“It’s not only comforting to see a beautiful bar on display before being escorted to a table, but it also puts having a cocktail in customers’ minds prior to eating,” says Brian Van Flandern, owner of Creative Cocktail Consultants, which has offices in Las Vegas and New York City.

Today’s cocktail and beverage offerings continue to become more innovative to set operations apart from competitors and differentiate their menus. “Bars are getting more concept-driven,” says Teisje van Emmerik, co-founder of Studio Numen, a hospitality design firm, and Cocktail Professor, an international consultancy. “There are more basic bar concepts like a mezcaleria or a tiki bar as well as more in-depth themes.”

Even bar designs have morphed to become more complex, with individual styles that match the signature drinks on the menu. For example, Studio Numen designed a bar for Marriott that simulates a big garden and includes cocktail stations with a built-in plant station and beverages inspired by nature. “Bar designs are more like an open kitchen,” says van Emmerik. “Instead of the traditional undercounter bar, there is a new trend of a ‘kitchen counter-style bar’, where guests sit level with the workstation and bar top. With this format, guests are directly located at the heart of the bar and experience all the craftsmanship of the bartender. There is lots of interaction and connection between them, and the drinking experience is even more enhanced.”

More operators now have back bars custom designed to be more ergonomic and to enhance speed of service. “Consultants can help create an area so bartenders don’t have to step more than 3 feet in either direction to create every cocktail on the list,” Van Flandern says. Built-in ergonomic speed rails and shelves for glassware and drying dishes are also becoming more popular to minimize bartenders’ steps.

Along with enhanced ergonomics, sustainability has become a bigger focus with today’s bar and beverage programs. “Sustainability is a trend that can no longer be ignored. To be taken seriously as a bar, you have to show that you contribute your own piece to this topic,” says Jarl de Vries, co-founder of Cocktail Professor and Studio Numen. “In the bar community, there is a lot of research and development in the field of sustainability.” Operators and bartenders are “putting a lot of effort into creating bars that have a closed-loop system with minimal-waste cocktails made with locally sourced or upcycled ingredients,” he adds.

While many restaurant menus keep shrinking to accommodate supply chain and labor shortages, bar and beverage programs are expanding offerings to help compensate. This includes jumping on the low- and no-alcohol cocktail bandwagon. “[Modern bars are providing] the full multi-sensory bar experience with rituals surrounding the drinks, serious flavor profiles and visual presentations, but without the use of any alcohol. We just launched a super cool theatrical non-alcoholic bar concept for Ette Hotel in Orlando,” says de Vries. “But also, lighter drinks, like a highball with vermouth and tonic, are very on trend at the moment. Because people have more knowledge of — and the need for — health and nutrition, bars are serving drinks with less alcohol and with wellness benefits.”

De Vries adds that today’s cocktails are more flavor-focused than spirit-focused. “Traditionally, cocktail menus have one vodka drink, one bourbon drink, etc.,” he says. “Nowadays, the menu is more based on the different flavor profiles. Sometimes the spirits aren’t even named.”

When designing a bar or beverage area, it’s the details that make the difference. “Starting from a strong concept and working this out into all the small details of the bar [is key],” says van Emmerik. “Make sure the interior/bar design, beverage concept and branding are all aligned. It is so important to think carefully about the concept, the story you want to tell, which style suits it and to really work it out.”

Many don’t consider the ice aspect, which can make or break a beverage program. “Having a good ice program gives the bar a lot of credibility and increases the quality of the bar. Good suppliers can supply clear ice in different sizes and shapes, ensuring the right knowledge, tools and applicability,” says de Vries. “You can also make flavored ice or use ice stamps with images or logos.”

Van Flandern says ice has become more important as part of the craft cocktail movement. “Investing in a good-quality ice machine is critical,” he says. “The larger the cube, the more surface area and less dissolution there is from the first sip to the last.”

One of the trends Van Flandern is seeing is the use of silicone molds for different ice shapes. “Beverage programs can get spears for highballs or cubes in 2-by-2-inch or ¼-by-¼-by-¼-inch sizes or shaved ice for cocktails; that’s the minimum going on in the industry,” he says.

Custom-built ice wells can accommodate three types of ice and provide a spigot for hot water to melt the ice in just three minutes at the end of the day.

Equipment, including smallwares and supplies, should not be overlooked. “Well-designed cocktail stations include high-quality tools,” van Emmerik says. “Not only [should there be] refrigeration behind the bars but also freezers to store cocktail glasses. We love to work with garnish drawers, where you can easily store all types of flowers and botanicals for cocktails. In addition, a good ice machine with big clear ice cubes and an osmosis dishwasher are key.”

Because bartending is a craft and cocktail creation is theater, having the proper tools ensures quality results. “Invest in a nice-quality set of bar tools,” de Vries recommends. “[This] immediately makes a good first impression and shows that you take your profession seriously. Think about a smart logistic system where you have everything created by hand and worked out into the details, so the operation goes as smoothly as possible.”

More bar owners are making a one-time investment in higher-quality bar tools, which are more ergonomic and meant for speed but also are better-looking for nicer aesthetics. “These include spoons, shakers, strainers, muddle sticks and glassware, in addition to silicone molds and spear makers,” Van Flandern says. “High-quality bar tools are durable, sturdier and last longer, so the investment pays off in the long run.”

Upscaling servingware and creative presentations takes a beverage and cocktail menu to the next level. “Not only think about an elegant range of glassware that is aligned in one style and forming a beautifully diverse range, but also think about the small details and accessories,” says de Vries. “A small wooden spoon to serve a garnish on, a beautiful satin ribbon with the logo of the bar for around the stem of the glass or a beautiful bottle with signature-designed labels for your homemade ingredients [go a long way]. Make sure everything is aligned, coordinated and thought out.”

Today’s equipment innovations have simplified the process. “Better ice machines can supply clear ice, cubes with no holes inside and bigger sizes,” de Vries says. “Sous vide [provides] richer and more consistent homemade syrups in the bar. The rotary evaporator is a popular bartender toy at the moment as it’s a piece of science equipment to create flavor-focused cocktail components via vacuum distillation. Bartenders are using it as a culinary application to distill drink ingredients.”

A number of up-and-coming bar and beverage trends will make an impact in the years ahead. “[There will be] more recycled and upcycled drinks and ingredients but also a more conscious way of drinking,” de Vries says. “Natural drinking, natural wine bars, kombucha and lacto-fermented cocktails [are emerging]. People are looking for unfiltered, unpasteurized, natural nutrients and antioxidants. We predict that this trend will expand more, and you will find more naturally home-brewed fermented cocktails in the future.”

According to van Emmerik, the value of beverages is becoming more recognized within the hospitality industry. “Venues are recognizing that the revenue from the B in F&B is increasing — and sometimes it’s even bigger than the food revenue,” van Emmerik says. “Guests value a quality beverage, whether it’s a good natural wine or a craft beer that is paired with food or even an entire multi-sensory cocktail that takes up an entire course. Also, guests today have more knowledge of different drink products and are willing to pay more for their beverages. Our expectation is that drink experiences will be increasingly expanded and also be more coordinated with the food experience.”

“The way the bar is set up has a big impact on yearly revenue,” Van Flandern says. “Time is money, and the more cocktails you can get out, the more people will be served, and that’s more revenue that can be made.”