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Looking to elevate your cocktail game, streamline your bar operations, or simply unlock the secrets of the perfect pour? You've come to the right place!
At Überbartools™, we're passionate about all things bar-related, and we're dedicated to sharing our knowledge and insights with you.
FOUR REASONS TO FLICK YOUR WOODEN MUDDLER!
The bar's evolved since Prohibition!
One of many improvements has been the introduction of Occupational Health and Safety(OHS) regulations to mitigate food/drink contamination.
Doesn’t it then seem a little odd that the continuing use of wooden muddlers in North American bars and restaurants continues whilst in many other parts the wood muddler has been thrown into the recycling bin!
For those who haven’t yet flicked their wooden stick here's 4 reasons to re-think the issue:
1. Wood is porous, allowing bacteria to build up within the wood creating potential transmission issues.
2. Wood is likely to increase flavor retention (pass on flavors) between totally different drinks.
3. Varnish, pesticides and other nasties live in and on the wood which can be transferred into drinks.
4. Wood discolors easily making the muddler look very unappetizing.
Life’s already complicated so then who really needs all the extra hassles to then make it worse!
In a nut shell...isn’t it really time to "flick the stick"?!
CAN YOU REALLY OPERATE YOUR OWN BUSINESS? MAYBE NOT...
At some point entrepreneurs will ask the big question: “can someone else run this business better than me?”
The entrepreneur wishing to be true to themselves and their stakeholders must regularly ask this question to ensure long term success.
Ironically friends, family and colleagues may never share the thought that at some point the knowledge and talent to run that business may not be there!
Transitioning from bartender to manager to owner takes giant leaps: each representing a learning curve requiring education, experience and brutal honesty.
Most passionate entrepreneurs find it difficult to recognize the right time to bring in the people with the experience needed to run their businesses.
Such moments are not failures but rather the time to take control; re-setting the trajectory towards continued success and ultimate fulfillment.
The day we start asking more questions than we have answers to it's probably the time to take a step back and leave it to someone else!
What do you think?
SPIRIT LABELS: BACK TO FRONT
Every spirit brand has it's own unique story and history.
The story can usually be found at the back of the bottle, on a label!
What better way to keep bar staff informed , when encouraged to read both sides of a spirit bottles label particularly during slow times or obligatory bar bottle clean ups!
Imagine the info pearls located on a label.. becoming an invitation to explore , learn and hopefully retain fascinating information to educate attending guests.
Sometimes the story about a brand’s journey can be just as intriguing as the liquid contained within the bottle!
Give it a go.. there's everything to learn!
ENTER-DINING: HOW COCKTAILS AND LIFESTYLE MERGE
In the search for emotional as well as inter connected experiences, Millennials are increasingly making choices based on how they “feel” or make others feel.
Very much rooted in the less is more genre; consumers are now actively seeking options where quality, authenticity and provenance seamlessly live.
Helped by the myriad of cooking and lifestyle shows filling the air waves, educated consumers are changing their year round eating and drinking habits. This experience we call enter-dining
Some of the arising consequences of this food and drink fest: food choices becoming healthier with accompanying beverage choices becoming more premium!
ProConsumers (the name given to the educated, experienced, serious minded home consumer), are investing in more expensive craft beers, wines and spirits to improve dining experiences by better delineating between flavours, taste and context.
Degustation menus are being homed, with more consumers understanding that cocktails can be enjoyed as an individual solitary occasion as well as a perfect accompaniment to a series of courses, surpassing other more typical prepared bottled alternatives such as wine.
Stirred drinks such as Manhattan’s, Negroni’s and Martini’s together with a whole bunch of rediscovered classics are being taken from the bar and replicated at home.
The rise of bar cocktail culture with the knowledgeable bartender at its lead can be credited with the renaissance now seen where cocktails, lifestyle and entertaining experiences merge to provide for more memorable and enjoyable occasions!
WHEN BIG GOES SMALL: COMPETING AGAINST SMALL CONCEPT BARS
The days of bar barons and ‘pub-preneurs’ has taken a beating.
In many markets liquor licensing requirements were deliberately onerous precluding smaller players from entering the market!
Clever operators used licensing as a barrier to competitive entry leaving only the giants to compete against each other.
To further control the market, large operators would open multiple concepts in easy steps from their own venues to help maintain share of wallet.
Then some years back the democratisation of the bar changed everything as small bar licenses were granted allowing independent bartenders to become owners, helping to fuel the craft bar boom.
The boom then created massive competition, pulling from big boxed venues consumers, particularly those searching for more authentic experiences.
