Are Cocktail Bars Content Creators Now?
“I think it’s time. To call a meeting,” the man mysteriously says into his phone.
Filmed in the style of a classic mafia movie, the opening scene, taking place at a so-called “undisclosed location,” features nine 50 Best-nominated bars — Sip & Guzzle, Katana Kitten, Employees Only, Overstory, Clemente Bar, Angel’s Share, Martiny’s, Double Chicken Please, and Superbueno — coming together to discuss combining their forces for a one-night-only pop-up event in Vancouver.
The Instagram reel, entitled “The Meeting” and written in the same iconic, marionette strings font as “The Godfather,” is funny and intentionally melodramatic, but it also has high-production value, is incredibly well edited, and has a compelling storyline, too.
When it first appeared on the social media platform this April, I thought it was a quirky little video, a fun little lark. But as more and more bars began to release their own short films over the next few months, I saw it was clearly becoming a trend.
Why are bars now producing such high-quality filmed content?
Hospitality Artistry
“Hosting a party with nine of New York City’s top bars was a perfect opportunity to bring everyone together and highlight how close-knit the city’s bar community has become,” says Andrea Grujic, the content creator behind the short film.
As both a twice-a-week bartender and social media manager for Sip & Guzzle, Grujic typically shoots at least one video a month for the West Village bar. In some ways, she created this job herself. A graduate of Hunter College with a B.A. in journalism and digital production, to make ends meet, she also began working in restaurants and bars.
“I discovered the artistic side of bartending, which inspired me to merge the two industries I love most — hospitality and media,” she says.
Soon she was both bartending and doing social media for bars like Sip & Guzzle, while simultaneously pursuing a master’s in media management at The New School. That two-year program helped her to grow into producing full-scale video shoots for both liquor brands and bars.
For “The Meeting,” Grujic claims Sip & Guzzle co-owners Steve Schneider and Ben Yabrow gave her complete creative control.
“While few bars are fully committing to releasing frequent, cinematic video content like the aforementioned, many are dipping their toes into the pool on occasion, producing what are essentially commercials for their bars.”
She co-wrote a script with Yabrow and shot it on a Sony A7IV camera stabilized by a Ronin gimbal, using the ambient light of the private dining room they used as the set. She employed lavalier mics for the speaking parts and a shotgun mic for ambient sound. The film was edited on Premiere Pro and the on-screen title cards were made using ChatGPT. There was no budget and she was a one-woman team, but she claims the hardest part was simply the logistics of gathering nine different bar teams together at the same time for the one hour she had to shoot.
“I think high-quality photos of drinks, food, and products are still essential for building brand identity,” says Grujic, who would go on to shoot and direct a sillier “Full House”-inspired film for the same pop-up event.
“The cinematic content we’ve been producing at Sip & Guzzle adds something deeper,” she says. “It creates room for narrative, emotional connection, and relatability beyond just consumption. These videos let people engage with a bar’s personality and culture, not just its menu. They also elevate how people perceive bartenders — as creatives and storytellers, not just service professionals.”
But how is this all translating to actually attracting customers? It’s hard to say.
“The Meeting” has garnered nearly 83,000 views, a huge number for the bar, but who knows how many of those viewers live anywhere close to New York? Even Grujic can’t be sure. Whatever the case, it surely hasn’t hurt in boosting Sip & Guzzle to ranking as the No. 39 best bar in the recent 50 Best list — something that undoubtedly helps attract business.
POV: You’re a Bar Making Content
Other bars seem to agree with Grujic.
In September, Swan Bar in San Diego made a comedic short film to promote a happy-hour Espresso Martini deal. In the Reel, a disco-loving man named Walker (portrayed by local artist Walker McCullough) dances to the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” while drinking a so-called Mega Martini — one served in a comically large glass. Everyone in the bar seems captivated by Walker. Only later do we realize it’s only been a dream as Walker is actually passed out at the bar.
The bar has produced other short films to promote deals and drinks. They might make one to show the problems of bartending in a cramped area (“POV: Space is tight behind the bar”) or working together during a rush.
And, while few bars are fully committing to releasing frequent, cinematic video content like the aforementioned, many are dipping their toes into the pool on occasion, producing what are essentially commercials for their bars, but with elevated production quality and creative vision.
There’s Double Chicken Please with its Citi Bike action film through the streets of New York to announce an F1-inspired racing cap and Glenfiddich collaboration on the heels of the Miami Grand Prix. The Connaught Bar made a death-defying, how-did-they-do-that? cocktail video to celebrate a collab with acrobat Jacob Grégoire. Viewers were elated.
“We’re building a world, not just a bar — a space where people can step into a vision, even if only for a moment.”
“The person behind this video needs a raise!” commented one user. “It was great to watch!”
Schmuck went more Wes Anderson for one of its recent videos. (Grujic has likewise gone Wes Anderson for a London takeover event.) ViceVersa leaned into its Italian heritage with a “Satyricon”-like video for a new menu launch. Owner Valentino Longo and GM Ryan Wainwright had initially bonded, not over cocktails, but a shared love of photography and storytelling.
“For us, video is a natural extension of how we express ideas, not just through drinks, but through atmosphere, rhythm, and imagery,” says Wainwright. “It’s a great tool to explain to guests what we’re about and what they can expect.”
They believe their most recent menu, called the Manifesto of Nonsense, embodies the idea of breaking from the conventional and finding meaning in the absurd, and celebrating the absurd. So does their video work.
“At ViceVersa, we’re building a world, not just a bar — a space where people can step into a vision, even if only for a moment,” adds Wainwright. “Without that outlet for creative expression, we’d both run out of inspiration fast.”
Bartending Storytelling
Of course, you know ideas are trending when content on the topic becomes meta.
Such is another recent video, courtesy Mírate in Los Angeles, that satirizes the concept of bars making these more cinematic videos. In it, bartender Maxwell Reis spoofs so many other videos where top bartenders make insanely over-produced, baroque cocktails: He slices a watermelon with incredible ASMR, he pours liquid nitrogen into a pan, he scribbles notes directly onto the prep table. If you’ve seen enough cocktail creation videos, the satire is spot on and hilarious.
It still doesn’t mean the trend is dying. If anything it’s picking up steam. Today’s bartenders are artists first and foremost, whether they apply that to what’s in the glass or on your iPhone screen. Like Grujic, many are realizing they can combine these passions.
“I’d still love to work in film and television, but I happened to find my voice in the bar world,” she says “And turned it into my own form of storytelling.”
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