Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It’s one of the most lucrative nights for bars and restaurants – are you prepared? Offering themed specials and LTOs is a great way to boost sales and incremental revenue, even on your busiest night. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year, you can start these specials on Friday and let your customers enjoy all weekend long (unless you’re focusing on the Super Bowl- we’ve got some great snack ideas for you here).
Bar & Restaurant reached out to renowned mixologist Chris Hopkins, founder of Hashtag Mixology, to get his recommendations for killer Valentine’s Day cocktails that are sure to please a crowd. With over 20 years of international hospitality experience, Hopkins works with some of the biggest names in the industry, including SoHo House, The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Wynn Resorts, Bacardi and more. He’s normally flying around the country working on projects for his clients, but you can find him at the Bar & Restaurant Expo this March. Hopkins and his team will be helming our iconic Sports Bar, designed by Specifi Global, offering insights into the latest trends, including no-alcohol spirits and CBD-infusions.
If you missed the Sports Bar last year, it’s a fully functioning, experiential bar in the middle of the expo hall floor. Here, you can meet with mixologists and industry suppliers to learn how to grow your beverage program. Make sure to stop by to sample complimentary drinks, get inspiration for your own venue, and test drive the coolest bar technology that’s going to be huge in 2022. Tickets for Bar & Restaurant Expo are available now, make sure to grab yours before they’re gone!
In the meantime, read on to get some Valentine’s Day cocktail inspiration from Hopkins. If you use any of these cocktails at your venue, be sure to tag us on Instagram so we can repost! @Barandrestaurantexpo and @hashtagmixology.
Besitos
Refreshing and sweet, this pale pink concoction is a perfect start to Valentine’s Day weekend.
1.5oz Siempre Plata Tequila
0.5oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
0.5oz Lemon
0.5oz Reàl Guava Syrup
Fill Q Drinks Ginger Beer
Shake all ingredients together and strain into a Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a ½ salt rim.
Sherry Baby
Agave spirits are massively popular now. In fact, they’re one of the fastest growing spirits categories in the country, as consumers have developed more sophisticated palates. So, give the people what they really want this Valentine’s Day: this complex mezcal-driven cocktail.
1.5oz Espadin Mezcal
0.5oz Fino Sherry
0.75oz Lime Juice
0.75oz Honey Syrup
1 Whole Strawberry
Dash of Balsamic Vinegar
Pinch of Sea Salt
Muddle, shake and finely strain into a coupe. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
Blood of my Blood
Non-alcoholic cocktails are on the rise. Health conscious and sober curious customers are thirsty for thoughtful, spirit-free libations (and they’re willing to pay the same price as a cocktail!). Try this on your menu and see how people respond.
3oz Finest Call Blood Orange Sour
0.5oz Reàl Guava
0.5oz Lemon Juice
3oz Topo Chico Grapefruit Seltzer
Shake all ingredients except for the seltzer with ice, and strain into a Collins glass. Top with cubed ice and Topo Chico Grapefruit Seltzer. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Make Up Sex
You don’t need to fight to enjoy this kind of Make Up Sex. Fruit-forward, with the right amount of tartness, this is equal parts flirty and sophisticated.
1.5oz Citrus Vodka
0.5oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
0.75oz Lemon Juice
0.5oz Reàl Passionfruit Syrup
1oz Pineapple Juice
Shake all ingredients together and finely strain into a martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a passionfruit husk.
Hot Date
Who says Valentine’s Day cocktails need to be pink and fruit forward? This take on an Old Fashioned is smokey and strong, with just a hint of pomegranate.
2oz. Kurvball Barbecue Whiskey
0.25oz Pomegranate Syrup
2 Dashes of Angostura Cacao Bitters
1 Dash of Scrappy’s Firewater Tincture
Smoke an old fashioned glass. Stir ingredients together and serve with a large sphere of ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange twist.
Download the full event brochure here to access even more information about the show, and an exclusive promo code.
Bar & Restaurant Expo (formerly Nightclub & Bar Show) is a live, in-person event held March 21-23, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Early bird registration is open now. Click here get your tickets now!
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Fadi Alsayegh at [email protected], Veronica Gonnello at [email protected] or Tim Schultz at [email protected].
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