Does every American bar need to have a cocktail menu? Absolutely not. However, being upfront with a guest as to what they can expect from your bar is important. If you are a beer and shot kind of spot, maybe your menu is just a list of beers and straight spirits with prices. If you are a neighborhood spot with a rotating cast of part-time bartenders, you keep a short list of things that everyone knows how to make. Giving a guest something to order from makes them more comfortable—it gives them a map. No one likes to feel lost, just give ’em a map!

—Kevin Denton (from Atchison), senior advocacy manager, Pernod-Ricard (Manhattan, NY)

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