If you build it, to paraphrase the nowiconic movie line, they will come, but that adage may not apply to the creation of a new cocktail list. There’s more to boosting sales and satisfying customers than just fresh mixers and quality spirits. There is also the matter of how you present them.
“A cocktail is essentially a glass, liquid, ice and a garnish,” says James Meehan, presiding mixologist at New York City’s PDT bar and co-editor with Anthony Giglio of the new “Mr. Boston Holiday Cocktails” guide. “If you’re serious about cocktails, each and every element has to be taken into consideration. If it looks good, someone will pick it up and smell it. If it smells good, they’ll taste it. If it tastes good, you’re in business.”
“Glassware is as vital [to a cocktail program] as is using correct ice, proper sodas and fresh juice,” says David Tetens, director of bar development for the White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He adds that his goal is to bring to the bar the same quality-first sensibilities that govern the kitchen, and so each glass should be allotted the kind of careful consideration that goes into plate selection.
In practical terms, Tetens says, this means using an elegant coupe rather than pool-sized martini glasses for straight-up cocktails—as is also the practice at PDT—and stocking two or possibly three rocks glasses.
“We have one that perfectly fits the ice spheres we use for straight, chilled spirits,” he says. “Plus another sized to handle large cubes of ice, and I like to use a metal glass for crushed ice drinks.”
While Tetens notes that it is important for a glass to show off the drink well, he says there is a practical side to his selections, as well. “I particularly like glasses that have heavy bases, which provide what I call a reservoir of cold. That way, drinks don’t dilute as quickly.”
For Meehan, who admits that he doesn’t have as much space for glassware as he’d like at PDT, stocking the correct supply of glasses means keeping the following: two styles of coupe and one each of a wine glass, flute, rocks glass, fizz glass, absinthe glass, collins glass, julep cup, tiki mug, heatproof mug and tasting glass, plus a dual-purpose water and beer glass. A somewhat daunting collection, perhaps, but one that is more easily manageable for establishments with more modest cocktail aspirations, where absinthe, tiki and julep glasses might not be required, for instance.
Finally, beyond promotional or practical considerations, it should be remembered that human nature is to focus greatly upon the visual appeal of a food or drink, even as much as on the smell or taste. “We taste with our eyes first, which makes appropriate stemware a must to prepare the palate for the first sip,” says Meehan.
