FOOD SERVICE AND BEVERAGES

INTRODUCTION OF MENU CARD

Menus, as a list of prepared foods, have been discovered dating back to the Song Dynasty in China. In the larger populated cities of the time, merchants found a way to cater to busy customers who had little time or energy to prepare food during the evening. The variation in Chinese cuisine from different regions led caterers to create a list or menu for their patrons.

The word "menu," like much of the terminology of cuisine, is French in origin. It ultimately derives from Latin "minutus," something made small; in French it came to be applied to a detailed list or résumé of any kind. The original menus that offered consumers choices were prepared on a small chalkboard, in French a carte; so foods chosen from a bill of fare are described as "à la carte," "according to the board."

The contemporary menu first appeared in France during the second half of the eighteenth century, or The Romantic Age. Prior to this time eating establishments or table d'hôte served dishes that were chosen by the chef or proprietors. Customers ate what the house was serving that day, as in contemporary banquets or buffets and meals were served from a common table. The establishment of restaurants and restaurant menus allowed customers to choose from a list of unseen dishes, which were produced to order according to the customer's selection. A table d'hôte establishment charged its customers a fixed price; the menu allowed customers to spend as much or as little money as they chose.

TABLE D'HÔTE MENU CARD

Table d'hôte is a French loan phrase that literally means "the host's table". The term is used to denote a table set aside for residents of a guesthouse, who presumably sit at the same table as their host.

The meaning shifted to include any meal featuring a set menu at a fixed price. In the original sense, its use in English is attributed as early as 1617, while the later extended use, now more common, dates from the early nineteenth century. This meaning is not used in France.

À LA CARTE MENU CARD

À la carte is a French language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu", and used in reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately. The usual operation of restaurants. This is in contrast to a table d'hôte, at which a menu with limited or no choice is served at a fixed price.

To order an item from the menu on its own, example a steak without the potatoes and vegetables is steak à la carte

To describe a retail pricing model in which goods or services traditionally bundled together are separated out, putatively giving the consumer greater choice at lower cost.

EXAMPLE OF TABLE D' HOTE MENU CARD

EXAMPLE OF À LA CARTE MENU CARD

WHAT IS A MOCKTAIL

A non-alcoholic beverage is a beverage that contains no alcohol. Non-alcoholic mixed drinks (including punches, "virgin cocktails", or "mocktails") are often consumed by children, people whose religion restricts alcohol consumption, recovering alcoholics, and anyone wishing to enjoy flavorful drinks without alcohol. They are often available as alternative beverages in contexts (such as bars) where the norm is to drink alcoholic beverages. Examples include Shirley Temples, Virgin Marys, and virgin-style Piña Coladas. Non-alcoholic beverages contain no more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that traditionally have no trace of alcohol such as sodas, juices, and sparkling ciders. It also includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and dealcoholized wines.

The majority of mocktail beverages are served in places like restaurants with bars, especially those restaurants known for concocting fabulous drinks. Kids or teetotalers may enjoy a variety of different flavors. These can be sweet drinks, fairly high in sugar, depending on how they’re made.

Unless using only fruit or vegetable juice, mocktails may have high levels of corn syrup and other sugars that make them best as once in a while treats instead of everyday drinks. By using best ingredients, it is possible to make healthy mocktails. A virgin bloody mary could provide a serving of vegetables, but drinks with sodas or cocktail mixers usually aren’t particularly healthful.

At home people can be more selective in their ingredients, and serving a fun drink is a popular part of entertaining. Since many people do not drink, people who serve alcohol at home should provide a mocktail alternative for guests. There are some rules that apply, when serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that look the same, particularly if these drinks are mixed or blended.

When blending drinks, keep a separate blender for non-alcoholic versions, to make certain people don’t get the wrong type or residual alcohols from the blender, or alternately make mocktail versions first. To make sure that mocktails and cocktails stay separate, serve them in different styles of glasses. This will help people who choose non-alcoholic versions of a drink from sipping out of the wrong glass.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COCKTAIL AND MOCKTAIL

© Cocktails is a mixed alcoholic drink that requires mixing either one type of alcohol with juices, soft drink and other fruits or mixing multiple alcoholic drinks with juices or ice tea. As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, a cocktail must have at least one spirit, one sweet/sugary drink and one sour/bitter drink. Initially, cocktails were a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters but now the definition has expanded to include any mixed drink that contains alcohol. Cocktails can include juices, cream, sugar, honey, fruits, herbs and/or soda.

© Mocktail is any mixed drink that does not have alcohol. The name mocktail is derived the word ‘mock’ meaning to “imitate or mimic” referring to mocktails imitating a cocktail as it seems very similar to a cocktail but does not have alcohol or any other spirits. Mocktail is simply a mixed drink that does not have any spirits or alcohol. Many mocktails are cocktails that remove the alcohol. These are termed with a Virgin added to the front of their name. For example, Piña Colada, a coconut/pineapple drink has white rum in the cocktail, while a Virgin Piña Colada, has the exact same ingredients but does not include the rum in the drink. Mocktails are made using juices, cream, sugar, honey, fruits, herbs and/or soda.

© Cocktails and mocktails are both popular drinks that are served in bars and many restaurants. The major and the only difference between the two is the alcohol/spirit that is added in the cocktail but excluded from the mocktail. Popular cocktails and mocktails include Bloody Mary, Black Dog, Shirley Temple, Sex on the Beach, Virgin Mary, etc. There are many competitions that take place between bartenders to come up with new mixtures and concoctions of drinks that can be sold on the market.

LIST OF NON-ALCOHOLIC COCKTAILS

2 liters ginger ale, 46 ounces pineapple juice and 64 ounces white grape juice or 4 parts carbonated water, 4 parts ginger ale and 3 parts white grape juice[2]