Blogs & Inspiration
Creating Your Own Show-Stopping Signature Serve
Stand out and put your venue on the map by learning how to craft a unique signature serve.
Author: Ago Perrone, Multi Award-Winning Bartender & Director of Mixology at The Connaught, London
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Show off Your Own Style
A venue's signature serve is its calling card, a symbol of the bar, refined and compacted into a single drink.
Many bars are known for their signature serve, such as The Connaught and its iconic Martini, meticulously crafted by its Director of Mixology, Ago Perrone.
Learn the importance of a signature serve for your venue and what you need to do to craft a stunning drink of your own that can put you and your venue under the spotlight.
MAKE MORE THAN JUST A DRINK
A signature cocktail is far more than just another drink on your menu. The best signature drinks showcase what your venue stands for; its style and ethos are easily identifiable from that first sip.
The style of your cocktails must be the same in the service, the décor, and the team approach.
In many bars, the signature drink is the main attraction, so you need to craft a great guest experience with a serve that will live long in the memory of your guests.
You must go beyond just tastes and flavor profiles when designing your serve. Find the story you want to tell and consider the best ways to get that across. Do you want to highlight specific, overlooked ingredients? Could it be inspired by a forgotten technique from bar history? Have you thought about how you will build the serve in front of the customer and the environment you will present it in?
Every step you take when crafting your signature serve should have the story or narrative of the drink in mind. This will help you create one that offers more than an everyday cocktail.
The Connaught’s Signature Martini
Take inspiration from Ago Peronne's famous Connaught Martini cocktail, found only at The Connaught Hotel bar.
Designed with the belief that hotel bars should champion classic serves, this serve has stood the test of time and remains a solid favorite since its creation in 2008.
It stands out thanks to the bespoke ritual that surrounds the drink. Mixed with a blend of in-house vermouths, guests can select their own bitters based on their tastes, creating a cocktail that connects on a personal level with every guest.
Creating a connection through choice, exclusivity, visuals, and story are all things you can adopt to make your serve special.
Adapting A Classic
You should never be afraid of change if that change serves a good purpose. Bars with an existing signature serve can benefit from refreshing their offering and updating their menu to make it better and suited to the trends and circumstances of the time.
Change is a creative opportunity. Adapting a pre-existing signature serve can bring your team together, allowing the whole venue to influence the story of the drink.
Get every single team member to contribute to your new menu or signature serve creation, as it allows everyone to relate to the drinks and stories you're bringing to life. With a piece of your entire staff in the drink, it becomes a true reflection of your venue.
Trends can change like the tide. Innovating off an old signature cocktail allows your venue to remain fresh and attract customers while appearing relevant.
Key Takeaways
- Your signature serve should represent your bar and tie into everything that makes your venue unique and compelling.
- Focus on the story of the drink when crafting it, as this helps you make inspired choices that elevate the quality of the cocktail.
- Get inspired by the Martini at The Connaught Hotel, which connects with each guest thanks to its bespoke and homemade approach.
- Adapting an existing signature serve allows you to react to current trends and craft a new drink with the support of your whole team.
Make the most of signature cocktails to develop into a memorable venue. Become a Diageo Bar Academy member to access resources and learn the skills needed to craft quality serves.