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Bartenders: ‘the bridge between brand and consumer’

When it comes to the success of a spirit, brands are finding that the key lies in the backing of bartenders, making them the real tastemakers of the drinks industry.

OurWhisky female bartender on-trade
Around 82% of consumers say they trust staff at restaurants to make good alcohol recommendations

There are some spirits brands that don’t have to work hard to gain the interest of consumers. Some find success on account of their striking bottle design, while some are boosted by a clever marketing campaign. In some cases, it is simply reputation alone that drives bottle sales but, for most brands, especially those new to market, the way to generate sales is by getting liquid on the lips of consumers – and that route is often made easier with the help of a bartender.

“More than 80% of consumers learn about new brands at bars and restaurants, trusting staff recommendations,” says San Francisco-based bartender and former Woodford Reserve brand ambassador Adam ‘Boots’ Brogan, citing research by the National Restaurant Association. “That’s why bartenders are crucial – they’ve earned their customers’ trust.”

Brogan explains that in his role as a brand ambassador, he was taught about two key concepts: physical availability and mental availability. “Physical availability ensures your bottle is present and prominent on a shelf or back bar. Mental availability is about staying top of mind for bartenders and consumers alike. Liquor companies spend big on physical availability, but it’s bartenders and ambassadors who drive mental availability – the difference between brand identity and brand loyalty.

“Brands can’t just rely on visibility; they need bartenders to make their products mentally available. It’s about being the first choice a bartender reaches for or recommends.”

‘Influencing the influencer’

Brogan explains that the role of the brand ambassador is to act as a “cultural translator” and “be the voice of the bar community within our companies, ensuring that decisions align with the realities of the industry.” He explains that it is no coincidence that many brand ambassadors are former bartenders. “This role requires people who understand the culture, speak the language, and can authentically bridge the gap between brands and the industry. It’s about more than selling spirits; it’s about building relationships and fostering loyalty – both to the brand and within the community.

Part of a bar’s responsibility is keeping staff and guests safe
The brand ambassador’s job is to “influence the influencer” into recommending a product to consumers

“As a brand ambassador, my job is to influence the influencer. Bartenders have a unique culture and language, and it’s critical to speak to them on their terms. That’s why most brand ambassadors are former bartenders. We’ve been in their shoes, understand the bar culture, and know the right moments to engage – like avoiding a busy happy hour to pitch a new product.”

Brogan adds that if ‘liquid to lips’ is the best way to win over consumers, bartenders are the ones making it happen. “Bartenders are the bridge between the brand and the consumer. They’re the frontline brand ambassadors and sales reps rolled into one,” he says, “However, liquid to lips only helps build brand identity – people can recognise the brand/bottle/label. What bartenders do is build brand loyalty,” he clarifies, stating that this is what drives people to drink Coca-Cola over Pepsi, or wear Nike over Adidas. “Without their advocacy, your product is just another bottle on a crowded shelf.”

With bartenders being one of the gatekeepers to a brand’s success, producers need to take the right approach when presenting their brand to those who will be serving it to consumers. In order to generate advocacy, Brogan suggests that authenticity is key.

“Bartenders look for authenticity. They’re not just selling a product; they’re selling a story. Brands need to show that they respect the craft, have a quality product, and have a unique differentiation from their competitors. It’s not just about what’s in the bottle but also the value the brand holds in the minds of the experts: bartenders.”

Guidance for brand building

Once a brand has the advocacy of a bartender, many might find that the benefits stretch far beyond rising sales figures.

When non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ brand The Pathfinder debuted in the US, UK country manager Rishi Ravalia found the brand hugely benefitted from the valuable feedback it received from bartenders as to how best to attract consumers to the liquid. “[The Pathfinder] is definitely a bartender brand,” he says. “Our experience in the US was that once bartenders understand the brand, and then understand the liquid, they run away with it.”

Allora Spritz bottle and glass
Allora has found that bartenders have utilised the spirit beyond its signature serve

This, he says, provided The Pathfinder team with a demonstration of the product’s versatility while also giving them insights into regional differences in non-alcoholic drink acceptance, helping them tailor their market strategy accordingly.

