In the bar industry, it’s a well-known secret that revenue is vanity, but margin is sanity. While a rare, aged single malt might command a high price tag, the profit percentage on that bottle is often surprisingly slim. To build a resilient and highly profitable drinks menu, you need to understand which serves offer the best return on investment.
Long Drinks & Lengtheners
The most profitable drinks on any menu usually share a common trait – the use of lengtheners. By using high-quality mixers, sodas, or juices, you create a refreshing, high-value drink while keeping the cost of goods per serve low.
Here are three delicious, high-margin serves to consider for your menu:
1. The Seasonal Spritz
The Spritz is the undisputed champion of the high-margin menu. By combining a bitter aperitif with sparkling wine and a splash of soda, you’re serving a drink that feels premium but uses relatively cost-effective components.
- The Profit Edge: The volume of the drink is largely made up of soda and ice. To protect this margin, use a calibrated spirit measure for the aperitif. Overpouring by just a few millilitres across a busy Saturday shift can quietly drain your weekly profits.
2. The Elevated Gin & Tonic
A G&T is a staple, but by elevating it with unique garnishes and premium tonic, you can command a higher price point.
- The Profit Edge: When you use large, dense ice from our 2” ice cube moulds, the ice displaces more liquid, meaning you use less mixer while keeping the drink colder for longer. It looks more expensive to the customer, but it costs you less to produce.
3. The House Collins
A classic Tom Collins (Gin, lemon, sugar, soda) is a masterclass in margin. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive, yet the result is a sophisticated, refreshing cocktail that appeals to almost everyone.
- The Profit Edge: This is a perfect candidate for pre-batching your lemon and sugar base. Using large-scale thimble measures to batch your ingredients ensures total consistency and prevents the accidental waste that happens when staff are measuring individual drinks under pressure.
Protecting Your Profit with Precision
You can have the most profitable recipes in the world, but if your team isn’t using the right tools, those margins will evaporate through overpouring and waste.
- Guaranteed Yields: Our optics are tested and certified to ensure you get the maximum number of legal serves out of every bottle. There is no guesswork – just a guaranteed, consistent yield that protects your investment.
- Precision in Every Build: For complex cocktails, using our jiggers ensures that expensive modifiers – like liqueurs and bitters – are used exactly as the recipe intended. Every drop accounted for is money kept in the business.
- Increased Value: Professionalism drives price. When a customer sees a bartender using a high-quality bar spoon to craft their drink, the value increases. You’re selling a precise, professional experience and top-quality product, justifying a premium price point.
