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Überbartools™ present a new isolation strategy that can bring your bar experience directly to your home with cutting-edge bar tools with an aesthetic appeal.

Learn how to make the Aviation Spritz cocktail using Rosé wine and gin for perfect summer sipping.

The countdown to Christmas is well and truly on. But, while everyone else seems to be in a mad dash of planning and partying, the race to New Year can feel more like a marathon than a sprint if you're a bartender. But don't stress, we've gathered some top tips for surviving the silly season...

Before you know it, the silly season will have begun, and you’ll be left wondering what you’re going to serve your thirsty friends and guests for those all-day celebrations. Enter the low Alcohol by Volume (ABV) drink

It's original, it's authentic and it identifies who you are. Just like your scrawl on the bottom of the cheque, a signature cocktail can set you apart from everybody else. Get a signature cocktail right and it can speak volumes. But how do you go about making one or even deciding what your signature cocktail should be?

All top restaurants make recommendations on which wines go with each dish on their menu, and most wine bottles provide suggestions for food to accompany that wine.
But what about cocktails? You may be surprised to learn there's more to mixed drinks than aperitifs and digestifs!

But why garnish? Some call it the “subingredient’ of a cocktail, some say it creates the initial aroma, which plays on the senses, some say it adds panache and character, and some even say it’s the bartender’s signature on the cocktail…

There's been a boom in bitters in recent years, not only in sales, but also in availability and diversity, with more and more craft bitters available.
But what are bitters? Why are they so important? And where do you start with them in your bar?

Ben Davidson's twist on the Tom Collins, swaps out the usual gin for Saké.

While the weather's still warm, why not enjoy this delicious, simple to make, summery cocktail from Ben Davidson?

 

What’s long, thin and only useful for 20 minutes?

Need a clue? It’s also used by millions of people worldwide, every day and right now it’s not got a good reputation.

Of course, we’re talking about the plastic straw. This every day item is currently under a lot of scrutiny, with calls to have it banned around the world.   

In a single day, we use more than 500 million straws globally, chucking them away as soon as we’re finished. We think of plastic bags and bottles as being the worst single-use plastics, but how often do you reuse a plastic bag or bottle compared to a straw?

To paint a picture of how serious the problem is, one diver in Manly, NSW  found more than 600 straws during two short snorkels.

Is It Time to Swap the Straw?

 

Plastic not only takes hundreds (and thousands) of years to break down, it never truly decomposes – it just fragments into tiny pieces. Those tiny pieces become part of our planet’s eco-systems: they’re in the water we drink, and in the animals and plants we digest.

Consumer pressure to ban the straw is building. There are literally hundreds of campaigns and petitions online. The Last Straw is an Australian campaign, helping hospitality businesses to use fewer straws:

“A plastic straw in my gin might seem innocent enough, but multiply that by the billions of people that buy billions of drinks across the world every single day, and you start to get an idea of the scale of the problem we’re looking at. That straw I threw away after stirring my drink will outlive me and everyone else on this planet. Unless we do something to change.”

And they have some serious weight behind them; Young Henry’s, Society Salamanca, and Mountain Goat Beer are among the long list of member venues that have signed up so far.

Changes aren’t just happening in Australia. In California, a bill has just been proposed, which would stop restaurants giving customers a straw unless they ask for one. If it goes through, waiting and bar staff could be hit with a $1000 fine for giving out a plastic straw!

Sustainability Makes Business Sense

At this year’s World Class Bartender of the Year, sustainability featured high in the professional panel’s discussion on 2018 trends. They quoted a recent poll that said, nearly one in two customers expressed a willingness to pay a 10% premium for socially responsible and environmentally friendly goods.

Panel member and mixology master, Dre Masso said: "Sustainable and re-useable methods and ingredients are becoming increasingly important. The mixologists who embrace this new reality are the ones who will flourish."

And Diageo Reserve Global Cocktailian Lauren Mote had advice for venues:

“Some of the best ways to bring sustainability to life in your venue are extremely simple. For example, you could start by getting rid of disposable napkins and straws. You could replace these straws with metal ones and instead of placing every cocktail on a paper napkin why not invest in stylish leather coasters that can be reused and look better with age?

So maybe it’s time to switch up our straws and consider stainless steel for sipping on our drinks instead.