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How to support the on-trade during lockdown
By Owen BellwoodThe coronavirus outbreak has made visiting your favourite drinking den increasingly hard. As pubs and bars around the world struggle, SB explores ways you can support your local from the safety of self-isolation.
Opium in London is selling gift vouchers while drinkers are ordered to stay away
As the coronavirus outbreak continues, imbibers around the world have been encouraged to stay away from their favourite drinking dens, and venues in Europe, Asia and America have been forced to close their doors as cities go into lockdown.
Last night, drinkers in the UK were told that they should stay away from “pubs, clubs and social venues”, while French president Emmanuel Macron ordered “non-essential public spaces” in France to shut their doors. Bars and nightclubs in Spain were also forced to close as the country went into lockdown.
In Germany, bars, clubs, cinemas and sports facilities were ordered to close to help mitigate the spread of the virus and US cities including Washington, New York and Los Angeles have closed all bars and nightclubs.
The current climate has made it incredibly hard for bars and businesses, especially those in countries where they have not yet been ordered to close by officials.
As a result, pubs, bars and restaurants around the world have turned to alternative revenue streams to boost cash flow and avoid staff cuts. Here, we round up five ways you can continue supporting your favourite on-trade venues while self isolating.
Click through the following pages to find out how to support the on-trade while in lockdown.
Can you think of more ways to support the on-trade? Let us know in the comments section.
Order takeaway
Just because you’re stuck indoors for the foreseeable, doesn’t mean you have to put up with homemade attempts at questionable cooking and mediocre mixology.
Bars and restaurants in affected areas have turned to home delivery to bring their offering direct to consumers. In London, Top Cuvée is offering its Survival Pack of drinks for home delivery and agave specialist Hacha will be delivering bottles of its perfectly clear Mirror Margarita to drinkers across the capital. Both are available to order direct from each bar’s website.
Other venues across the UK are also looking to offer home delivery services, with Sheffield’s Gatsby planning to launch Gatsby on the Go, which will “endeavour to provide Sheffield with all its booze and pizza needs no matter what happens”.
Treat yourself
If, on the other hand, you’d rather begin preparations for when normality resumes, gift vouchers could be the way to go.
In New York, award-winning Irish bar The Dead Rabbit offers gift certificates from US$50 all the way up to US$200, which can be purchased now and cashed in once the pandemic passes.
For drinkers in Australia, venues including Melbourne’s Eau de Vie are also offering a range of vouchers.
At London’s Lyaness and Opium, gift certificates are available to purchase from £25 (US$30) to spend on drinks or on the two bars’ experiences, which include afternoon tea at Lyaness or cocktail making masterclasses at Opium.
Buy a beanie
The latest merchandise from your favourite bar is hot property these days, with everything from branded beanies and snapbacks, to engraved shakers and spoons flying off shelves.
New York’s Death & Co has kept its online store running throughout the shutdown, with t-shirts, coffee cups, hats and other accessories all available to purchase.
Fellow Manhattan drinking den The Dead Rabbit also has a store stocked with everything from cocktail books and menus, to branded tops and its own Irish whiskey.
Mix it at home
According to Chris Lowder, general manager for China at Proof & Company, at-home mixer kits proved popular in China during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lowder explained that “beautifully packaged and photographed offerings” helped “bring the bar or restaurant experience into customer’s homes”. Kits available through some of China’s best-loved drinking dens were packed with pre-bottled cocktails, as well as vacuum-packed ice, vacuum-packed garnishes, cocktail description cards and bottles of mixers.
He said: “Always, there should be some personal touches from the bar, including a photo of the bar team that the customer is supporting, and maybe a hand-written note. We have also seen bars sending along a little bag of bar snacks to complete the experience.”