Chapter 2 - So You Wanna Be A Bartender?
Fundamental facts every bartending school student should know
Bartending is different than most
jobs, in that not only are you a server of products, you are also a
creator. When you go to buy a pair of shoes, the last thing you expect
to see is a craftsman walk out with strips of leather and fashion you
your very own custom made shoes, however this is precisely what you
will soon be doing as a bartender, making shoes!
Seriously, not only will you serve
and sell your products, you’ll produce them as well!
You, The Producer
Bartending is a fast and furious
profession, but this fast and furious pace should never sacrifice quality.
To be the best you can be, you’ll have to learn how to fashion
quality products and deliver them with the individualized type of service
your clients expect. In doing this and by paying attention to subtle
production details, you will learn how to turn a $150 night into a $300
night!
As a producer, you must always
be committed to the quality and precision of your mixology. You should
make every effort to serve guests by the book, not skimping on ingredients
or serving an improperly measured drink. Until you get more than 100
professionally served drinks under your belt, you’re better off
going a little slower to ensure you get it right.
You, The Server
As a server, you have the responsibility
of delivering your creation in the manner it’s expected and treating
your guest as if they were the only one at the bar. Besides this being
good manners, this is good for the bar, good for the guest and good
for you.
Your personal appearance is very
important. You must be smartly dressed, well-groomed and professional.
No one wants a drink from someone with grit under their fingernails
or hair that litters the glass. You’ll never be able to please
everyone, but by following basic grooming sensibilities, you’ll
have taken the first step toward fostering a level of comfort between
you and your guest and this will go a long way.
Just One of The Guys
Remember, your average patron is
there for fun and relaxation with friends new and old. If you make them
feel at home, their experience at the bar will be everything they’re
looking for.
Learn their names! It’s widely
proven that everyone’s favorite word in any language is their
very own name. Learn it, and use it! You’ll find that this will
be the first step in fostering a warm relationship with your clientele
and you’ll also make them feel important.
It always helps to try to learn
at least one unique fact about recurring guests. This will help you
remember their name and provide some brief conversation nuggets if you
ever find yourself in a slow moment during your shift. With regulars,
the ideal would be for you to remember their name, an interesting fact
about them and their favorite drink. Once you get to know them well
enough, have it ready for them before they even order.
As an addendum to this, you mustn’t
become overly familiar with your guests and engage in lengthy conversation
at the expense of your other customers, however if it is a slow shift
and your customer is interested in pursuing a conversation, by all means
do so.
Furthering a caution on being overly
familiar with your guests, you should never bring up the guest’s
last visit unless they do first. A general rule of thumb is to let them
set the pace for your bartend / customer relationship.
Suggestive Selling
After successfully completing this
course, you’ll be able to steer your indecisive guests into a
drink that best suits their mood and taste. If they want a sipping whisky
and indicate their uncertainty with what label to choose, now is your
chance to guide them. You are the expert and need to act the role. There
are thousands of drinks and hundreds of brands of liquor out there;
you’ll need to come off as being well versed in all! Not too worry,
the majority of these drinks are never ordered, but with the knowledge
contained in this course, you can easily present yourself as an expert
barkeep!
You’ll need to have the ability
to pre-condition your client before they open their mouth, then deliver
them exactly what they want, how they want it. Pre-conditioning is a
lot like stereotyping, although there’s nothing negative about
it. The fact of the matter is that a businessman is more likely to walk
in to your establishment wearing a suit than a skateboarder. In recognizing
and acting on visual cues that your customer gives off about himself
before even opening up his mouth, you can pre-condition him and asses
how best to service his needs. Some customers will respond better to
“What can I get for you sir?” than “What’ll
it be, Mack?”
These are the traits of a successful
bartender that are intuitive, but that you need to be aware of in order
to rise to
the top.
Well liquor
Well liquor is defined as the house
standard, meaning that this is what your bar will serve to clients who
do not specifically ask for a call or premium brand liquor. You’ll
find all the well liquor on the speed rail for easy and yes, speedy,
access.
Well liquors are brands that many
have never heard of such as Monarch and Potters.
Call Brands
Call brands consist of the group
of liquor commonly seen in advertisements. As such they are higher priced
premium brands, but are often ordered.
Call Brands are brands such as
Bacardi, Stoli or Kettle One.
The Speed Rail
The Speed Rail is a part of every
bar and The Speed Rail is your friend. Essentially, it is a long shelf
for holding the most commonly used well liquors and mixers, located
directly behind the bar within easy reach for the bartender. Typically,
the speed rail is set up in the following order: grenadine, limejuice,
scotch, bourbon, whiskey, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, triple sec,
tequila, rum, gin, and vodka.
Keep in mind that this order is
not universal from one bar to the next, and the last thing you’ll
want to do is to re-organize the speed rail of the bar you end up working
for. This will confuse the other bartenders and will not make for a
good first impression in the eyes of management. The order of the speed
rail will be one of the first things you’ll want to become familiar
with on your new job. At any rate, the order we’ve listed above
is the order we’ll want you to use when practicing at home. After
making your first 25 drinks, you should have it down. Should the speed
rail be organized differently at your first place of employment, it
should take even less than 25 drinks before you learn this new order.