The Empire Strikes back
The big guys began to understand that to tackle the small guys they too needed to get small, creating niche competitors to meet the needs of a market fracturing into micro segments.
Relying on unlimited access to money, designers, process, volume discounts advertising and the best ideas from around the world, the big guys turned the tables.
Here's some of the different plays we’ve seen:
- Large venues cut down large spaces into unique spaces with multiple concepts
- Satellite micro venues – surrounding hub venues, smaller specialized offerings that feed into the fickleness of consumers looking for other options within easy walk of main venues.
- Chain concepts developing niche brands.
- Pair n' partner Pop Ups: Bringing a well-known chef in with an experienced bartender or bar team to deliver short term concepts.
Whereas the little guys were once the disrupters, the bigger players have learnt fast & scaled down to meet and beat the people who created market instability in the first place.
Who’s the loser in this redrawn market place, now that's your call!
AIRBNB YOUR BAR ÜBER INNOVATION: SPACE FLIPPING!
The sharing economy has spawned new ways of thinking about limited resources.
New examples: car sharing, private residences for rent, office sharing, private taxis… the list goes on and on!
Let’s pose the question: why not potentially share your existing business space with another business? Sound crazy?
May be not... we call it “Space Flipping”
Defined as: a purpose built space designed for dual concept occupancy co-existing in the same area, yet operating at completely different times.
As we know many businesses operate within a fixed time frame say 9-5 pm, 6am -3 pm, i.e. coffee and sandwich shops.
Irrespective of the number of hours a business premises is in used daily, rent is payable 24/7/365.
It will come as no surprise that after wages, RENT, is the number 2 expense most businesses must pay... so why not turn a challenge and flip it into a leveraged opportunity!
So can we apply the concept to a bar, is it possible?
The answer is of course it is, so long as there’s willingness, flexibility, and great design!
Assuming willingness and flexibility amongst parties how then could design be critical to completing this picture?
Well, let’s think of it like this: smart design allows one to re-imagine, plan and execute around a framework mandated to achieve a desired outcome i.e. dual occupancy space...
To see what we mean check out this simple space plan... from 6 am-3 pm the space is known as “Johnny’s Coffee Emporium”, late afternoon to early morning “El Diablo Tapas and Tequila Bar”
Here’s a way it may work.
- A two side revolving shingle outside of the space... depending who’s in occupancy.
- Two working areas... one open kitchen with coffee and other value add services; the other as a bar
- The non-used area is closed and concealed when not in use-possibly using the space to advertise the no-open business as an example.
- Stack-able table and chairs to allow for furniture changeover... or possibly utilize existing tables and use different coverings.
- Separate incoming telephone lines.
- The bar could retain the coffee shop to make tapas to supply the bar, and the kitchen uses the bar to create bespoke batched non-alcoholic drinks.
The potential opportunities are endless with willing parties. Of course like any relationship it needs to be carefully regulated, with plenty of mutually agreed boundaries-yes it’s not going to be a walk in the park, but it’s doable!
With more and more young people unable to find employment or make the jump from employee to entrepreneur… the chance to Space Flip may be an opportunity for 2 people to co-exist in business sharing the risk and expense!
What do you think?
BRING AN ICE PROGRAM TO YOUR BAR
Bartender Joe Villanueva
Bringing a great ice program to your bar can make a huge difference!
Once the preserve of craft cocktail bars providing bespoke experiences, ice has become the new “it” providing a WOW factor to enhanced guest drinking experiences.
Today more mid-tiered bars are searching for ways to generate incremental income at the expense of the “guys at the top” by replicating or dumbing down ice programs.
With more consumers educated to appreciate that better ice makes for superior cocktail experiences, the genie is out of the bottle!
The new democratisation of ice establishes an expectation that all bars should/must offer a premium ice experience as part of the deal! So then why can't a $10 cocktail contain a big piece of hand carved ice, versus cocktails selling at $15-$25?
So, if you want to add some extra pizzazz to your bar consider a deconstructed ice program. Here’s some tips:
- Craft ice is now delivered as you like it by entrepreneurs seeking to cash in on the bonanza.. so why not buy it in!
- More bartenders have self-educated, so make your own blocks, by-passing the more expensive option of delivered ice
- Ice machine manufacturers are offering machines making larger format ice cubes.
With more competition it’s possibly a chance for high end bars to go back to the drawing board to offer more interesting, bespoke ice experiences. here's a thought: carving ice balls in front of guests!
