Seasonality isn’t restricted to just food menus. Some drinks programs rely on each season’s best produce for house-made cordials, shrubs, tinctures, and other elements to flavor their cocktails. It’s an impressive feat: Crafting seasonal cocktails shows that drinks professionals are nimble and able to adapt their menus on a whim. As a result, these drinks often become highly sought after.
But by crafting temporary signatures, bars and restaurants may be shooting themselves in the foot. Just as in-season ingredients are ephemeral, the drinks that make use of them are fleeting. A guest may come in hoping to sip on the talked-about, seasonal cocktail only for the drink to be off the menu.
Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether it’s a smart move for bars to offer seasonal cocktails. Do limited-time offerings disappoint customers more than delight them? Should bars and restaurants try to teach consumers about the importance of seasonality?
Zach is drinking: Tantalus Vineyards Sparkling Riesling
Joanna is drinking: Wild East Brewing Co. ESB
Adam is drinking: Petit Chablis at Bar Heretic
