On-Premise Playbook for setting your brand up for summer.
- Drinks Provisionist
- Sep 1
- 2 min read
The clock is ticking. As winter winds down, venues across Australia are already sketching their spring cocktail menus, refreshing their wine-by-the-glass rotations, and negotiating those precious tap partnerships. By the time the first 30°C day arrives, the most influential menus in the country will already be locked. The question is: will your brand be in the mix?
Over the past few months, we’ve tracked how European bars and restaurants have been bringing drinks to life, from theatrical table-side serves to luxury branded pop-ups that turn a cocktail into an Instagram moment. The lesson? Seasonal planning isn’t about just filling a drinks list; it’s about securing relevance when consumers are most socially active.
Here are a few thought-starters for on-premise planning:
The Menu as Media
A cocktail list isn’t just a list, it’s paid media. How are you ensuring your brand shows up where consumers are already making decisions? Beyond just recipes. Think about how your serve looks, sounds and feels on a menu. Can your drink command attention, or is it getting lost in a sea of spritzes and sours?
Hospitality Theatre
The on-premise is no longer about liquid in glass. From flame-torched garnishes to unexpected vessels, the serves is the story. European venues this summer leaned heavily into table-side preparation and photogenic presentation. How could your brand create a distinctive, memorable serve moment that aligns with your positioning?
Occasion Mapping
Spring Racing, long weekends, and the first post-work rooftop sessions are not just consumer rituals, they’re triggers for trial. Is your brand building the right on-premise occasions into its strategy, or are you relying on hope that consumers will find you by chance?
Staff as Storytellers
The bartender recommendation remains one of the most powerful tools in drinks marketing. Are you equipping front-line staff with the tools to advocate for your brand?
Australian consumers are about to enter the most socially charged period of the year. Brands that act now will shape how (and where) they’re discovered. The question isn’t whether your competitors are planning, it’s where you’re already behind?
If you’re looking for inspiration or support in shaping on-premise activations for summer, now is the time to start the conversation. Drinks Provisionst specialises in turning these thought-starters into on-premise activations that cut through. Don’t wait until until activations calendars are locked and opportunities are gone, brief us today and let’s secure your place at the table.
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