Free Pouring
Free Pouring is a mandatory skill
for any bartender. Essentially it will allow you to pour your drinks
without using a jigger (measurement device) or a shot glass, etc. For
example, when making a drink from the Long Island Iced Tea Cluster which
can consist of 4 or more liquors, you can pour them all simultaneously,
holding 2 bottles in each hand, but first, you need to practice and
hone down your free pouring skills.
A general rule of thumb is that
a standard speed pourer (more info in chapter 3) will pour ½
ounce for each second you count. When mixing a simple drink such as
a gin and tonic, you’ll want to count 3 full seconds when pouring
your gin, prior to adding the tonic. We suggest counting one thousand
1, one thousand 2, one thousand 3 (in your head) to make sure your count
is even.
Other Measurement Lingo
Throughout our recipes and your
career, you’ll be required to add slight measurements above and
beyond a 1, 2 or 3 count pour. We will refer to the following additional
measurements throughout the course and you should commit them to memory.
A Float = ½ Ounce
A Splash = ¼ Ounce
A Dash or A Drop = 1/32 Ounce
1 Part = 1 of however many other
parts the given drink calls for. You’ll pour an equal measurement
of each part so if a shot called for two alcohols, you’d pour
the glass halfway full with the first alcohol and top it full with the
second.
After practice, you should be able
to develop the ability to free pour these smaller measurements as well.
A float would consist of a 1, one thousand count. A splash would consist
of a 1, one count and a dash or a drop would be a very small pour. You’ll
need to spend time honing this down and it is one of the most important
skills you can have as a bartender, because it won’t necessitate
you measuring everything by hand and will keep you moving fast!
The Soda Gun
As is the speed rail, the soda
gun is also your friend because it will save you time. Soda guns reduce
your need to open and pour individual cans or bottles of mixers, leaving
the most popular mixers just a grab away.
Most soda guns follow the same
pattern for identifying which mixture you’ll be including: C,
G, S, L, X & W
Soda Gun Symbol Corresponding Mix
C Cola
G Ginger Ale
S Soda Water
L Lemon / Lime Soda
X Sour Mix / Bar Mix
W Water
Practice at home
In our goal to make your experience
learning the tricks of the bartending trade just as fun as applying
them, at the end of each chapter we’ve included practice drinks
for you to make to further hone your skills as you fill out your test
questions. You’ll need to set up a practice bar with the following
utensils:
1. 12 Liquor bottles – You’ll
need to find a place in your home to set up an ad-hoc speed rail with
the 12 ingredients mentioned above.
2. A jigger or shot glass.
3. Pourers to place in your bottles.
4. Ice Bucket or Sink - To truly replicate the bar environment, we’d
ask you to empty your sink, clean it and fill it with ice, however until
you throw a home party, this just isn’t necessary. For starters,
just find a Bucket that you can fill with ice.
5. Ice Scoop – If you own an Ice Scoop, great. If you don’t,
use a simple plastic cup to keep you in the practice of using a scoop
for ice as opposed to glasses.
6. Glasses – The glasses you find in your home likely won’t
duplicate the exact sizes found in a bar, but consult Chapter 3 on glassware
and set aside some glasses from your collection that most closely resemble
what you’ll be using on the job.
7. Garnishes – Lemons, Limes & Oranges will be fine to start,
but as you progress into some of the more advanced drink clusters, this
will call for pineapple, peaches, etc.
Free Bartending School Test Questions
& Hands on Homework
Please find your test questions
relating to Chapter 2 below. As you complete your answers, may we suggest
that you make yourself one of the following easier prepared drinks.
Don’t worry about the fact that we haven’t taught you this
yet. The best way to start learning is to jump right in!
We suggest creating and enjoying
one of the following as you begin your test:
• Gin (or Vodka) & Tonic
• CC & Soda
• Cape Cod
2-1 As a bartender, you are not
only a creator of products, but a what?
2-2 DME™ recommends taking your time when beginning drink making
until you know how to make how many different types of drinks by memory?
2-3 Ideally, you should learn the following three things about your
regular customers, firstly:
2-4 Secondly:
2-5 Thirdly:
2-6 Who should set the pace for your bartend / customer relationship?
2-7 Which is found in the speed rail, well liquor or call brands?
2-8 What are two examples of call brands?
2-9 Typically, in what order is the speed rail set up?
2-10 What is a Jigger used for?
2-11 How long should you count for in your head to arrive at 1 ounce
of liquor when free pouring?
2-12 How many ounces are in a float?
2-13 How many ounces are in a splash?
2-14 How many ounces are in a Dash or a Drop?
2-15 The following Soda Gun Letters Refer to what Mixer? C:
2-16 G: 2-17 S:
2-18 L: 2-19 X:
2-20 W: