The Low and No Standard
Five steps for guests who drink little or no alcohol. Many decide what they think of the bar from the answer to “What do you have without alcohol?”
- Who
- Bartenders and bar waiters, checked by the bar manager
- When
- Every guest who asks for, or orders, a drink without alcohol
- You need
- An alcohol-free section on the menu, a spec for each, house cordials
- Measured by
- At least 4 alcohol-free drinks listed
- Same glass and garnish as a cocktail
- No guest asked why they are not drinking
5 steps
01
Build the list
Keep at least four drinks without alcohol and two low in alcohol on the menu, each with a spec, a glass and a garnish. Print them on the cocktail page, not among the soft drinks.
Say this
“Without alcohol: Bergamot Tonic, Garden Collins, Spiced Date Sour, Verjus Spritz.”
Common mistake Offering three juices and a cola as the alcohol-free choice. The guest reads it as an afterthought.
02
Offer it plainly
When you present the menu, mention the alcohol-free drinks in the same sentence as the cocktails, to every guest. Never ask why someone is not drinking, and never comment on the order.
Say this
“The cocktails are on this page, and the four next to them are made without alcohol.”
Common mistake Asking “Are you sure?” or “Not drinking tonight?” The guest owes nobody a reason.
03
Make it properly
Make it with the same jigger, shake, chilled glass and garnish as a cocktail. Give it length and bitterness with house cordials, tea, verjus or shrubs, so it is more than fruit juice and sugar.
Say this
“A Garden Collins, Ms Varga: cucumber, green tea and lime, over clear ice.”
Common mistake Pouring it straight from a bottle because there is no spirit to measure. The guest sees the shortcut.
04
Keep it separate
Rinse the shaker and jigger before every alcohol-free drink, or keep a set for them alone. Write “zero” on the ticket, and tell the server which glass is which when two drinks look alike.
Say this
“Table eight, two Collins. The one with the cucumber ribbon is zero, for Mr Rahman.”
Common mistake Shaking a zero drink in the tin that just made a whisky sour. For some guests this is a matter of faith.
05
Remember it
Note in the guest profile that the guest prefers drinks without alcohol, and which one they liked. On the next visit, start with that drink, and tell the restaurant team before dinner.
Say this
“Mrs Chen, room 304: no alcohol. Liked the Spiced Date Sour, less sweet. Restaurant told.”
Common mistake Offering wine to the same guest every evening. They answered once, and once should be enough.
Your Alcohol-Free List
Three drinks without alcohol that your team can make and describe from memory. Fill it in for your own bar, then put the three on the menu.
The long, fresh one
- Name and spec in ml
- Glass and garnish
- One sentence to describe it
- The snack it goes with
The bitter aperitivo
- Name and spec in ml
- Glass and garnish
- One sentence to describe it
- The snack it goes with
The low-alcohol classic
- Name and spec in ml
- Glass and garnish
- One sentence to describe it
- The snack it goes with
Write the three at Monday’s briefing with the head bartender. Each day one bartender makes one for the team to taste. By Friday anyone on the floor can describe all three without the menu.
The Standards Library.
No. 83 · Bar
The Cocktail Recommendation Standard
Five steps for the guest who says “surprise me”. Two questions about taste find the right drink faster than a tour of the menu, and guests enjoy being asked.
No. 84 · Bar
The Solo Guest Standard
Five steps for the guest who comes to the bar alone. Some want a conversation and some want peace with a book, and the first two minutes tell you which.