Uber Bar Tools

The job of a bartender is multi-faceted these days, creator of crafted drinks, purveyor of memorable experiences, best friend, lawyer and so on. But at the base of every bartender’s job is the need to produce efficient, speedy and consistent drinks, with minimal wastage and maximum profit—despite what feels like 1 a.m. when your friends turn up at the bar.

Anyone in operations knows the importance of kitting out the bar for maximizing profitability, and as Robert Plotkin, writer, presenter and bar consultant says, “Product consistency is crucial to profitability behind the bar as it is in a professional kitchen. The drinks you serve should taste the same regardless of who’s behind the bar, otherwise your staff may be serving a product that is different in taste, cost and presentation. The result? Financial chaos.”

One company dedicated to producing quality bar tools, helping bars around the world to maximize profits from spirits, is Über Bar Tools. Its founder and CEO, Michael Silvers, well known to many in the cocktail circuit for his passion and enthusiasm, says: “Tools that facilitate bartender excellence ultimately deliver value and confidence to the guest in terms of their drinking experience; this builds a venue’s reputation and importantly, profitability.”

As much as they are revered for their modern, ergonomic designs, Über Bar Tools is passionate about the fundamentals. Every innocent overpour, spill, drop, leak, and heavy-handed overserve quickly adds up. Michael tells me that he has carried out a range of research around the world, and I’m amazed to learn that the average "loss" of spirit as a result of overpour or leakage from generic pourers ranges from .12-.33 oz. per drink. This may not sound like a lot, but if you are selling 30 bottles of spirit each week, over a year, that works out to about US$10-20,000 (working from US$1 per nip, cost price) that could be saved simply from reducing overpour—enough savings for a dream holiday!

This understanding led to the introduction of a range of innovative products and pour solutions, including Über Bar Tool’s proprietary pourers and jiggers. These products are designed to reduce wastage and improve efficiency and quality of serve. The pourers, with their durability, 4-second count and flow control, are the choice of some of the best bars and bartenders around the world. Michael tells me that the Projig’s unique triangular shape means that the 1-2ml of spirit meniscus, that normally forms on generic round jiggers, is entirely eliminated, and the pour edges are proven to reduce spillage when working fast or with shaking hands, all elements crucial to improving quality and consistency, as well as reducing overpour and wastage.

A quality and consistent serve is inextricably linked to the ability to upsell into more premium categories, something Guinness recognized in the Beer category, investing millions over the years in programs that provide bars with both training and the best dispensing equipment and tools to ensure a great serve every time. Pete Kendall, one of Asia’s leading bartenders and manager at Sugar in Hong Kong S.A.R. China adds, “Having good quality tools is one part of the bigger mix, but importantly the better the quality of tools, the more confidence staff have in them, and the more drinks we can produce per hour. This has a definite impact on profitability.”

Interestingly, a recent survey of 200 top bartenders found that although 98% are looking for superior quality in their bar tools, over a quarter still consider bar tools a disposable product to be replaced continuously. Seems to me that despite the availability in superior bar tools, many bars are unnecessarily leaking money, literally drop by drop!