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Cocktail Menu Layout Spec for Bars and Restaurants: Section Order, Price Alignment Without Dollar Signs, Type Sizes for Low Light, Paper Stock, and Print Proof Checklist

Turn a bar's drink list into a layout spec a designer and printer can follow: section order and hierarchy, how to set names, ingredients, and prices, minimum type sizes for dim rooms, page size and stock, allergen and ABV notes, and a proof checklist before print.

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October 9, 2026

Prompt

Act as a hospitality menu designer who lays out cocktail and wine menus for bars and restaurants, sets type for reading by candlelight, and writes specs that a printer and the bar manager can sign off on.

Inputs:
- Venue concept, room lighting, and how guests receive the menu (table card, clipboard, bar top, QR backup): [VenueAndLighting]
- The full drink list with names, ingredients, glass, and price, grouped as the bar manager wants: [DrinkList]
- Brand assets: typefaces you own licenses for, colors, logo usage: [BrandAssets]
- Page size, page count, and binding or holder limits: [FormatLimits]
- Required notes: allergens, alcohol free options, local rules on price display or service charges: [RequiredNotes]
- How often the list changes and who updates the file: [UpdateCadence]
- Output format: [Format]

Generate:
1. A section order and hierarchy from DrinkList with the reasoning (for example signatures first, classics second, zero proof given equal weight, not a footnote).
2. An entry style: drink name, ingredient line, and price placement, with whether to drop dollar signs and how to align prices so guests read the drink before the price.
3. A type spec from BrandAssets: typeface, size in points, leading, and weight for section heads, drink names, ingredient lines, and notes, with a minimum ingredient line size suited to VenueAndLighting.
4. A grid and spacing plan for FormatLimits: margins, columns, gutter, and how many entries fit per page without crowding.
5. Color and contrast rules for low light, including a minimum contrast and a warning about thin weights and metallic inks.
6. A paper and finish recommendation for the holder in FormatLimits, with spill and reprint cost in mind.
7. RequiredNotes placement: allergen key, alcohol free marker, service charge line, and any price display rule.
8. An update workflow from UpdateCadence: template file setup, locked styles, and a print proof checklist (spelling of spirits and producers, prices, bleed, crop marks, color proof).

Constraints:
- Use only drinks and prices given in DrinkList; never invent producers or ABV figures.
- Only use typefaces listed in BrandAssets.
- Practical designer tone. No em dashes.

Instructions

Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Generated Output

This image was generated using the prompt above.

Cocktail Menu Layout Spec for Bars and Restaurants: Section Order, Price Alignment Without Dollar Signs, Type Sizes for Low Light, Paper Stock, and Print Proof Checklist - Result

Examples

Example Input

VenueAndLighting: 40 seat cocktail bar, very dim with candles and amber pendants; menus handed out on walnut clipboards; QR code backup on table tent
DrinkList: Signatures: Fig and Smoke (mezcal, fig, lemon, egg white, coupe, 16); Garden Gimlet (gin, cucumber, lime cordial, dill, rocks, 15); Night Market (rum, pandan, coconut, lime, highball, 15). Classics: Old Fashioned (14), Negroni (14), Daiquiri (13). Zero proof: Ginger Shrub Fizz (ginger, apple cider vinegar shrub, soda, 9); Smoked Tea Sour (lapsang tea, lemon, aquafaba, 9)
BrandAssets: licensed Freight Big Pro for display, Source Serif 4 for text; cream #F4EDE1 and ink #1E1B18; logo mark only on top
FormatLimits: single sheet, 8.5 x 11 in, on clipboard, printed in house on a laser printer weekly
RequiredNotes: allergen key for egg and nuts; mark zero proof; "a 3% kitchen appreciation charge is added" must appear; prices without currency symbol allowed
UpdateCadence: signatures change every 6 weeks; bar manager edits the file in Canva or InDesign
Format: section order, entry style, type spec, grid, contrast, paper, notes, workflow and proof

Example Output

1) SECTION ORDER
1. Signatures (top third; the bar's identity and best margin)
2. Zero Proof (second, same type size as Signatures so guests who do not drink see real options)
3. Classics (bottom, short list; guests know these drinks)
Logo mark centered at top; no section for prices or notes beyond the footer.

2) ENTRY STYLE
FIG AND SMOKE                         16
mezcal, fig, lemon, egg white (E)
- Name in caps, ingredient line below in lowercase.
- Drop dollar signs; set price in the same text face, right aligned to a fixed tab, not joined by dot leaders.
- Glassware not printed; bar staff know it.

3) TYPE SPEC
| Element | Face | Size / leading | Weight |
| Section heads | Freight Big Pro | 22 / 26 pt, letterspaced +60 | Medium |
| Drink names | Freight Big Pro | 15 / 18 pt | Medium |
| Ingredient lines | Source Serif 4 | 11 / 15 pt minimum for this light level | Regular, never Light |
| Prices | Source Serif 4 | 13 pt | Semibold |
| Footer notes | Source Serif 4 | 9 / 12 pt | Regular |

4) GRID AND SPACING
- Page 8.5 x 11 in, margins 0.75 in sides, 1 in top for clipboard clip, 0.6 in bottom
- Single column, 7 in wide; price tab at 7 in
- Space between entries 14 pt; 28 pt above section heads
- Fits 8 drinks with room to grow to 10 without shrinking type

5) COLOR AND CONTRAST
- Ink #1E1B18 on cream #F4EDE1 gives strong contrast; keep all text in ink.
- No gray ingredient lines and no gold or metallic ink; both disappear under amber light.
- Test under the bar's actual pendant at seat height before approving.

6) PAPER AND FINISH
- 80 lb text, matte, uncoated feel; laser safe.
- Weekly reprints make lamination wasteful; keep a stack of 60 and replace stained sheets nightly.

7) REQUIRED NOTES (footer, centered)
- (E) contains egg; (N) contains nuts [no current drink uses nuts; keep the key in the template]
- Zero proof drinks marked with a small circle symbol next to the section head
- "A 3% kitchen appreciation charge is added to all checks."

8) UPDATE WORKFLOW AND PROOF
- Template with locked paragraph styles for each element; bar manager edits text only.
- Signatures block sized for 3 to 4 drinks so a seasonal change does not reflow the page.
Proof checklist
- [ ] Spirit and ingredient spellings (mezcal, pandan, lapsang)
- [ ] Prices match the POS
- [ ] Allergen markers on every egg or nut drink
- [ ] Charge line present
- [ ] Printed test sheet read at a candlelit table

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