INSPIRED: Drinks match the menu at Zaré at Fly Trap in San Francisco.

7. MAKE UP THEIR MIND

For a second, think of yourself as a customer. You're at a bar in a crowded restaurant waiting to be served. A person ahead of your finally gets the attention of the bartender and then doesn't know what to order. You want to choke that person, right? Okay, now put on your restaurateur hat and examine the opportunity here. A customer doesn't know what he or she wants, so you have an opportunity to sell a drink that will blow your customer away and make your cash register sing.

“Mixologists are not merely order takers,” says Schul. “They have the ability to read customers or, at the very least, ask the right questions quickly to find a drink they'll like.” And you can bet that mixologist won't make them a vodka and soda. It will be a sophisticated (expensive) drink that will surely be a win/win.

8. YOU ONLY NEED ONE QUARTERBACK

We understand that the title “mixologist” comes with the notion that you'll have to pay more for the expertise. And you will. But consider this: You only need one mixologist or consultant. You hire that person (company) with the understanding that he, she or it will develop an exciting (profitable) drink program for your restaurant and then train the rest of your bartending staff.

That's what you call a good return on your investment. If executed properly, your new beverage program could easily double or triple the profits of the mundane strategy you're now using. That's exactly how it worked for Hoss Zaré, the chef/owner of Zaré Fly Trap in San Francisco. He hired master mixologist/consultant Reza Esmaili to create a cocktail program that would blend with his Mediterranean/Persian menu. A drink called Minted Memory (pictured), for example, is a riff on a Persian soft drink. Reza also created a second list of historic Barbary Coast (San Francisco) cocktails. That list is now expertly executed by the trained staff, which has been inspired to create new cocktails for the list.

“Since Reza created that list for us, our beverage program has been a huge asset,” says Zaré. “Our customers are much more sophisticated than they were. They now ask about the fresh ingredients in the cocktails. They're excited about what we offer, and I'm excited because our profit margin is huge.”

9. STARS OF THE SHOW

The world of dining changed when exhibition kitchens emerged on the scene years ago. All of a sudden, chefs became stars on stage and dining became theater. But bartenders have always been on stage, though over the years there was little theater involved, unless you count flair bartending, which we'd rather not. Thankfully, today's mixologists have brought theater back to the bar. At Mercadito and Double A in Chicago, the owners have taken it to another level.

The custom-designed bar in Double A is literally center stage, with seating all around the bar. “It's definitely a show,” says Alfredo Sandoval, one of three brothers who own six Mercadito restaurants in Chicago, New York City and Miami. “Everything is hand shaken, and on busy nights you'll see up to five bartenders doing their thing. Customers love it.”

In places where there is no celebrity chef, a mixologist can easily be the star of the show who attracts customers and the press.

10. PROMOTION GENERATORS

You've got to keep your current customers interested, while trying to lure new customers. What better way to do that than through promotions? And there is no faster way to create a promotion than with a creative mixologist who can invent the right concoction for the occasion.

Consider, for example, Blackbird mixologist Kyle Fountaine, who recently created a love potion for Valentine's Day called Hot for Cupid. If you've got a creative mind behind the bar, there is no limit on how many promotion ideas can be generated to get customers excited. The person you've assigned marketing to on your staff should be so lucky and skillful.

In addition to simply creating a cocktail for a one-day promotion, consider seasonal promotions, says Casey. For Volterra, an Italian restaurant in Seattle, she used organic fresh cherries from a nearby farmers' market to create a Cherry-Basil Mojito. “Yeah, it was a mojito, but we used basil and fresh cherries and it sold like crazy,” she says.

The bottom line is this: you get what you pay for. A mixologist or a consultant you pay to upgrade your cocktail program is worth every penny you pay.

For more information about mixology and cocktail recipes, go to restaurant-hospitality.com.