Cocktail menu template
House cocktails first, then the classics, the stirred drinks, zero proof, and a punch for the table. This is a sample cocktail list set in Gaslamp’s Modern Asian design: numbered sections, bold names, and the price right beside each drink.
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The real menu, first two pages
The sample is cocktails only, in five numbered sections. Each drink lists its spirit first and its three or four other ingredients, the way a guest reads a cocktail.
Sample menu. Dishes and prices are examples. Want to see one on a phone? Scan a live sample menu.
- The filePDF, 21 KB
- Pages3, with a coverThe cover carries the name and a QR code to the live menu.
- PaperUS Letter, portrait
- To download and printfree
No signup, no email. It is a finished sample, so it carries sample dishes. Putting your own menu into it takes the free trial. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
What belongs on a cocktail menu
A cocktail list is read by people deciding on a spirit first and a flavor second. Put the spirit at the start of every description and group the list by what the drinks are like, not by price.
House cocktails
Your own drinks, six to eight, with the season’s changes. The note under the heading can say the list changes, which is honest and lets you edit freely.
- Garden gimlet15Gin, cucumber, basil, lime
- Smoke signal16Mezcal, Aperol, grapefruit
Classics
Five or six a guest already knows. They anchor the list and they are the drinks your newest bartender makes best.
- Negroni14
- Daiquiri13
Spirit-forward
The stirred drinks, grouped so the guest who wants something strong finds them in one place.
- Sazerac16
- Vieux carré17
Zero proof
Two to four, given the same care and the same kind of description. Price them as drinks, not as sodas.
- Cucumber tonic8
- NA spritz9
Large format
A punch for four, priced as one line with the serving size in the note under the heading.
- Garden party punch60Serves four
Example lines and prices show format only. They are not pricing advice.
How Modern Asian sets it
Modern Asian numbers each section 01, 02, 03 in a red block down the left, with the section name and its note under the number. The drinks run in a column to the right: a bold name, the price right after it, and the specs on the next line.
Because the price follows the name instead of sitting at the far edge, a cocktail list with short names reads quickly. It also means long names wrap sooner, so keep drink names to three or four words and put the rest in the specs.
The cover page carries the QR code. For a bar, the code usually goes on a card on the bar top and a tent on each table, so the list on the phone matches the list the bartender is pouring from.
Other drink documents: for a restaurant’s whole beverage list, the drink menu template; for wine alone, the wine list template; and for a bar’s drinks and food on one menu, the bar menu template.
Prices on a cocktail menu
Most cocktail lists price in a narrow band, with classics a dollar under the house drinks and stirred drinks a dollar over. Prices run from $1 to $9,999, which covers any single cocktail and a punch bowl for the table.
A drink offered with a premium spirit is a second line, not a second price on the same line. Name it for the spirit (“Martini, reserve gin”) so the guest sees the difference.
Set each price from the pour cost. Recipe cost divided by the price you charge is the pour cost percentage; the menu item price calculator does the arithmetic from the cost side.
Set it up in Gaslamp
- 1
Start from this cocktail list
Pick Modern Asian and start from this sample. Every section, line, and price is already in place, so you type your own over it instead of building a blank page.
- 2
Type your dishes over it
Replace each name, description, and price in the editor. Delete the lines you do not serve and add the ones you do. The layout reflows as you type.
- 3
Specs in the description
Put the spirit first and three or four ingredients after it in each description. Guests choose by spirit, and it keeps the list honest when a recipe changes.
- 4
Publish, then print
Publish the live menu behind one QR code that never changes, print the table tents once, and print the PDF whenever the paper copy needs to catch up.
Running it
6:40 p.m.
Out of the mezcal
The last bottle of the house mezcal emptied. Mark the Smoke Signal sold out on your phone and save; about thirty seconds later the QR list shows it struck through with “Sold out”.
Thursday
New house drink
The bar team finalized a fall drink. Add it to House Cocktails with its specs, switch off the one it replaces, and save. Nothing to lay out.
Cocktail menus, straight answers
- Is this cocktail menu template free?
- Yes. The Modern Asian PDF on this page is free to download and print, with no signup. It is a sample, so it carries sample dishes and prices. To put your own menu into the design, start the 14-day free trial, no card needed. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
- How many cocktails should be on a cocktail menu?
- Enough to cover a few spirits and styles and few enough that the bar can make each one fast. The sample has six house drinks, five classics, three stirred drinks, three zero proof, and two punches.
- Should cocktail descriptions list every ingredient?
- List the spirit first and the three or four ingredients that define the drink. Garnishes and bitters can stay off unless they change the taste.
- How do I take a drink off when we run out of a spirit?
- Mark the drink sold out on your phone and save. About thirty seconds later the list behind your QR code shows it struck through with “Sold out”, so guests see it is coming back. Tap it again when the bottle arrives.
- Can I list a cocktail with two spirit options?
- Yes. Give the drink two labeled prices, one per spirit (Gin 13 / Mezcal 15), on one line. Labels run up to 16 characters.
- How much does it cost?
- Start with a 30-day free trial, no credit card needed. Then it is $19 a month, or $190 a year (2 months free). No setup fee. Cancel anytime. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
If you run one
Every design takes every menu. Switch between them anytime and your dishes stay put.
For the day-to-day, menu software for cocktail bars covers what changes on menus like yours and how often. For what to serve and how to price it, read how to build a cocktail menu.
The free QR code menu generator makes a code for whatever menu you have now.
All menu templates
The mezcal ran dry at 6:40. The list on every phone can too.
No card needed · then $19/mo or $190/yr · cancel anytime