“I think the more bartenders and the more bars that we can work with, the better chance consumers have of trying this,” Ravalia explains, noting that bartenders who have tried the product have become advocates, ordering multiple bottles per week.

Similarly, British aperitivo brand Allora has also received interesting insights from bartenders on how its lemon-based spirit has been received in the on-trade. “Since we launched in spring [2024], we’ve been on a bit of a journey, I suppose,” says co-founder Dom Dalton.

We were focusing very heavily on the Spritz – and we still are – but what’s been really exciting is, unlike Aperol, for example, bartenders and restaurant owners and even chefs have been encouraged to use Allora in lots of different cocktails.” This has enabled the brand to put together a portfolio of recommended serves – some original and some twists of classics, such as the Allora Limone Negroni, which substitutes vermouth for Allora – subsequently paving a path for it to reach more consumers in different guises.

Dalton explains that the team has organised dedicated training sessions and masterclasses to help educate bartenders on the unique production process of Allora, as well as its ingredients and flavour profile. This deeper dive allows bartenders to better understand the product, therefore enabling them to present it to consumers in the best way possible. “We’ve visited most of the pubs and bars we’re listed in, so we’ve visited hundreds – if not potentially more than 1,000 – pubs and bars in the past six months, and spoken to the staff. In my opinion, that’s still the best way to build a new brand.”

Driving categories to consumers

However, it is not just brands that find success lies in the hands of bartenders. In some cases, entire categories can be made or broken by the bartending community’s willingness to champion them.

on-trade back bar
“Without their advocacy, your product is just another bottle on a crowded shelf.”

Brian Rosen, founder of private equity firm InvestBev, says he believes one of the reasons the gin category has not taken off in the US as much as it has in the UK is down to the category’s reliance on mixology programmes.

“Gin generally is part of a mixology programme. If you’re not drinking a gin and tonic, it becomes a cocktail, right? Then you’ve got to rely on the bartender for recommendations.”

Rosen argues that gin comes with a level of education required to engage and hook a consumer into the category, which is something that “no one’s got the time to perform”. As such, “the American consumer has not bit off on it. The bartender’s got to educate the consumer. The wait staff has got to educate the table. It’s easier to say, ‘give me a Scotch, neat’ than it is to say, ‘I’ll have a cumin-infused Monkey 47 with a hint of whatever’.”

However, the tides may be turning for the category, as InvestBev has recently put money behind Emma and Alex Watson’s sustainable gin brand, Renais, in a bid to help it grow in the US.

With Rosen’s warning in mind, the brand says it plans to prioritise venues that can effectively tell the brand’s story over sheer volume. “I would always rather see Renais in places where the brand has the patience and understanding to tell its story,” Alex Watson told Forbes.

Meanwhile, the world whisky category has seen a boost in consumer interest on account of bartenders’ willingness to champion brands from within this emerging category.

Charlie Steel, whisky portfolio director for investment firm Distill Ventures, says that while he doesn’t think the on-trade is the place a brand should be built first, he believes it is “critical in terms of credibility and getting people willing to try something and experience something new.”

He notes that in the bar trade, specifically in London, cocktail lists and bartender recommendations are “completely different to how they were 10 years ago, and I think that is really indicative of the strength of the movement that’s happening under the umbrella of new world whiskies,” he says, explaining that now, he would expect many bartenders, when asked for a whisky recommendation, to push a “really interesting or unique” whisky from the new world category. He therefore says that for Distill Ventures, it is “still absolutely fundamental” for its new world whiskies to feature in the on-trade so that they can be presented to consumers by bartenders who have an understanding of the category, in a bid to help it grow.

Brogan concludes that “at the end of the day, bartenders are the heartbeat of the spirits industry. They’re not just mixing drinks; they’re shaping consumer preferences, one pour at a time. Brands that recognise and respect their influence will always have the edge in this business.”

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