Simplicity is key when it comes to developing a cocktail menu, and suppliers are offering plenty of help to make it easier for pubs
City centre bars are going cocktail crazy but the reception to sophisticated mixed drinks in the wider pub trade is still lukewarm.
More experienced members of the trade will have less-than-fond memories of previous false cocktail dawns that left back bars cluttered with unwanted paper umbrellas and store rooms full of obscure ingredients.
Even for upmarket pubs, taking the plunge into cocktails remains a big ask. Jackie Nairn, licensee of the Chimney House gastro pub in Brighton, says: 'Most people eating in the pub are having wine and most of the regulars are drinking Carling, so I don't think we'd do much with cocktails.
'We might put a few on in the future but it would be more pre-dinner things like Martinis or Bellinis. I don't think we'll do much in fruity cocktails. We're quite keen to keep it with a pub feel rather than a bar.'
A barrier to development
The presence of cocktails is arguably one of the factors that many in the trade would use to define the difference between bars and pubs and remains a barrier to the development of cocktails in the wider on-trade - but it's one suppliers are determined to overcome.
Melissa Williams, on-trade marketing manager at First Drinks Brands (FDB), says cocktails can give a lift to all types of outlet.
She says: 'Cocktails are an ideal mechanic for delivering theatre, celebration and a sense of occasion to the on-trade, as consumers often feel unable to produce high-quality, complex cocktails easily at home.
'For mainstream pubs to effectively capitalise on the cocktail trend, they must invest in training to ensure that bar staff can produce great-tasting, fabulous-looking cocktails that consumers are paying a premium for.'
Cocktail starter kits
FDB is supplying cocktail starter kits that contain the basic rules of the cocktail bartender's art and some recipe ideas.
'This is all to maintain and improve standards,' says Williams, 'and help more pubs enter the market'.
Bacardi is also encouraging mainstream pubs to pursue the cocktail route. It recently ran a Capital Cocktail competition, which invited all styles of pubs and bars in London to create their own cocktail using the brand.
'It covered everything from the top end to the mainstream,' says Fraser McGure, senior trade marketing manager for Bacardi.
'Anyone to a certain extent can create cocktails and we had a lot of interest across the board.'
The problem with pubs doing cocktails is often that they try too hard, he adds.
'We recommend to all our sales people that if they have a customer who is interested in doing cocktails for the first time to advise them to begin with a small number. Stick to drinks that are easy to make and that will be of high quality rather than an overlong and complicated menu.
'There's no good having 38 cocktails that no one knows how to make when you could have three or four that are made well.'
Dispelling the cocktail myths
Diageo is also sending out the message that putting on a cocktail offering could be simpler than many people think.
Chrissie Owens, late night commercial development manager for Diageo GB, says: 'We work closely in partnership with licensees to dispel the myth that serving cocktails is a complicated procedure. Cocktails can be as simple or as intricate as you choose.
'Mainstream pubs can tap into the opportunity by simply reducing their range of mixers to include a broader variety of juices and soft drinks, and by ensuring that cocktail menus are kept simple by offering 10 to 12 options that all staff can make well and quickly.
'The list should also offer something a bit different for those consumers with more adventurous tastes.'
Sammy Berry, of Tuaca importer Danes, created the Tuscan Mule cocktail for the brand while still working at the St James's Tavern in Brighton. It's now a common spirit-mixer alternative even in the city's most traditional pubs.
She says the drink was borne out of necessity. Berry says: 'Every time someone bought a shot of Tuaca they'd say 'Well you've got to have one with me'. But we still had to run the pub. I used to drink Jack Daniel's and ginger ale and just thought I'd try to make something similar using Tuaca.'
The essence of a Tuscan Mule is its simplicity, and Richard Clark, head of marketing at Red Square vodka firm Halewood International says it's important for licensees not to get too hung up on the word 'cocktail'.
'Vodka and orange can be a cocktail, it's just about how you present it. Any pub can put their own twist on a spirit and mixer and have a cocktail. Cocktails have always been around - they've just not always been called cocktails.'
Cocktail tips from Diageo's ESP training team
l Use premium-branded spirits and brand-name mixers for best results
l Get the basics right before you start experimenting with exotic garnishes
l Use a clean glass and good-quality ice
l Use clean knives, chopping boards, graters and peelers that have been kept aside specifically for preparing your garnishes
l Create a signature drink and use local produce to put a spin on an old favourite
l Experiment with tastes, colours and textures to establish what works and what doesn't. Test it out before you unleash your ideas on your customers
cocktails are an ideal mechanic for delivering theatre to the on-trade