The perfect serve
The ’serve‘ has become one of the biggest selling points in the drinks industry today – whether alcoholic and non-alcoholic. With so much competition and growing choice for consumers, the way you create and present a drink now holds much higher value.
Serving drinks no longer means just handing over a glass or a bottle. From glassware to garnishes, or even a bit of theatre from your bar staff, by achieving the perfect serve and adding something extra to your drinks offering your customer will begin to justify premium price tags, ultimately increasing your turnover. So, what makes the perfect serve?
Glassware
Whilst it may seem obvious to some, using the correct glassware is the first step in achieving the perfect serve. A report on glassware by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser found that “customer perception of an establishment and its drinks can be changed by glassware alone”, with more than a third of consumers buying drinks based on the glass it is served in.
Starting with the basics, you should never serve a drink in a warm, chipped or dirty glass, and you should always look to handle the glass as little as possible. The top two thirds of the glass belong to the customer and should never be touched by your bar staff!
Now you’ve got your clean and chilled glass the next aspect to consider is its shape. If you’re ordering a cocktail you’d expect it to come in the right glass. After all, a martini just wouldn’t taste the same if served in a tumbler. By selecting a correctly-shaped glass you can begin to optimise the flavours your serving. Wine is always served in a glass shaped to optimise its aromas, and it’s no different with cocktails, mixers or even soft drinks. One trick behind choosing the correct glass is to always look for branded glasses behind the bar. This way you can always ensure you’ve selected the optimum glass for your serve, enhancing appearance, aroma and flavour.
Garnishes
The use of quality garnish’s is another way to boost sales through presentation. Adding colour as well as flavour, a little slice of orange or lemon is an easy way to make your serve extra appealing. For premium appeal, go beyond your typical ‘ice and slice’ and experiment with a twist of orange, mint sprig or even an edible flower. You could also experiment with peels and other garnishes such as berries and herbs.
The positioning of the garnish can be of equal importance to the garnish itself. If you’re serving the drink with a straw, the garnish should always be positioned next to it as it both draws the eye to the drink and ensures you get the scent of the garnish when you take your first sip.
If you’re new to garnishing and want to begin with traditional ingredients, an easy rule to go by is to use oranges for orange flavoured drinks, lemons for lemon flavoured drinks and limes for everything else.
In bars and restaurants your floor staff are essentially your sales team and they must be well-trained to know how all drinks should be served. You can’t achieve the perfect serve without the perfect service, so it’s well worth investing in staff training to give your bar staff the edge over the competition when it comes to serving drinks.
New research led by Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University has proven that making something look good makes it effectively taste better too, so perfect your serve and create eye-catching drinks that customers will keep coming back for.
Whether you own a bar, a juice café or a health club, a professional juicer could be just what your establishment needs to increase your breakfast juice sales and boost your premium cocktail offering. Smart and contemporary-looking, our professional orange juicer machines cater for all your juicing needs. Give us a call or contact our sales team today to discuss which Zummo juicer is right for you.
