A cocktail list is made of invented names. That is the whole point of a house creation, and it is also what stops people ordering it. Faced with “Secret Garden” or “White Smoke”, the guest does not know what will arrive, the colour, the strength, the glass, whether it is sweet or bitter. So they order a spritz.
The eye counts even more than it does with food. A cocktail is chosen for its colour, its ice, its glass, its garnish, and a photo carries almost everything needed to decide.
And a bar menu never stops moving. A spirit runs out, a seasonal fruit comes to an end, a new creation arrives, and on a printed menu each change is paid for with a reprint or a line crossed out in pen. In the evening, when the terrace is full, the next round also has to wait for someone to come between the tables.