Category: Bartending

Welcome to the glamorous world of mixology! Whether you’re an aspiring bartender, a home enthusiast looking to impress your guests, or simply someone curious about the craft of cocktail-making, this beginner’s guide is here to help you master the art of mixology. In this article, we will explore the fundamental techniques, essential tools, and key ingredients that will set you on the path to becoming a skilled bartender. So, grab your shaker and let’s dive into the world of mixology!

Understanding the Foundations of Mixology

To become a proficient mixologist, it’s important to understand the basics of mixology. This section will cover the fundamental concepts and techniques that form the backbone of this craft. We’ll explore the importance of balance in cocktails, the different types of spirits, and the art of creating flavor profiles that delight the palate.

Essential Tools of the Trade

A bartender’s toolkit is incomplete without the essential tools required to create artful concoctions. From shakers to strainers, jiggers to muddlers, we’ll discuss the must-have tools for every aspiring mixologist. Understanding how to use these tools properly will not only elevate your bartending skills but also enhance the overall experience for your patrons.

Timeless Elegance: Mastering Classic Cocktails

Classic cocktails have stood the test of time and are a staple in any bartender’s repertoire. In this section, we’ll explore iconic drinks such as the Martini, Old Fashioned, and Margarita, breaking down their components and techniques. Understanding the classics will provide a solid foundation for creating your own unique twists on these timeless libations.

Modern Mixology: Creativity Unleashed

Mixology is an art that embraces creativity and experimentation. This part of the article will delve into the world of modern mixology, where bartenders push boundaries, infuse flavors, and invent new cocktails. We’ll explore innovative techniques, such as molecular mixology, and discuss how to create signature drinks that reflect your own style and personality.

Garnishes and Glassware: Elevating the Visual Experience

Presentation is a vital aspect of mixology that adds flair and charm to your creations. We’ll delve into the world of garnishes, discussing how to choose the right ones for your cocktails and how to incorporate them creatively. Additionally, we’ll explore the importance of selecting appropriate glassware to enhance the overall visual appeal of your drinks.

Mastering Mixology Aesthetics

Beyond garnishes and glassware, there are numerous ways to elevate the aesthetics of your cocktails. From layering techniques to the art of the perfect pour, we’ll provide tips and tricks to create visually stunning drinks. After all, a beautifully presented cocktail is not only a treat for the taste buds but also a feast for the eyes.

Perfecting the Art of Hospitality

Aside from mastering the technical aspects of mixology, being a great bartender also involves providing exceptional hospitality. We’ll discuss the importance of customer service, understanding your guests’ preferences, and creating a welcoming atmosphere. Building a connection with your patrons goes a long way in ensuring they have a memorable experience.

Developing Your Palate and Expanding Your Knowledge

To truly excel as a mixologist, it’s crucial to develop your palate and expand your knowledge of spirits, flavors, and techniques. We’ll provide guidance on how to taste and appreciate different spirits, explore various cocktail styles, and recommend resources for further learning. With a thirst for knowledge, you can continue to grow as a bartender and delight your guests with exciting new creations.

Conclusion:

Becoming a skilled mixologist is a journey that requires passion, practice, and an adventurous spirit. In this article, we’ve covered the essentials of mixology, from understanding the foundations to mastering classic cocktails and exploring modern mixology techniques. We’ve also highlighted the significance of presentation, hospitality, and continuous learning. Armed with this knowledge, you’re well on your way to becoming a master of the art of mixology. So, raise your glass and toast to your exciting bartending adventure! Cheers!

Bartending Basics: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Thomas Morrell

Thomas Morrell has spent over thirteen years in the restaurant and bar industry. He has worked as a busboy, dishwasher, server, host, cook, manager and most importantly as a bartender. Over the years many people have asked him how they can become a bartender too. This book is his answer. Inside you will find information covering: bartending tools and terminology, Thomas’ customer service philosophy, br, wine, distilled spirits, mixed drinks, how to maximize your tips, bartending working environments, bartending professionalism, responsible bartending, finding work as a bartender”

Bartending For Dummies

Ray Foley

This latest edition of Bartending For Dummies features over 1,000 drink recipes in an A-Z format with clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

This 4th Edition also provides:

• Detailed information on how to properly stock a bar
• Expanded coverage on making exotic frozen/blended specialties, specialty coffees, and hot toddies
• Tips on creating unique punches and even non-alcoholic drinks
• Helpful information about experimenting with the latest flavored rums and vodkas including apple, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, grape, mango, and watermelon
• Fun, new ways to garnish, rim, and serve drinks like a master mixologist
• The latest tips and advice on curing hangovers and hiccups
• Advice on choosing the right and latest glassware and mixers
• New recipes covering the hottest shooters such as After Five, Candy Corn, Jelly Bean, and more
• A new section on festive holiday cocktails such as the Grinch and Candy Cane Martini

Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology

Harvard Student Agencies, Inc.

Do you know how to set up a full bar for that party you’re having? How much vermouth to use when your first guest requests a “dry martini on the rocks?” How to measure out a shot of alcohol using the three-count method?

You’ll find the answers to all of these questions and much more in this indispensable guide. Rather than teaching you recipes for drinks you’ve never heard of and will never have to make, the authors focus on the fundamentals of bartending–using the tools, learning the terminology and drink mnemonics, and setting up for a cocktail party. This book will transform the most ignorant imbiber into a sauce-slinger extraordinaire, ready to go out and bartend recreationally or professionally.

