The Double Strainer Journal

Dead stock is money already spent on bottles that produce little or no return. The longer those products remain untouched, the more shelf space, counting time, and management attention they consume. The solution is not to panic-discount everything or hide unwanted spirits inside random cocktails. A bar needs a controlled recovery plan: identify what is genuinely slow, confirm what can still be sold, choose the right sales route, calculate the result, brief the team, and st

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a practical way to prevent food safety problems before they reach a guest. In a cocktail bar, “food” includes ice, garnishes, juices, syrups, dairy, eggs, and any house-made prep that is stored, portioned, or served.

Bar wastage is rarely one big disaster. It is the daily drip: a splash here, a remake there, a “just this once” comp, citrus that dies in the fridge, a bottle that empties faster than sales suggest. None of it looks dramatic in the moment. Put together, it quietly rewrites the margin.