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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The MPB shall realise the importance of proper training at all levels of their career and that knowledge is infinite.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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;
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The MPB shall know how drinking habits, the alcohol industry and drinking culture have evolved and are evolving in order to understand drinks making.
- 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.