How to Design a Cocktail Menu That Actually Works for Your Venue

When I think about menu concepts, I don’t believe there’s a single “right” approach. The starting point should always be context. The venue, the space, the guests, the limitations, and the commercial reality all matter. A good menu isn’t just a list of drinks. It’s a tool that communicates intent, guides behaviour, and quietly does a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes.

Three recent examples show how different that thinking can look in practice.

At The Natural Philosopher, the concept of the bar informed everything about the menu. TERRAIN was built around the idea of taking inspiration directly from the world around us. We foraged ingredients from eight distinct types of UK terrain and split the menu into sections: Urban, Coastal, Woodland, Mountain, Wetland, Rivers & Lakes, Moorland, and Meadows & Fields. Each section featured two alcoholic cocktails and one non-alcoholic cocktail, with the non-alc combining flavour elements from the two alcoholic drinks.

The design followed the same logic. Impressionist landscape paintings became the visual reference point, and I created artwork to match each terrain. It took four months to design between liquid development and graphics, and yes, I lost a lot of hair in the process. But it remains the menu I’m most proud of in terms of concept, cohesion, design, and drink quality. It only worked because the menu grew directly out of the identity of the bar itself.

MakeShift came from almost the opposite direction. There was no bar. Just some shelving and a freezer. So the first question wasn’t “what do we want to serve?” but “what is actually possible in this space?” The honest answer was not much.

The solution was adaptability. The menu centred around seven classic cocktails that guests could customise through spirit swaps, liqueur changes, or syrup additions. A MakeShift Negroni could be gin or mezcal, classic or adapted with blackcurrant, coconut, or pear liqueur. Non-alcoholic drinks followed the same logic, using a range of alcohol-free spirits, syrups, and mixers to build something personal rather than prescriptive. The menu didn’t fight the limitations of the space. It leaned into them and turned them into the concept.

With Mexican Seoul, the brief was different again. The aim was to expand the cocktail offering while also encouraging guests to linger after the kitchen closed. That meant thinking beyond the drink itself. I introduced timed post-kitchen-close deals and created a drinking version of Ludo on the back of the menu for guests to play. It gives people a reason to stay, adds an interactive layer to the experience, and helps drive sales during what is usually a natural wind-down period.

A QR code links to additional drinking games from both Mexico and Korea that can be played with cards or dice, extending the idea without cluttering the physical menu.

For me, strong menu concepts need to do a few key things. They must fit the venue’s identity and design language. They need to be intuitive and understandable for guests without explanation. They should guide behaviour, whether that’s encouraging exploration, slowing the pace, or increasing dwell time. And crucially, they have to position the offering in a way that delivers real value while making financial sense for the business.

Alongside that, I always consider broader trends in drinks, design, and hospitality worldwide, not to copy them, but to understand where expectations are heading. The goal is to create menus that feel considered, purposeful, and memorable, while still working hard in the background.