How bar food has evolved from chicken wings to wagyu and caviar, as bartenders look to impress with more than cocktails

Romans and ancient Greeks enjoyed mixing alcohol and food, but in modern times bar food has meant sliders, fries and chicken wings. Things are changing, though

Driven by customers’ evolving tastes, cocktail bars are expanding menus and using higher-quality ingredients to provide a holistic experience, and to stand out

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A sandwich at Bar Leone, which has been at the forefront of the Hong Kong bar scene’s shift towards high-quality food in line with consumers’ increasing demand for a holistic bar experience. Photo: Bar Leone

Published: 6:15pm, 29 Mar 2024

Not so long ago, bar food would have referred to pretty much any of the following: beef sliders, truffle fries, chicken wings.

These three snacks constituted the holy trinity of most bar snack menus, alongside (especially if sipping a martini at a fancy five-star hotel) a generous selection of olives, honey-coated nuts or some form of charcuterie.

During my days bartending in London, one of the world’s cocktail capitals, I would impatiently await Sunday, my usual day off, to hang out at the city’s best watering holes for my weekly dose of negroni, daiquiri or martini, with no interest whatsoever in scrolling through the snacks menu.

Yet alcohol and cuisine have been flirting with each other since ancient times; the concept of communal eating and imbibing was prevalent in many cultures, not just with the Romans and Greeks.

Cocktails served with a meal. Alcohol and food have gone hand in hand since ancient times. Photo: Shutterstock

While the focus of these soirées was often the consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages, simple foods like bread, olives and cheese were commonly served alongside the drinks.