cocktails. In 2018 it seems everyone wants to be unique, and I firmly believe having offerings that another bar may not, will often give you an edge when a customer is deciding where to spend their time and money. However, that edge may not be based on the unique concoctions you have worked so hard on to make your establishment stand out from the rest.

In a recent conversation with a friend, who now manages a bar I once ran, they made the comment - “The amount of Margaritas, Old Fashioned’s and Pimm’s Cups I crank out of that service well is astronomical, it’s all people want!” This bar is one of the most successful, sought out bars in the San Antonio market, and yet people are still sticking to the classics, why? I speculate that classics are two things: a meter for the bars abilities, and a go-to for many drinkers. Keeping this in mind, it makes sense that the room temp, mezcal and amaro-based cocktail isn’t exactly flying off the shelves.

Furthermore, I believe most people will dip their toes in the water before jumping straight in when it comes to cocktail bars. If your bar is making an amazing old fashioned and a well-balanced margarita, then I am so much more likely to try your proprietary concoctions, and as a consumer, I will feel much better about my choice to spend money on something I am not familiar with. The point of all of this is, if you cannot execute the classics, it may be best to step back from trying to come up with new concepts and go back to tuning the perfect basics!