Behind the Bar

The Business of the Bar

Grow your bartending career and bar business—the right way. We have the tips and methods to keep you on the right path.
The two spaces and concepts at Swift in London’s Soho neighborhood
Dual-Concept Bars Offer the Best of Both Worlds
Bar trophy illustration
How to Ensure Your Bar Receives the Recognition It Deserves
The Japanese Delmonico Martini at The Lowback in London
How Contemporary Bartenders Are Reinventing the Martini
Cocktail building blocks illustration
How Top Bars Use Classic Cocktails to Train Their Bartenders
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How the Spirits Industry Is Connecting with the Next Generation of Drinkers
The Snow Bird at Pinky’s in Los Angeles, made with ingredients from Thai wholesaler LAX-C
Where Los Angeles Bartenders Find Cocktail Inspiration
A section of the back bar at Jack Rose in Washington DC
What to Know About Adding Vintage Spirits to Your Bar Program
Espresso Martini on nitro draft
You Should Put Your Bar's Espresso Martinis on Draft. This Is How.
Produce at Heart of the City Farmers Market, where many bartenders shop for fresh ingredients
Where San Francisco Bartenders Find Inspiration for Their Cocktails
A low-ABV spin on a Mary Pickford at Super Lyan in Amsterdam
The Rise of Culinary-Inspired Low- and No-ABV Cocktails
The non-alcoholic Negroni at Chemin a la Mer in New Orleans, made with ingredients from Rosalie Botanicals
The Stores Fueling Modern Bartending in New Orleans
Bars should aim to make their spirit-free cocktails, like the Pinch Hitter from Derek Brown, just as delicious as their alcohol-containing counterparts.
How to Build a Better Non-Alcoholic Bar Program
Missing bottles illustration
Making Drinks and Making Do in the Age of Supply-Chain Issues
Data-in-bottles illustration
How Distilleries Are Using “Big Data” to Help Build Their Brands
The I See a Light cocktail at Inside Passage in Seattle
Where Seattle Bartenders Find Local Flavors for Their Cocktails
Garnishing a Sea Flower cocktail at Kumiko in Chicago.
Why Bartenders Love Chicago's Rare Tea Cellar
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Why to Stock Zero-ABV Beer and Wine Proxies at Your Bar
The Long Flight created by Estelle Bossy at Panorama Room in New York City, inspired by ingredients she first encountered at Kalustyan’s.
The Store Where New York City Bartenders Find Inspiration
Typewriter with spirits bottles
These Drinks Writers Started Their Own Spirits Brands
Drink with hand in glove
What It's Like to Open a New Bar During the Pandemic
Branchwater Farms, in Red Hook, New York, uses composting and cover crops to improve its soil quality.
Why Spirits and Wine Producers Are Turning to Regenerative Farming
"missing" bartenders
Bars Are Struggling to Find Hires. This Is How They’re Coping.
Laptop with cocktail
How to Build the Best Website for Your Bar
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The Pandemic-Era Innovations Bars Will Be Keeping—and the Ones They Won’t
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The Next Step in Inclusivity Is Combating Ableism in Bars and Restaurants
The to-go cocktail program at Law Bird in Columbus, Ohio, is “accessible, fun and imaginative”—and cost-effective, says the bar’s owner.
Why Bar Retail May Be Here to Stay
Band illustration
This Is Why Your Favorite Band Has Its Own Booze Label
The menu posted on the wall at Double Chicken Please in New York City includes the ABV of each cocktail.
How Strong Is That Cocktail? Bars Are Starting to Specify.
Global Bar Week mashed together Bar Convent Berlin, BCB Brooklyn, BCB São Paulo and Imbibe Live into a single virtual super-conference.
How Cocktail and Spirits Festivals Have Changed During the Pandemic
Bar illustration
How Community Support Has Actually Affected Black-Owned Bars
Laptop screen
Shōshin Art Club Provides the Virtual Master Classes Bartenders Need
The International Whisky Competition was moved to Estes Park, Colorado.
How Spirits Competitions Have Changed During the Pandemic
Drinks illustration
Craft Distillers Push for Direct-to-Consumer Sales
A bartender prepares to-go cocktails wearing Ashley Roshitsh's handmade mask.
What Bartenders Are Doing Right Now to Earn a Living
liquor bottles composite
What It's Like to Launch a New Product During a Pandemic
Vodka production at Ublendit
This Company Is Disrupting How Spirits Are Distributed
Rotovap and cocktail
Why Bartenders Love Using the Rotovap for Cocktail Ingredients
Prediluted Red Hook Cocktail at Queen’s Park in Birmingham, Alabama
Make Your Bar More Sustainable and Profitable with Prediluted Cocktails
Spirits bottles
How to Sell Uncommon Spirits at Your Bar
The Oceanside, Ken Burns Effect and Full Windsor (from left) at Polite Provisions in San Diego
6 Small Tweaks to Upgrade Your Bar Program
Matchbook Distilling makes spirits customized to its clients’ wishes.
This Distillery Is Making Custom Spirits for NYC's Top Bars and Restaurants
Sign advertising takeout cocktails
To-Go Cocktail Sales Face a New Obstacle
Cocktails illustration
A Bartender’s Guide to Customers with Severe Allergies