Drinks menu for a late-night bar

Usual sections

1. Spirits and mixers: gin, rum, whisky, vodka, tequila, with price columns by tier.
2. Cocktails: just a few, and quick to make at peak time.
3. Shots.
4. Beer and wine: bottled beer, draught, wine by the glass, Prosecco.
5. Alcohol-free: soft drinks, tonics, alcohol-free beer and an alcohol-free cocktail or two.
6. Bottle service, if you have booths or reserved tables.
7. Bar snacks, if you serve any: nuts, crisps, nachos.

In a late-night bar almost everything is ordered at the bar. The table menu can be more complete; the one on the wall or the screen should carry only the essentials.

Spirits and mixers: price by tier

The eternal question: how much is a gin and tonic? Answer it with columns by tier and the label written once at the top of the section:

Example prices in pounds. Underneath, a note explaining what goes into each tier (“Ask at the bar for the brands in each tier”) or a short list of brands per spirit. What matters is that customers know what they’re paying before they order: twenty gins with twenty different prices can’t be read in the dark.

Extras and measures go in the same note: “25 ml measure · Double +3 · Premium mixer +1”. If you’re not sure about margins, the guide on how to price a menu works for drinks too, and the pour cost calculator gives you the cost of each measure.

Bottles and booths

If you sell bottles for tables, give them their own section with the price of the bottle and what’s included: mixers, ice and how many people it serves. “Bottle of premium gin · With six mixers and ice · 120”. If a booth has a minimum spend, put it on the menu and not just in the booking confirmation: customers need to know the price before they order.

Cocktails: just enough

In a late-night bar, the bar runs at full speed. Five or six cocktails that come out well at peak time beat a long list that jams the bar. The name and three ingredients are enough: “Mojito — White rum, lime, mint and soda”. If cocktails are your thing, the cocktail menu guide has more ideas, and the wine list guide covers wine and fizz by the glass.

Alcohol-free, hours and promotions

• Alcohol-free, easy to see: people who drive or don’t drink order too. A section of its own with soft drinks, tonics, alcohol-free beer and a couple of alcohol-free cocktails made with the same care as the rest.
• Happy hour: if you run promotions, give the times and what’s included. In England and Wales, the mandatory licensing conditions ban irresponsible promotions; in Scotland, a drink’s price has to stay the same for at least 72 hours, which rules out happy hours. Several US states restrict or ban them too. Check with your licensing authority before advertising one.
• Age: a line at the foot, such as “We operate Challenge 25” or “No alcohol sold to under-18s” (21 in the US), is a useful reminder. In England and Wales you also need an age verification policy.
• Small measures: in England and Wales, a line such as “25 ml spirits, 125 ml wine and half pints available” covers the requirement to tell customers.

Allergens at the bar

• Sulphites: wine, fizz, vermouth, cider and the cocktails that contain them.
• Gluten: beer, unless it’s gluten-free. Spirits distilled from cereals, such as whisky, gin or vodka, are exempt from declaring it under UK and EU rules.
• Milk: cream liqueurs and cocktails made with cream, such as a White Russian.
• Eggs: sours and fizzes made with egg white.
• Tree nuts: hazelnut and almond liqueurs, orgeat.
• Fish and celery: the Bloody Mary, because of the Worcestershire sauce and the celery salt.
• Peanuts: the bowl of nuts on the bar.

Check the labels of syrups, liqueurs and bought-in mixes: that’s where allergens hide most. Drinks count just like dishes, as the guide to allergens on menus explains.

A menu for the dark

• High contrast: light type on a dark background or the other way round; never grey on grey.
• Large type and few lines per section.
• A 16:9 screen behind the bar: it reads from a distance and you can change it without printing.
• A5 or slim A4 on the tables: a half-empty A4 looks thin.
• A story to announce the weekend line-up or the drink of the month.

The template’s style is Neon, with a dark background, made for screens and late nights. On paper, a dark background uses a lot of ink: for printing, Déco or Constructivist have character on a light background. More examples in menu templates.

Make it in MenuDesign

Open the drinks menu template, adjust the tiers and prices, mark the allergens and download the PDF for the tables and the 16:9 image for the screen. Free, no sign-up, and saved in your browser for when the brands change.