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Increase Bar Revenue with your Beer and Wine License

(This information is only for California Liquor Licenses only – check your specific city Alcohol and Beverage Control websites.)

If you do not have a full alcohol license you always question, “What exactly can I serve alcohol wise?” If you chose to make cocktails using wine, sparkling wine, beer, sake or Soju (a distilled alcoholic beverage made from grains and botanicals with less than 20% alcohol) what else can you use in the mixes?

If you check out the California Alcohol and Beverage Control website (PDF) on licenses, there is not much else you can do. Of course finding out exactly what you serve with a beer and wine license is harder than cracking the DNA code especially when you are opening a restaurant and time is at a premium (as in you don’t have time.)

But if you use your imagination you can come up with some fun cocktails you can make with beer, wine and other “approved beverages.” With the help of your beverage distributor who will not sell you alcohol beverages not approved for your license, you can easily find out exactly what you can and can not sell (this is the easy way) or I found a website, Premium Blends, which only sells products approved for use in restaurants that have beer and wine licenses.

Once again, with a great bartender, a cocktail recipe book and the internet, you can come up with a lot of great cocktails to help improve sales at your restaurant.

Sample Recipe
Strawberry Mimosa
3 ½ oz. orange juice
3-4 large fresh strawberries
3 ½ oz brut champagne

Mix orange juice and strawberries with a little shaved ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into a chilled wine goblet and add cold champagne. Stir gentle so as not to lose the bubbles. –The New American Bartender's Guide

Other Information
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
California Liquor License Description

Please verify this information with The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control before making any decisions, remember this Blog relates to my specific information, your needs might be different.

By Abi Egbeyemi, Your Restaurant Business.com