Hello and welcome to our first blogpost of 2022!
What is going on?
Having spent time reading various articles from trade organisations and spending time talking to industry colleagues what has struck me is how truly beholden our great industry is to consumer confidence, the speed of change and the resulting need to be agile to survive (and then succeed of course).
You could quite rightly argue that this has always been the case but when you read an article in the MA quoting UKH, that pre-Omicron average sales were up to 98% of 2019 levels and then dramatically dipping in the week up to Christmas by an average of £10,355 per pub, bar and restaurant with Christmas Day sales down 60% against those 2019 figures, it really does put rapid change and agility under the microscope.
Time for a drink
Traditionally January has been a challenging month for pubs and bars with #DryJanuary being a very popular New Year’s #resolution, so, with the need for agility in mind I thought I would turn my attention to how we can provide a great experience for all those who have cut out alcohol from their diet but still want the great pub and bar experience.
Well-presented Tea, perfectly prepared, freshly ground coffee and a delicious range of soft drinks are great but for me… bring on the #VirginCocktails.
Thinking caps on
In between the various lockdowns and variants, a treat culture developed with #cocktails becoming more and more popular so, why not stay on trend but remove the alcohol.
It doesn’t take long via a Google search to find a whole host of different recipes but as I always say when we are running training sessions or providing consultancy, start simple, train the team and then build. This rings true for developing a food offer too but don’t make developing a new #Mocktail list (another word for #VirginCocktails) complicated.
Options
According to JustEat and their #Mocktail and Cocktail Championship the nation’s most popular cocktail was the #EspressoMartini followed by the #Mojito and in the third was the #PiñaColada. No surprises there but what of the Mocktails? In first was the #VirginMojito, in second the #VirginPunch and in third the #VirginPinaColada.
As the Mojito has appeared in both lists, provides great theatre and is easy to make we will focus on this one.
History
Cocktails and #ErnestHemingway are synonymous with #Cuba and by care of the bar in Havana called Le Bodeguita del medio (http://labodeguitarestaurant.restaurantwebx.com/) this cocktail became a world renown and well-loved drink.
According to (https://tastecocktails.com/the-mojitos-kit-august-2015/) In the 1500s, Sir Francis Drake landed in Havana to sack the city of its gold. The invasion was unsuccessful, but luckily for us something good did come of it. His crew were suffering from dysentery and scurvy. Local South American Indians were known to have remedies for many diseases, so a small party went ashore to Cuba and came back with ingredients for a medicine. They used aguardiente de caña, mint leaves, and the juices from sugar cane and limes to put together a tonic which turned out to be effective. We know now that the lime juice was the helpful ingredient, but the others surely made it far more palatable!
This is really interesting information for staff, as we know you need confidence to sell and where does confidence come from? It comes from knowledge. Teach the team a few facts and watch them fly!
As we are talking about the alcohol-free version then let’s look at the standard recipe for the Mocktail:
Ingredients and recipe
- 1 fresh Lime cut in half length ways which is then cut into 3 wedges, the other half of the lime will be cut width ways in equal slices – to be used to garnish
- 10 Fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon of Gomme Syrup or a sweetener of choice: sugar, honey or if you like tangy flavours, you might omit the sweetener altogether.
- Soda water
- Ice: crushed ice is best, but regular ice cubes are fine too.
- Instead of Rum try 50ml Apple Juice or 50ml Pineapple Juice – whichever you think tastes best.
Instructions
- Place 3 lime wedges, mint and sweetener into a tall glass and muddle (https://www.baractivity.com/search/for/muddle/) for about 1 minute to release the lime juices and the flavour from the mint.
- Add the ice.
- Pour the apple or pineapple juice over the ice.
- Top with soda.
- Garnish with remaining slices of lime and a sprig of mint to serve.
What I love about this Mocktail
- Easy- with minimal ingredients and no bartending skills required, this refreshing drink is simple and cheap to make.
- Low in calories- great additional point to make in advertising
- Easily adapted- need a mocktail recipe for a crowd? Simply increase these quantities and make it in a pitcher. Also, adapt it – try Ginger Ale instead of Soda.
- High theatre, creates interest in your pub, bar or restaurant and looks fantastic
- Great GP
- Cocktails and Mocktails = fun and good times.
Making it happen
First and foremost, the staff need to feel confident and be energised to make them. Train the team, consistency is key and the key to making mocktails, involve the guest in the experience. Where possible build and muddle the cocktail in front of your guest.
- Start simple – pick 3 as a maximum and do them well. I have looked around for options for recipes and found a great little website which will give you some fab ideas (https://mindfulmocktail.com/). They also have a downloadable e-book too or take a look at (https://gypsyplate.com/the-best-mocktail-recipes/).
- Advertise your new offer on boards and in frames (no Blutac, Sellotape or drawing pins please).
- Jump onto your social channels and get advertising, why include interesting facts, run polls or cocktail quizzes. Remember Likes are vanity metrics – you need interaction to generate sales.
- Check your insights on Facebook
- Reply to comments or reviews about your Mocktails
In summary
Our industry needs to keep reinventing and evolving given the current climate, I firmly believe that there will always be a place for the traditional pub, the community pub, the traditional bar etc but how cool would it be to know that the local is now offering another reason to visit, and in so doing combating dry January with a healthy option which costs very little to put in place, has a high margin and is great fun.
Thanks for reading, Frazer.