This guide includes:

• Basic bar setups, tools, and helpful techniques
• Hundreds of recipes for the most popular drinks and punches, from chocolate martinis to salty dogs
• New chapters featuring everything a bartender needs to know about beer and wine
• A new and improved guide to throwing a fabulous cocktail party
• Hints on finding a bartending job
• Diagrams, illustrations, and many useful tips throughout.

Bartenders usually start out in other food service jobs and move up to the position by learning at work. However, expensive establishments usually hire bartenders with experience or who are graduates of vocational training programs. The job doesn’t have any specific educational requirement. Eighteen is the legal minimum age in most states, although some employers prefer bartenders at least 25 years old. Restaurants have the most jobs for bartenders, but not the highest average pay.

Hourly Restaurant Wages

The average hourly wage for a bartender in a full-service restaurant was $10.64 as of 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Full-service restaurants employed approximately 207,740 bartenders nationwide in 2011, or 40 percent of the total. Although most bartenders are full-time employees, approximately 40 percent worked part time in 2010, according to the BLS. Weekends, holidays and late-night work are typical for bartenders.

Annual Wage Comparison

The average annual pay of a full-time restaurant bartender was $22,130 as of 2011, according to the statistics bureau. The average bartender in all industries earned $21,550 annually, while the top 10 percent earned at least $31,860 per year. The second-largest employer of bartenders was bars, which had 153,870 employees earning an average of $20,230 per year. Among the top five employers of bartenders, traveler accommodation had the highest pay. This industry had 35,290 bartenders earning an average of $26,180 per year in 2011.

Wage Considerations

Bartenders’ total wages usually include a combination of hourly pay and tips, with the actual breakdown depending on the type of job. Bartenders in full-service restaurants often receive more from tips than from their employers. However, beginning bartenders sometimes receive only federal or state minimum wage. In some states, employers can pay a lower minimum wage to employees who also receive tips. For example, as of 2012, an Arizona employer must pay a tipped employee only $4.65 per hour toward the state minimum wage of $7.65.

Income Taxes

Restaurant bartenders who receive part of their pay as tips must pay federal income taxes on both tips and other wages. The Internal Revenue Service considers tips as part of gross income for filing purposes. The IRS requirement includes tips received directly from a customer, pooled tips and those from charge slips. The IRS requires bartenders to keep a record of tips and recommends using Form 4070A to facilitate filing federal taxes.

Until recently I was one of the most over-trained bartenders who had never really tended bar. I’ve passed BarSmarts and the full B.A.R., attended zillions of little classes at places like Tales of the Cocktail and Bourbon & Branch’s Beverage Academy, watched and reviewed about a dozen bartending DVDs, and even won an online cocktail contest or two.

Then a couple weeks ago I actually got behind a bar to work. It was a large private party and I was one of many San Francisco bartenders hired to work the gig. We didn’t have to take money, people weren’t eating at the bar, and we only had a few specialty cocktails of the night, so I know I got off pretty easy. That was good because I was nervous as all heck, but within minutes all that training actually kicked in and I did an okay job of it if I don’t say so myself. (And if any of the patrons disagree, they’re not here to argue.)

Here 23 Things You Did Not Know About Bartending Until You Tended Bar

1. Time flies. Writing is a long tortuous nightmare that takes all day, invades your dreams at night, and pays less than minimum wage. Bartending went by really quick and left me mentally alert if physically exhausted.
2. I’m not used to standing up for more than half an hour in a row. The entire next day my legs were sore.
3. When you’re busy, it’s kind of zen. You have to be so in-the-moment it’s really quite peaceful. Who needs yoga?
4. You can feel all of their thirsty, beady, greedy little eyes on you.
5. Most customers don’t remember who you are- they go back to the same spot at the bar and talk to the new bartender there as if he’s you.
6. It’s just as dirty and sticky as I thought, but I minded it less than I thought I would.
7. If you like the smell of good liquor, and I do, I do, every bottle you open is like a happy little memory.
8. It can be very hard to hear.
9. Some people watch every pour to make sure they’re getting their full amount of alcohol.
10. But it would still be easy to fool those people and put in less if you wanted to.
11. Drunk people are kind of cute, and also kind of annoying.
12. I never mind when bartenders grab straws and garnish with their fingers and stick them into drinks, but when I did it I felt guilty every single time. I think this is an area where even most high-end bars could use some improvement.
13. It made me really happy to make non-alcoholic drinks for people. My feelings toward non-alcoholic drinks have been well reported, but now I think maybe there should be more of them in the world.
14. The scariest part of the job is worrying if people have planned to get home safely without driving.
15. Paying attention to whether or not there are customers at the bar waiting for drinks seems to be the most important part of the job. I can no longer tolerate inattentive bartenders.
16. That said, patrons can just pop up out of nowhere.
17. I need to learn to do the nod that says, “I see you and will get to you just as soon as I finish this drink.”
18. They don’t teach you the recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea in fancy bartending classes, so I had to ask a co-bartender with practical experience to handle the request.
19. Driving to a busy bar, working for 12 hours, then driving home feels exactly like my early-1990’s existence: driving to a rave, dancing for 10 hours, and driving home.
20. Minor scrapes and bruises are part of the job.
21. I now understand why bartenders tend to remember a person’s drink and what they look like rather than their name. As I almost never have two of the same drinks in a row that must make it hard for some bartenders to recognize me.
22. I have never been in a bar anywhere close to that long without having a drink. It was surprisingly not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.
23. It’s hard to not hate customers who stick their fingers in your garnish tray.