Recently Uberbartools™ introduced the LuxPik™ and LuxFork™ to allow bartenders the opportunity to hand carve ice balls. Taking a very non-Japanese approach, we put the bartender’s need front of mind and designed some really innovative ice tools incorporating comfort grips, safety with enhanced control together with modularity to prolong product usage life to indefinite!
If you’ve never watched an ice show, check it out, as there's few more engaging pieces of bar theatre. You might be pleasantly surprised to see guest spend increase by introducing ice carving!
Wherever your bar stands on the ice sheet, maybe it’s a good time to re-visit your ice program! Go on, take a crack!
The Causality Dilemma
In a world of technological advancement – where the prospect of attaining information and answers requires only the click of a button – is it possible to solve the age-old dilemma of causality?
Forget the vexed question of chicken or egg; we’re confronting the more pressing issue of which came first, the theme of the bar or the widespread trend.
Take Tiki culture for example, an enduring concept used in restaurants and bars primarily in the United States and to a lesser extent around the world.
Tiki culture first gained traction in 1934, with the opening of Don the Beachcomber in California – a Polynesian-themed restaurant and bar. Serving Cantonese cuisine and exotic rum punch, this exciting new establishment was decked out in pacific cane furniture, bamboo torches and flower leis.
Don Beach, the owner of what came to be this popular and extensive chain, has even been credited for the innovation of several Tiki cocktails that have stood the test of time.
One establishment, that drew inspiration from and went on to rival the Don the Beachcomber brand was Trader Vic’s, which also grew to international fame.
From here, Tiki culture spread like wildfire, with fruity, tropical cocktails packed with the punch of rum popping up everywhere, including Hollywood – where the Mai Tai featured heavily in the film Blue Hawaii, starring Elvis Presley – before coming to a calm at the end of the decade.
Tiki culture then surfed its way back into the U.S.A on the wave of alcoholic globalization that followed the Second World War, as soldiers previously stationed in the South Pacific wanted to celebrate the good times and forget about the bad.
This time, however the bartenders raised the benchmark for quality cocktails by introducing flavours inspired by the cultures of Hawaii, Tahiti and the Philippines.
As all good things do, Tiki culture came to an end in the 1970’s where it was seen as incredibly kitsch – nothing but a lowbrow style of mass-produced popular culture.
Until more recently, Tiki cocktails – the Zombie in particular – were resurrected by bartenders working in the nooks and crannies of hipster havens across the globe.
Still served in a traditional Tiki mug, the classic cocktails continue to reach new standards as the bartenders interject a modern twist.
While a history of Tiki culture makes it look as though the theme of Don the Beachcomber fuelled a widespread trend, others would argue that the venue simply amplified the relaxed lifestyle of tropical cultures that we as consumers already adored.
So instead of offering a definitive response we dare to question:
When the quality of establishments continues to peak and our cocktail preferences are consistently met, does it really matter if theme trumps trend or does it point to the futility of identifying the first case of a circular cause and effect?
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The Perfect Pour... Why it works for Guinness!
WHAT'S IN YOUR DRINK?
Most of us are guilty of flipping a bottle, can or packet to check the content label for the sugar, fat and preservatives contained therein.
Many of us understand: we are what we eat; therefore cant the same be said about the things we drink too: such as spirits, wine and sparkling (SWS)?
Soft drinks and most beers routinely display nutritional information on content labels, strangely though (SWS) do not!
In a quickly changing world what would happen when consumers demand the same level of nutritional compliance on SWS.
Spirits in particular are renowned for using generic marketing descriptors to evoke some form of emotional connection via history and processes to differentiate against competing offers.
In the US there’ve been famous court cases started by consumer activists over “misleading claims” made by Distillers concerning what the terms “handmade” and/or “ hand crafted” really mean?
Is it only a matter of time before consumers ask far more vexing questions moving beyond “authenticity”, to demand total transparency on the contents of the liquids they drink?
We suspect this prospect may be lurking around the corner, if so, there’ll be tremendous changes on the way SWS are packaged, advertised and marketed.
Further down the track what would happen when bars, clubs and pubs are required to list on cocktail menus, calories, sugar, fat, preservatives on every drink served?
Are you prepared?
CONSISTENCY: IS YOUR BAR MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT?
Behind every great bar there are great brands, great bartenders and great tools – the perfect combination for delivering liquid gold to thirsty guests. But, when the competition is literally only a few steps down the road, quality, value and consistency (QVC) become the real metrics to use when measuring success. Unfortunately, as a business it is a lot easier to stock the bar with top-shelf product than it is to deliver top-notch QVC.
