The Eye

These Minimalist Cocktail Posters Are Giant Flashcards for Aspiring Bartenders

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Sydney-based British designer Nick Barclay has created a clever set of minimalist posters of classic cocktails that are beautiful pieces of wall art that also function as cheat sheets for aspiring mixologists.

“There is a big bar/cocktail scene in Sydney, so I was introduced to the Negroni when I moved here six years ago, and that really sparked my interest in cocktails,” Barclay told me in an email.

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

The idea to translate that interest in mixed drinks into a series of posters came from “thinking about something that could be broken down and still look artistic while being informative,” he said. “Cocktails seemed to fit the bill because of the ingredients, the colors, and the glassware. Everyone loves cocktails, but they don’t necessarily know what goes into them, so I thought these would be a great way of having the best of both worlds.”

Barclay said he asked a friend who owns Australian Bartender magazine to pick 10 classic cocktails for the series, then studied the ingredients of each one and worked from photos of the cocktails. “I stylize the glass and use the blocks of color to represent the color of the cocktail and the proportion of the ingredients in it,” Barclay said.

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

Courtesy of Nick Barclay

The series is available for purchase here.