How to renew your menu: ideas for your bar in spring

Changing and renewing your bar menu a couple of times a year is a smart way to show that you are paying attention to the needs and tastes of your customers.

There’s no need to change your entire selection, it’s enough just to have something refreshing and colorful, also making the most of the seasonal fruits, for example with fruit smoothies or frappè.

Here are some suggestions for replacing those more wintery offers, like hot chocolate, with something a little more suitable for the start of the newly arrived warmer season.

What to prepare to renew your bar menu in spring 

As we have already mentioned in our advice on how to renew your menu in the fall, varying your menu selection is important for the image you transmit to the customer: you don’t need to make huge changes, you just need to be creative and have three or four “star items” for every season.

Another handy hint is to work hard on your communication: when spring comes and the winter selection on your menu makes way for other typically cooler offers, let your customers know about this by using social sites and pages and invite your clientele to choose these new recipes.  

Iced teas

Not everyone knows that drinking hot tea in summer has many benefits for our bodies, both during meals and in other moments during the day.

But this is a habit that very few people tend to adopt in Italy, because for almost everyone, the real must of the spring and summer seasons is iced tea.

From the more classic flavors – like  lemon, peach or mint, to other variations such as bergamot tea, almost everyone likes this drink and it is very versatile, because it’s perfect for during your morning breaks, but also in the afternoon, and every time you need cooling down. 

Cold brew

Cold brew coffee is a variety of coffee which is obtained by cold infusion.

To make this you will need a device called a Toddy, an instrument made up of a jug with water and ice on the upper level, and another glass jug on the lower level, where the coffee is collected.

The infusion process lasts 12 hours and the drink obtained is already cold and ready to be drunk. 

This type of coffee, among the leading trends of 2019, has a very different flavor from the classic espresso: among its other characteristics, it has a very low level of acidity, which makes it more digestible. 

Furthermore its flavor remains stable for longer and it is perfect for making other drinks, such as cold cappuccino for example.  

Ideas for renewing your bar menu: recipes for spring 

Summer cappuccino, cold chocolate and strawberry frappè are some of the recipes that you should include in your menu when spring comes knocking, in order to vary your selection as much as possible.  

Summer cappuccino  

Traditional Cappuccino remains one of the strongholds of the menu in every bar even during the summer months, but a cool version – a summer cappuccino which can also be enjoyed in moments other than at breakfast – could be that extra special touch, that little detail that means the customer will come back to your bar! Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 0.25 oz of coffee powder 
• 2.71 fl oz of no-fat fresh milk  
• 0.07 fl oz of  sugar syrup 
• 4-5 ice cubes 

Equipment 

• 5.07 fl oz serving glass 
• Blender 
• 5.07 fl oz milk jug 

Method

For the foamed milk:

1. Pour the milk into the milk jug.

2. Position the nozzle of the steaming arm of the espresso machine on the surface of the milk  (only the holes of the steaming arm should be immersed in the milk).

3. Switch on the steaming arm and bring the pressure up to maximum: only by using high pressure will you get the best consistency of foam. 

4. If you have got the positioning right, you should hear (just for the first few seconds of the  foaming phase) the sound of the steam being pumped into the milk.

After a few seconds the volume of the milk will increase and also the sound will decrease. 

5. Wait for the temperature to reach 131 °F, then switch off the steamer.

For summer cappuccino:

1. Put the 5.07 fl oz glass in the freezer. 
2. Prepare the espresso in the cup.
3. Put the ice-cubes, the sugar syrup, half of the fresh milk and the espresso into the blender jug and blend everything together for 5 seconds. 
4. Pour into the serving glass, add the foamed milk and serve. 

Cold chocolate 

Let’s be honest,  a spring or summer menu featuring one or more types of hot chocolate is not really ideal even for those who really love hot chocolate.

So why not offer your customers a cool version of this delight, instead?

Ingredients

• 0.88 oz hot chocolate powder 
• 2.82 oz of full fat fresh milk 

Equipment

• Cappuccino cup
• 16.91 fl oz milk jug 
• Spoon 

Preparation  

1. In the milk jug, warm the milk using the steaming arm.  
2. Add the hot chocolate powder. 
3. Carefully mix the powder with the milk, so as not to leave any lumps.  
4. Bring this mixture to the boil using the steaming arm. Then leave to cool and keep in the fridge. 
5. Serve the cold chocolate, garnishing with crumbled nuts.

Strawberry Frappè 

Strawberries are one of the most colorful and flavorsome fruits of springtime: use freshly picked strawberries to prepare delicious frappès, they will be a treat for the eyes and the palate.

Ingredients

• 7.05 oz of fresh strawberries  
• 5.29 oz of ice-cubes 
• 5.29 oz of full-fat fresh milk 
• 1.41 oz of fresh liquid cream 

Equipment

• 13.53 fl oz serving glass 
• Blender
• 17.64 oz siphon 

Preparation  

• Clean and wash the strawberries, leaving a couple of strawberries to one side for decorating. Cut them in half and put them in the blender with the ice and the milk.  
• Switch on the blender for about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents into the serving glass. 
• Whip up the cream using the siphon, and ease it carefully onto the surface of the frappè and decorate the glass with the remaining strawberries, cut them in half, before serving. 

Naturally, these are just a few ideas with which you can renew your bar menu during spring and in the run up to summer.

And you, which recipes will you be offering for the warmer seasons?