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Those That Serve Them

The Second Golden Age of the Bartender

So I am in a difficult position. I do not have enough grey hairs to be considered a Bartending Grand Master alongside with Dorelli, Regan, Schumann and DeGroff and yet I don’t not have enough hair full stop to be considered a young stud. And yet I figure I have been in the game long enough and flown enough miles to make a few comments about the state of our Industry now as opposed to when I started in 2 B.C. (two years before cranberry juice).  To quote English Prime Minister Harold McMillan “we have never had it so good” – we are in the midst of perhaps the greatest Golden Age of bartending since the late 19th century and here is why.

Firstly we are seeing a meta-trend among our consumers for three main desires. On the main our people are searching for Authenticity in their activities and their consumption. No longer do we want instant coffee when we can have espresso; no longer do we want boy bands when we can listen to real musicians playing real instruments; no longer do we want package holidays where someone else tells us where to go and what to be impressed by and no longer do we want mass produced products.  Increasingly people are searching for products and experiences that seem more ‘real’ and  have heritage. Nextly we are seeing a rise in Connoisseurship whereby we want to be seen to be discerning in our choices of products, services and experiences: we want to show our sophistication and knowledge to explain why we are drinking our brands or where we drink them. Finally we are seeing a desire for increased Flavour in our food and drink – we want slow food and not fast food and we want big, bold and flavoursome experiences. All three of these together give us as bartenders a willing audience to show of our skills to.

And our skills are being developed as never before. Again firstly shows like the Australian Bar Show, Tales of the Cocktail, Bar Convent Berlin, Paris’ Cocktails and Spirits and several others exist where 10 years ago Trade Shows were dull conferences where sales reps mingled with sales reps. Now the cream of the industry pontificates and educates and inspires and what’s more bartenders from around the planet are travelling to see what other nations are doing.  Secondly Brands are training bartenders in increasingly large numbers where in my day they relied on cool T-shirts and branded bar tools to convince us to sell their products (tho’ I have to say the loss of the Bar T Shirt is a great one that I miss dreadfully). Finally the rise of the ‘Academic Bartender’ and the increased availability of bartending books both old and new means that old skills are being revised, histories are being learned and the profession of the Bartender is being revived and understood.

Finally as I referred to in my opening with the BC comment the average bartender of today has a back bar that most older bartenders would have killed for. Twenty years ago when I started behind the stick if we had two ‘brands’ of vodka, gin, bourbon etc we were smug bastards. Yet now there are a wider array of brands and also whole categories that we never dreamed of like Anejo Tequilas, Agricole rums, Rye whisky, Old Tom gin and the like…never before has the back bar offered such opportunity and such choice and thank god because of the above trends we get to use them.

Yet we must be extra careful with our position as nothing lasts forever. Yes it may be nice to have a choice of 20 tequila brands in 3 styles of each and yet if we do not sell them regularly we will go out of business. Yes it is nice to be called Mixologists in the media and yet if we can serve the wine drinker and the beer drinker and even the non drinker and make them feel welcome and important we shall disappear up our own collective backsides.  We must still remember to be humble and understanding with our guests, be business-like in our whims and also give suitable respect to those that have gone before us and seen times when they were not as golden as today… like me for example!

Categories
Those That Serve Them

The Modern Professional Bartender

Much, if not all, of what I write is aimed at what I call the “Modern Professional Bartender”. As to what this means, many people seem confused. To explain I use the analogy that the MPB is like the London Cabbie of the drinks world as opposed to a minicab driver: both drive people places for a living yet the Black Cab is supreme. They know every right way and every wrong way; they immediately bring a safe and comfortable feeling; they have done so much hard work to become a driver before you ever get in that you trust them. Thus is it with the MPB. To this end I thought I would set up a “code of conduct” or creed for the MPB… if only to start some debate.

