Whether you’re entertaining at home or you own a nightclub, decorating cocktails with sparklers can be a great fit. Imagine your friends sitting around the living room as you present them with a sparkling treat! Conversely, you can increase sales on a high margin cocktail at your establishment. Either way, the benefits are very clear.
However, each scenario has its own unique intricacies. For instance, a small sparkler will work in your home, but a business may need something different. Additionally, how you pull it off will vary based on the situation. So, here’s a quick breakdown to help you out. Enjoy!
Using Sparklers in your Cocktails at Home
Having casual drinks with your friends is always a fun pastime; kind of like having bottle service at home! Additionally, many groups take turns hosting the party for a little bit of variety. When it’s your turn, consider stealing the show by decorating cocktails with sparklers instead of drink umbrellas. To accomplish this, there are a few considerations to make. Here’s what you need to know.
Choosing a Cocktail
Good news, this should be the easiest part! You can easily use sparklers with almost any type of cocktail. So, your main focus should be on choosing something delicious and colorful. However, make sure you keep in mind the way it will look during the performance. If you choose gold sparklers, you should choose a drink that is darker in color. Conversely, if you choose a color option, choose a drink that is the opposite. Contrast is important to the presentation, so don’t overlook it.
Additionally, make sure you are careful with your garnish selection. It can be fun to add something beyond just a sparkler, but overcrowding it can be a bad choice, too. Lastly, I would avoid edible garnishes. They can become contaminated accidentally and shouldn’t be eaten.
Choosing the Sparklers
This is where it gets a little trickier. There are so many different types of sparklers out there; it can be tough to decide. However, the most important thing to consider is the length. First, you need to decide on the glass that the cocktail will be in. The height of the glass will serve as a guide for you. If it’s tall, you can use a longer sparkler. If it’s a short glass, you’ll need to stick with something more diminutive. Either way, choosing the appropriate length is very important.
Additionally, as I mentioned, color is very important. You want to draw strong contrast between the cocktail and the sparkler. Lastly, make sure you choose a version that doesn’t produce any smoke. Smokeless sparklers are notable in the fact that they produce gold colored sparks. Unless you’re having your beverages outside, always choose a smokeless variety.
Putting it All Together
Once you have your beverage selection and sparklers picked out, you can assemble the cocktail. I suggest doing one ahead of time so you know what to expect. It’s always better to be prepared than figuring things out at the last minute! Additionally, I suggest weighting down the base of each sparkler with some sort of item. One of my favorite ways to do this is by sliding them through some sugar cubes. However, since the wire handle can be bent, you can use anything that has enough weight and won’t ruin the cocktail.
Decorating Cocktails with Sparklers at a Bar or Nightclub
On the other end of the spectrum, we have commercializing your cocktails. While this may sound simple, it’s actually tough to fully capitalize on the concept. Here are some key tips to make sure you are maximizing your earnings.
Understand Your Audience
Fist, you need to understand what type of bar or club you’re operating. If you sell a lot of fancy cocktails, then using sparklers as a garnish is easy. However, if you sell mostly beer, you’ll need to get creative. Perhaps you use them on certain occasions, or perhaps you can find a special drink everyone loves. Either way, before you craft a cocktail; you need to know exactly who you’re catering to.
Cocktails vs. Bottle Service
Bottle service is one of the hallmarks of any great nightclub. So, if you decide to use sparklers to decorate your cocktails, it can cut into your sales. Before you decide on anything other than using bottle sparklers, you need to weigh to outcome. If you are a small nightclub, using them on individual drinks is a great idea. However, if you sell a lot of bottle service packages, it may be counter-productive. It’s only a great idea if there’s a proper spot for it on your menu, so please bare this in mind.
Choosing a Cocktail
Now we get down to the brass tack; choosing a cocktail to decorate. Though it may seem easy, the choice you make will have a huge impact on sales. Personally, I prefer to do it on Moscow Mules because they happen to be trending. However, there are several choices that you can make. Just be sure that you’ve analyzed all the sales data before making a choice. Let your sales show you you’re your top sellers are for that area. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a flop on your books.
Delivering Cocktails with Sparklers Properly is Vital
Lastly, while decorating cocktails with sparklers is the easy step, delivering them is also important. First, you need to make sure you have all the proper staff training. If they aren’t familiar with the process, it could spell disaster. Next, you need to be aware of your surroundings. If you have an open room, it’s very easy. However, if you have a tight space, delivering them can be tricky. Just make sure to train your staff properly for all the contingencies. If you do that, you’re sure to have success.
At the end of the day, sparklers can be a great garnish for your cocktails. They cost almost nothing, yet they bring huge value to your offerings. Additionally, by decorating cocktails with sparklers, you bring huge value to your nightclub or bar. Conversely, it can backfire without the proper plan in place. As long as you do your homework, it can be a huge addition to your money-makers. Good luck. And I hope your share this post!
