Cocktails on tap, like beer
Draft cocktails are cocktails from the tap: pre-batched, connected to a line and chilled on their way to the tap. No shaker, no jigger, ten seconds per glass.
Whether a cocktail from the tap is as good as a shaken one comes down to the technology underneath: how it is chilled, which gas it sits under and how it leaves the tap. That is what Springbay focuses on. We develop and build the complete tap system, from the cooling to the tap. The cocktails are your choice: any brand, or your own batch.
What is a nitro cocktail?
A nitro cocktail, or nitrogen infused cocktail, is poured with nitrogen. Nitrogen barely dissolves in liquid and forms tiny bubbles. In the glass you see them cascade downwards, then a dense, creamy foam head stays on top.
The result feels like a cocktail that has just been shaken hard: silky, with a head. Only there is no shaker involved, and the two hundredth glass is exactly the same as the first.
A finish of its own per line
Nitro
Nitrogen for a creamy, shaken texture and a dense foam head. For cocktails you would otherwise shake hard.
CO2
Carbonation for a sparkling finish. For cocktails that should fizz, like a spritz or a highball.
Nitro
A second nitrogen line, so two creamy cocktails can sit side by side on your menu.
The technology behind the tap
Chilled in the line
A stainless steel glycol python cooler chills the cocktail on its way to the tap, down to 2 to 4 degrees. The cooling unit is built in and runs on a regular 230V socket.
Nitrogen and CO2
The system works with standard draft gas systems. Two lines pour with nitrogen for creamy, one with CO2 for bubbles.
Three lines, three boxes
Each line takes a 10 litre bag-in-box. Switching cocktails takes seconds: unhook the box, click in a new one, pour.
316 marine-grade steel
Corrosion resistant, food safe and easy to clean. Built for a wet bar, night after night.
Swipe or scroll for the next part
From a tap on your bar to a complete workstation
The Cove is the technology without a bar around it: a dock with three boxes and three taps, next to or under your existing bar. The Harbor is a complete one metre workstation with a built-in 3-tap, the Lagoon a one and a half metre version with the full workflow kit. All three with two nitro lines, one CO2 line and cooling in the line.
Cocktails on tap since 2011
The Springbay founders poured their first cocktails from a tap in 2011, after years of batching behind the bar. That experience is built into every part of the system. Read the interview in Entree Magazine (in Dutch), or see what a tap earns your bar on cocktail tap for bars.
What is a nitrogen infused cocktail?
A cocktail poured with nitrogen. Nitrogen barely dissolves in liquid and forms tiny bubbles. In the glass you see them cascade downwards, after which a dense, creamy foam head remains. The mouthfeel is like a cocktail that has just been shaken hard, without a shaker involved.
What is the difference between nitro and CO2?
Nitrogen gives a soft, creamy texture and a foam head. CO2 gives bubbles and a fresh bite. On a Springbay tap each line has its own finish: lines 1 and 3 are nitro, line 2 is CO2.
What is a draft cocktail system?
Which cocktails can I put on tap?
That is your choice: cocktails from any brand in bag-in-box, or your own batch. Nitro suits cocktails you would normally shake and that may have a creamy head, CO2 suits cocktails that should sparkle.
How cold does a cocktail come out of the tap?
Between 2 and 4 degrees. The glycol python cooler chills the cocktail in the line, so every glass leaves the tap at the same temperature.
What do I need to pour nitro cocktails?
A 230V socket and a gas supply for nitrogen and CO2 through a standard draft gas system. Which set-up suits your bar and how the gas is connected is part of our advice and installation.
Watch a nitro cocktail leave the tap
During a demo you see the cascade and the foam head up close, and we show you how the cooling, the gas and the lines work together.