Create the signature cocktails your guests expect by stocking your bar with a variety of classic cocktail mixes. Selecting the correct mix or flavoring can enhance your bar service without compromising taste. That way your staff can quickly make drinks and move on to serving the next customer, creating a positive experience for guests!
Vodka
Distilled from: Potatoes or neutral grains like rye, corn, and wheat, or potatoes
Flavor: Neutral alcohol or ethanol taste
Cocktail Uses: Screwdriver, Bloody Mary
Tequila
Distilled from: Agave plant native to hot, arid regions of the Americas
Flavor: Has a semi-sweet, spicy taste
Cocktail Uses: Margarita, Long Island Tea
Gin
Distilled from: Neutral grains such as corn, rye, barley, or wheat, with the addition of juniper berries and botanicals
Flavor: Dry and slighlty herbal taste
Cocktail Uses: Dry Martini, Gin & Tonic
Rum
Distilled from: Pure sugar cane or molasses also known as black treacle
Flavor: Sweet, toasted sugar taste that varies by style
Cocktail Uses: Daiquiri, Mojito, Piña Colada
Whiskey
Distilled from: Malted grains such as rye, wheat, barley, or corn
Flavor: Malted grain taste with roasted, oak undertones
Cocktail Uses: Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Irish Coffee
Brandy
Distilled from: Mostly grapes but also apricots, cherries, or peaches
Flavor: Sweet, fruity wine
Cocktail Uses: Brandy Sour, Sazerac, Sangria
Choosing Classic Cocktails
Once you have your bar stocked with liquor, it's time to pick cocktail mixes that complement your selection of alcohol! With so many options, it's best to keep in mind what type of flavors you want to offer. Thanks to the mix however, your bartender won't have to spend a lot of time muddling or creating the drink from scratch.
Your staff can simply pour out the mix, add the alcohol, and then garnish the drink in an atractive cocktail glass with ease. That way guests get their great-tasting order quickly, leaving them with the memory of a positve experience.
With so many mixes available, it can be hard to choose. Here are some of the top options available though for some of the most ordered drinks. Keeping any of these on hand can help your bar staff handle a rush of orders and cut down wait time for these bar favorites!
Margarita Mix
An iconic bar drink, and one of the most ordered on bar menus across America, this cocktail is a classic. Keep a mix on hand in your establishment to satisfy tequila fans.
How to make a margarita:
Bloody Mary Mix
A delicious and full bodied cocktail bursting with unique flavors, Bloody Marys have a huge fan base. Vodka lovers are sure to be happy when they see it on your menu.
How to make a Bloody Mary:
Sweet & Sour Mix
This all-time favorite mix creates a cocktail with complex flavors. Combined with your choice liquor the end result is a delicious cocktail layered with sour, sweet, and strong flavors.
How to make a classic sour cocktail:
Martini Mix
Popular enough to have a glass named after it, martinis are standard bar fare. Shaken or stirred, they're a refreshing cocktail drink that's withstood the trends of time.
How to make a cosmopolitan martini:
Blended Mix
A variety of fruity drinks have the option of coming as blended cocktails. In warm seasons, guests can't get enough of refreshing blended maragritas, daiquiris, or pina coladas.
How to make a pina colada:
Seasonal Mix
Showcasing herbal or fruit flavors seasonally is a great way to excite customers and keep your cocktail menu fresh. For example, offer mojitos in the summertime featuring freshly picked mint.
How to make a mojito:
Enhancing Your Cocktail Mixes
Take your cocktail concoctions up to a whole new level by also arming your bartender with a variety of alcohol infusers, bar syrups, bitters, and concentrated flavors. Incorporating these side ingredients into the cocktail mixing process can turn your classic cocktail into a signature drink with a unique flavor only found at your bar. This in turn can drive customers to keep coming back and ordering more!
Alcohol Infusers & How to Use Them
With infusers, you can experiment and make signature flavored spirits in-house ultimately leading to signature cocktails that only you serve. This gives you an edge against other bars and allows for competitive pricing.
Simply pour your choice of liquor or alcohol like vodka, rum, tequila, or white wine into the infusion bottle. Allow it time to absorb the flavors until it reaches your desired strength and then add it into your recipes!
The perks of using infusers include:
Cocktail Bitters & Concentrated Flavors
As salt accenuates an entree dish, concentrated bitters or flavorings add an extra layer of taste to cocktails. A little bit of the powerful flavoring can go a long way. Keeping some behind your bar is the perfect way to easily create bar favorites with a slightly more sophisticated and complex flavor that guests will notice.
The perks of using bitters or concentrated flavors include:
Cocktail Syrups & Their Benefits
Many cocktails are best enjoyed sweet, but sugar isn't always the best way to achieve that taste. Granulated sugar doesn't disolve well in cold drinks or alcohol. This is where having the right cocktail syrups at your bartender's fingertips can be a great way to get that sweet taste in your cocktails.
The perks of using syrup include: