All over America, summer revolves around great weather, captivating entertainment, and of course, delicious food and beverage. Name the food, you can likely find it at an amusement park, state fair, or music festival: deep-fried Twinkies, beer-battered bacon-wrapped brats, ice cold beer.

The modern rebirth of the speakeasy can be traced back to the 1990s, but it took the craft cocktail renaissance the last 15 years to really cement it into our everyday bar vernacular.

It’s been a long day, and your customers are heading into your bar for a nice cold beer. But when the bartender pulls the pint, what's supposed to be a refreshing beverage pours as a glass filled with foam. The reason is because the beer line is running too warm, and the negative effects are numerous.

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” – Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin may not have been talking about cocktails when he came up with that proverbial saying, but nowhere does it ring more truly today than behind the bar. Every second is key for bartenders, and proper organization and bar setup saves them time for when they’ll need it most.

The craft cocktail movement has led to more complex cocktail recipes, and consequently, warranted the need for bar setups to become more elaborate. That’s why the concept of mise en place has moved from the kitchen to the bar. From an Old Fashioned to Ben Franklin’s Milk Punch, organization can make all the difference behind the bar.

From speed rails to beer towers, keeping a bar productive and efficient will keep the profits pouring. Installers of bar equipment need that same efficiency when installing equipment like ice chests, sinks, and faucets. Nothing can derail a bar or foodservice operation like downtime needed to install new underbar equipment. It negatively affects both the installer's and the bar operator's time. And in the bar industry, time is money.

At Perlick, we’re all about bar and beverage innovation. We’ve been that way for 100 years. And now, the latest bar equipment design can be found directly in front of bartenders. The improved Perlick speed rail and lock cover design is the solution to lingering problems for bartenders and bar operators alike.

Many holidays have an iconic character associated with them. Christmas has Santa Claus. Valentine’s Day has Cupid. Cinco de Mayo has the bartender. Much like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo is both a cultural celebration and sales enhancer for bars and restaurants. We know what we do on Cinco de Mayo, but why exactly are we celebrating?

Ever walk into a bar or restaurant, glance upon the massive beer tap list covering hundreds of ales and lagers, and after an hour of studying, decide on that same Irish Stout you always order? There’s an inexact science to curating a beer menu that not only meets the demands of your customers, but maximizes the profitability of your bar. But can there be such a thing as too many beer taps in your bar?

When you think of the Kentucky Derby, what comes to mind? Fancy hats? Singing “My Old Kentucky Home?” The Call to the Post? Or how about an ice cold mint julep? Hopefully the latter. No cocktail is so closely attached to a sporting event like the mint julep and the Kentucky Derby.

If you were in Washington D.C. for the annual Craft Brewers Conference, you probably left encouraged by the enthusiasm, innovation, and dedicated talent we have in the beer industry. This was certainly made evident in the Craft Brewers Conference 2017 State of the Industry Address.