Cocktail bar marketing ideas that fill the quiet nights

The cocktail bar marketing ideas that fill quiet nights give people a specific reason to come out midweek: a short Tuesday menu, a guest bartender, a masterclass, a simple early-evening list for the after-work crowd. Promote each one a few days ahead with your bartenders front and centre, and keep every offer within the licensing rules for your part of the UK.

#Midweek cocktail bar marketing ideas that give people a reason to come out

The trick with a dead Tuesday is giving people something they'd miss if they stayed in, and in my view that's usually something new, small or only on that night.

#Three new drinks, three nights only

Put your next menu's shortlist on from Tuesday to Thursday and let guests pick which drink makes the cut. You get honest feedback and a week of posts out of it (one per drink, then the result), and guests get a reason to come in on a Tuesday.

#Guest shifts

Swap a bartender with another bar for a night, or invite one in to run the menu on a Wednesday. Both venues post about it, so you get in front of their followers as well as yours. Agree the drinks, the hours and who's posting what a fortnight out.

#Masterclasses

Small, ticketed and early: six to ten people at 6.30pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday, two drinks each, some snacks, done by 8. They're my favourite midweek idea, because friends book together and anyone who enjoyed it has a reason to bring someone back on a busier night. Post the date with a clear price and how many places are left, and let the photos from the last one do the selling.

#A night for the trade

People who work in hospitality are often off midweek, so hold a section for them and keep the kitchen open a bit later. Make the welcome the draw, and check your local rules before attaching a discount to it (Scotland especially).

#Music that isn't the weekend DJ

A jazz trio on Wednesdays, or a vinyl night where regulars bring a record. Film thirty seconds of it each week and post it the next morning with the date of the next one.

#How do you fill the early evening?

Make the hours between 5 and 7 their own thing. The after-work crowd and pre-theatre couples want something quick and easy to say yes to, so give them a short list built for that window: lighter drinks, a couple of low and no options, something to eat with your hands, and a booth they can book.

A few things I'd do:

• Post at around 3 or 4pm on the day. My guess is that's when people are deciding whether to go straight home.
• Photograph the room in the early evening light before it fills, but shoot tight on a table or the bar top so an empty room doesn't look empty.
• Name the window plainly ("the 6 o'clock list", "early booths from 5"), so people know it's a regular thing they can plan around.
• Mention when the kitchen opens and whether you take bookings, every time.

Happy hours aren't banned outright in England and Wales, but in Scotland the pricing rules effectively rule them out (details below).

#How can your menu do the marketing?

Treat every menu change as a month of content. Each drink gets its own post with its name, what's in it, the price and the story (the local producer who makes the vermouth, say, or why it's served in that ridiculous glass). Then a carousel of the full list, and later a "most ordered" post once you know.

Give the low and no section the same care as the rest. A properly made zero-proof drink with its own name and photo says a lot about a bar, and it's handy in January. There's a whole post on Dry January marketing for pubs and bars if you want to plan for it.

Watch the copy, though. The ASA's CAP Code says alcohol marketing mustn't suggest a drink should be preferred because of its strength or intoxicating effect, and mustn't imply alcohol can overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems (CAP Code section 18). So "our strongest drink yet" and "the cure for the Monday blues" are out, while "rum, lime and burnt honey" is fine. Factual strength information is allowed.

For a whole new list, follow the menu launch plan.

#Put your bartenders in front of the camera

In my book, people come back to a bar for the people behind it. Introduce your team by name, let them talk about the drink they're proudest of, and film the build, from the stir to the express of the peel. Instagram said in 2023 that its most important predictions for Reels include how likely someone is to reshare a reel and watch it all the way through (Instagram ranking explained), and a good build is short and satisfying to watch.

Two CAP Code rules catch bars out (CAP Code section 18):

• People shown drinking, or playing a significant role, in alcohol marketing must neither be nor seem to be under 25 (rule 18.16). If one of your best bartenders is 22, feature them on posts that aren't about the drinks, or have someone older front the cocktail videos.
• Marketing should only feature alcohol being drunk by someone in their working environment in exceptional circumstances (rule 18.13). The staff "cheers" behind the bar at close is one for the group chat.