  1. The MPB shall always behave in a manner that befits the responsibility of the role. Firstly they need to remember they are dispensing ‘drugs’ and need to take clearheaded decisions; they must at all times be aware they have legal obligations on who, when and how they serve and should take all reasonable action to ensure these; also be aware of the social responsibility of their role; money handling and trustworthiness.
  1. The MPB shall at all times promote the role of the bartender as a Trade and a career and shall help spread professionalism throughout the industry.
  1. The MPB shall be knowledgeable about every product they serve: what it tastes of; what it is made from; where it comes from; how strong it is; how it is made; if and how it is aged; all of the main brands available on the market globally. 
  1. The MPB shall realise the importance of proper training at all levels of their career and that knowledge is infinite.
  1. The MPB shall know how to properly serve all the products they stand in front of: the 15 basic recipes using each spirit; the basic categories of serves for each spirit; correct glassware; basic wine knowledge of the affect of region, grape and year; proper wine service; knowledge of major beer types and serving styles; knowledge of soft drinks, juices and non alcoholic drinks.
  1. The MPB shall know at least 3 ‘selling points’ for each product – whatever the MPB personally feels make the drink/brand more interesting be it technical, trivial or personal.
  1. Knowledge of all tools and actions of a cocktail bar, high volume bar or restaurant bar: bottles and how handle them; pourers and pouring accurately in legal measures; glassware types and how to handle/care for glasses; shakers, mixing glasses; barspoons and stirring, layering; strainers; drinks mats; blended drinks; ice types and usage; basic bar set-up; cellar and stock management; coffee and hot drinks service; cleaning procedures and importance; fridges and chilling; 
  2. The MPB always leaves their problems at the front door and act as such for the duration of their shift: they should be knowledgeable of  major current affairs but have no public opinions on race, religion and politics; they should allow their personality be seen but not exposed and realise that opinions vary.
  1. The MPB shall always treat every person as a guest and not just a customer and shall the respect them as such: never mentioning a guests previous visit; judge the level of involvement the particular guest wants and cater to that; recommend improvements in their drinking habits if asked yet serve every drink with the utmost care and attention; acting as a ‘host’ to all your guests and acting accordingly.
  1. The MPB shall be not racist nor sexist nor ageist or  display any prejudicial opinions or actions while at work (or preferably not too!) nor shall they tolerate any such  displays by their guests.
  1. The MPB shall be aware of the profit motivation of bars and as such will be aware of relationships with suppliers: ways of increasing sales and executing your employers’ goals for market success; positive selling techniques and the use of point of sale promotions and materials.
  1. The MPB shall be aware that drinks names and recipes vary from bar to bar and as such it is their responsibility to learn exactly how drinks are made in the bar they work in as well as generally and shall have a method of learning new recipes.
  1. The MPB shall be aware of the physics of drinking in relation to drinks making techniques such as chilling, ice types, specific densities, hot and cold drinks.
  1. The MPB shall be aware of all the Biological elements of their job: the way alcohol is processed by the human body, the Blood Alcohol Concentration, the nature of overindulgence; the factors that affect alcohol absorption; the principles of pragmatic responsible drinking.
  1. The MPB shall have an understanding of the palate in relation to taste categories and the mechanics of tasting in order to produce balanced drinks and how ingredients affect taste.
  1. They should have an understanding of the DNA of cocktails and how ‘mixology’ works at a base level: the Classic Cocktail Recipe of “Strong/Weak & Sweet/Tart”; the roles of base/modifier/accent; the Aperitif; the Digestif; the major cocktail types.
  1. The MPB knows and respects the role of managers in catering and will act accordingly knowing they will back the MPB up and respect their judgement. 
  1. The MPB shall try and make every drink to demonstrate the skills of the bartender: they shall be aware of ways to improve speed and efficiency of drinks making without compromising the quality of the product.
  1. The MPB shall know how drinking habits, the alcohol industry and drinking culture have evolved and are evolving in order to understand drinks making.
  1. The MPB shall be impeccably clean, neat and tidy in their personal appearance and also in their working habits; they shall also maintain the highest standards of  hygiene in their workplace.