Irish pubs decline as passionfruit martinis rise

At Mellett’s Emporium in Swinford, County Mayo, passionfruit martinis are becoming nearly as popular as pints on some Saturdays. Owner Marie Mellett says the pub industry is facing its biggest challenge yet, and cocktails have become part of the effort to attract younger customers.

Mellett, the seventh generation of her family to manage the pub, says younger people are drinking less and looking for experiences rather than poor service. Customers will pay for a good experience, she says, but not for dirty bathrooms or a cold pub. Publicans must offer something that supermarkets cannot, she argues, if they want to survive.

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The amount of passionfruit martinis we sell is eye-watering these days.

Mellett’s Emporium has stood in the town since the late 1700s. Over the centuries, the family business has also served as a grocery shop, a place to arrange funerals and a location to book a boat to the United States. Mellett intends to preserve its identity as a pub serving drinks only.

She says the traditional seven-day trade has disappeared, partly because of the smoking ban and drink-driving restrictions. The customer who came in on Friday afternoon for several pints before driving home is no longer part of the business.

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People don’t mind paying for a good experience.

The changes have affected pubs across the country. A report prepared for the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland found that more than 2,200 pubs had closed since 2005, roughly a quarter of the total at that time. Closures occurred almost entirely outside County Dublin, where only 1 percent of pubs operating in 2005 have since closed.

Mellett’s is among hundreds of pubs in small towns and villages trying to adapt. Nearby Sheridan’s Bar and Restaurant in Milltown, County Galway, has responded by adding food and a golf simulator after owner Cathal Sheridan said customers were leaving and not being replaced.

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It is my intention to keep it as a proper pub until the day I die.