Ask before you post anyone, staff included, and agree what happens to their posts if they leave.

#Which events work best for cocktail bars?

Pick events small enough to sell out. Masterclasses, guest shifts, launch nights and distillery tastings all work because they come with a date and a limited number of places, which gives every post a reason to book now.

For a ticketed event I'd announce it two to three weeks out, post a reminder the week of, and post on the day with how many places are left. Create a Facebook event as well (our guide to Facebook marketing for pubs covers that), and see how to promote pub events for more on the build-up.

Two things to know before you post everywhere:

• Google's help page on Business Profile posts says businesses in regulated industries, alcohol included, can use posts but shouldn't include content about the products (Google). So keep your Google post about the event itself (date, time, what happens, how to book) and leave the drinks for Instagram.
• If a drinks brand is co-hosting, the Portman Group's naming, packaging and promotion code can apply. It covers producers, and it reaches co-promotions that have the producer's approval or support (Portman Group code). The brand should know the code; ask them to check the plans.

Venuesmith can write and schedule the build-up posts from one line ("Masterclass Wednesday 7pm, £35, eight places"), and you can add phrases you never want in a caption to your brand's banned words.

#What are the UK rules on drinks promotions?

They depend on where you are: England and Wales share one set, Scotland's is stricter, and Northern Ireland has its own. The ASA's CAP Code then applies to what you post, wherever you are. This is general information, not legal advice, so check anything unusual with your licensing authority or a licensing solicitor.

#England and Wales

The mandatory licensing conditions ban irresponsible promotions (legislation.gov.uk). In plain terms that covers:

• drinking games, or anything that encourages people to drink a set amount within a time limit, or as much as possible
• unlimited or unspecified quantities of alcohol, free or for a fixed or discounted fee, where that carries a significant risk of undermining a licensing objective
• free or discounted alcohol, or other prizes, as a reward for drinking within 24 hours, again where there's a significant risk
• posters or flyers near the premises that glamorise anti-social behaviour or speak favourably of drunkenness
• pouring drinks straight into someone's mouth (unless a disability means they need help)

You also can't sell alcohol below duty plus VAT (legislation.gov.uk), and you have to offer small measures (including 25ml or 35ml of gin, rum, vodka and whisky, and 125ml of wine) and show them on your menu or price list.

"Significant risk" is a judgement. The Home Office guidance lists factors such as how big the discount is, how long it lasts, whether it'll bring in a lot more customers, what kind of premises you run, and how previous promotions went. If you're in any doubt, it says to talk to your licensing authority or the police first. The same guidance notes that since 2014 the ban on unlimited drinks has applied to table meals too, which matters if you're thinking about a bottomless brunch.

#Scotland

The rules are tighter (Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, Schedule 3). A change to the price of alcohol for drinking on the premises can only take effect at the start of a period of licensed hours, and no further price change can come in for 72 hours after that. That's what rules out the classic happy hour.

The same schedule bans drinks promotions that:

• give a free or cheaper drink when someone buys one or more drinks (so no two for one)
• give free or cheaper extra measures (no free upgrade to a double)
• offer unlimited alcohol for a fixed charge, including entry charges
• encourage someone to buy a bigger measure than they'd intended
• are based on a drink's strength
• reward or encourage drinking quickly
• offer alcohol as a prize, unless it's in a sealed container and drunk off the premises
• relate to a drink likely to appeal largely to under-18s

#Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's licensing law is separate. Its 2012 regulations ban promotions that supply unlimited alcohol for a fixed charge (including an entry charge) on licensed premises.

#What you post: the CAP Code

The ASA's remit covers your own Facebook page and Instagram profile, as well as paid ads (ASA). Section 18 of the CAP Code says alcohol marketing must be socially responsible and mustn't encourage excessive drinking, and that a promotion mustn't imply, condone or encourage excessive consumption. It also rules out suggesting alcohol boosts confidence or popularity, portraying drinking as a challenge, and linking alcohol with seduction or sexual success. Don't advertise alcohol in any medium where more than 25% of the audience is under 18.