Quality and value are both driven by related factors, yet contrary to popular thinking, consistency is not something that automatically occurs from success in these two areas. Instead, consistency is something that much be practiced and earned until a staff member holds the ability to replicate an exact outcome every time, regardless of either quality or value.
In a mixed drink, success in consistency requires a correctly portioned amount of alcohol to be delivered, without wastage, into its final serve – no variation in volume, taste, or appearance. Of course, this is often something that is easier said than done.
We’ve all returned to a bar and ordered a repeat drink that tasted completely different to when it was previously consumed.
This common occurrence begs the question: how can two drinks, made by the same bartender with identical ingredients taste so different?
It is the pouring paradox; great spirits brands are manufactured consistently, yet at the point of serve if the spirits are not poured by a bartender using proper measuring and pouring tools, then certainty changes and consistency is no longer guaranteed.
More than just an annoyance, unwittingly this same inconsistency affects venue profits. When customers (even subconsciously) don’t know what to expect from the next order they tend to migrate away from a prepared, mixed alcoholic beverage on to the certainty of a bottled drink alternative – which are almost always sold at lower price points with a lower margin. It is a sad truth known as ‘category swapping’ and is a constant that could have been avoided.
As a business outcome, consistency becomes an important pivot around which quality and value live, and something a reputation depends on.
With increased inconsistency comes poor quality and a greater loss in value - the failure to make the few-hundred-dollar investment in accurate bar tools has then allowed for a far more detrimental impact than many publicans or managers imagine.
UNLOCKING THE POWER OF JAPANESE RITUAL
For most of us in the industry there lies a certain mysterious air around Japan, a secretive knowledge of history that is far deeper than pre-prohibition cocktails or the preferred drink of English Kings. It is not an understanding of fact or instance but of earthly pursuits— of precision and order.
Japanese bartending is unique in the sense that it extends beyond the way a drink tastes, and though the finest and most considered ingredients are often used, drinking in Japan is not spawned from a cocktail list, but rather a cocktail experience.
For those working in Japan a “classic” is more than a recipe, it is instead something of noble tradition—and making these classics become an art well before the final pour. Like seasoned chefs or dojo masters, many aspiring high-level Japanese bartenders have been known to train for years before ever stepping foot behind a bar during service. However once there, they craft cocktails with restrained perfection, carve ice with seeming ease, and embody the ethics of hospitality to the very core.
Western visitors have commented that when served in the finer bars of Tokyo, the cocktail was placed in front of them with the same level of care as when a jeweller places his most expensive diamond on a mat for viewing. The result is a drink so beautiful, so perfect and so steeped in ritual that a customer is almost afraid to breathe in its presence for fear of ruining the illusion. By the time he or she is ready to sip they have formed such connection to the experience that the night will likely never be forgotten.
Of course there is a downside to such craft, especially when transferred out of the small private dining clubs of Tokyo – many which only sit 10 to 12 patrons. In a less ridged market, where even a small bar can mean upwards of 100 guests at any given time, the ability to meet volume and still maintain such severe and rigorous talent is obviously taxed.
So what can you take away from Japanese bar culture? What is possible (or moreover feasible) to duplicate in your bar?
The answer, at any level, is refinement.
If you are a large bar, refine the ritual of how you value customers, do you welcome them? Do you listen to them? Are your glasses clean? While you may not have the time or capacity to provide a full experience, refining the points of hospitality that are often ignored – like greeting, is a step at harnessing the respect and professionalism Japanese bartenders communicate to their guests.
If you are a mid-tier bar, refine you tools. Replace worn glassware, teach a proper hard shake (the technique was invented in Japan), and invest in stirring or straining equipment that provide a level of imperial dignity to the acts. Equipment that is streamlined and easy to use across stations allow for more elegant applications of technique, even in higher volume situations. Most importantly once you have the proper tools to facilitate heighten technique (in little time) ensure they are respected.
If you are a craft bar, refine your presentation. Allow guests to connect with their drinks as closely as your bartenders who create them. Allow them to watch as the whisk(e)y is gently poured over the rounded ice, and then swirled to chill, using an elegant, extra-long bar spoon with a trident on one end that is so revered in Japan. Develop a higher level of theatre and consistency that will translate in their eyes into intrigue, remembered experience, and loyalty. Take notice of BarShido, our notion of the study, repetition and respect attained from a long and practiced pursuit.
For those who possess the right environment and a level of commitment, making the benefits of Japanese bar culture more readily utilised is not a difficult feat. There are many additional techniques that can be easily learned by top level professionals. Have a look at the following styles explored by industry experts who have made a point to see the ritual culture of presentation travel well across international markets.