Sensory Perception and Mixology
Darcy O'Neil March 31, 2008 9:16 PM
Why do certain people recoil in horror at the taste of Italian bitters and why do others gag on super sweet drinks? Then of course we've all know the guy who can't get enough suicide sauce in his Caesar (Bloody Mary) or the Dirty Martini addict. Maybe you are one of them. Have you ever wanted to understand how people taste and why there is such diversity. If you are an aspiring mixologist or a professional who wants an edge, then knowing how people perceive flavours is a very important thing. Luckily, I'll be discussing this very stuff at Tales of the Cocktail in July and in this session we'll be doing a genetically specific taste test to help figure out who you are plus a whole lot more. Read on for more details.
Taste is such an individual thing, and scientifically there are classes of tasters, because we are all different. The three categories are "Non-Taster", "Normal Taster" and Super-Taster". Normal tasters are Mr. & Mrs. Average, and sit in the midrange. Non-Tasters are the lower 20% and Super-tasters the upper 20%. These numbers fluctuate depending on heritage and sex, but for the most part 60% of the population are normal tasters.
So what does this have to do with making cocktails? Well, if you are a bartender with non-taster status, creating cocktails, your drinks are probably going to be on the "flavourful" side of the equation. This may appeal to the non-taster customers you have, but might be a bit much for the normal-tasters and you gotta feel sorry for the super-tasters after they try your "perfect" Bloody Mary. If you are a mixologist with super-taster status, then a lot of your creations might seem bland to the 80% of the population that are not super-tasters.
If you know what kind of taster you are, then you can "calibrate" your palate to better accommodate your friends, guests, customers, preferences. Otherwise you are basically a blind person trying to drive.
During the Sensory Perception session, I'll be presenting everyone with a PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) taste strip to help determine what taster status you are. This chemical is genetically specific and will help guide you on your way to taste enlightenment. Also, I'll have extra strips for people to take home and test on their friends, coworkers or spouse. I highly recommend the spouse test because I discovered I live with a super-taster, which answered a whole lot of questions. Basically, like achieving enlightenment, a little gong went off in my head, and I finally understood.
Aside from the taste testing, I'll also be looking at how the different flavours affect each other and how certain combinations can be used to influence one another. There will be a little cocktail interlude to demonstrate these flavourful effects. We'll also look at why being a super-taster might not be as enviable as you'd think and why some people are attracted to alcohol while others are repulsed.
It is going to be an information packed session and I've lined up some great panelists to help the discussion (Audrey Saunders, Robert Hess, and Jamie Boudreau). So, if you want to take your mixology skills to the next level, this is a session you shouldn't miss.
Sensory Perception and MixologyWhat Your Tastebuds are Telling You
Thursday, August 7, 2008
brand loyalty
Observations on Brand Loyalty
When you work behind a bar one of the key things to do, to develop a loyal clientele, is remember peoples drinks. The surprising thing to me is not that my head has a database of hundreds of drinks and customers faces, but the fact that these people rarely ever change what they drink. Is it proper to go through life only drinking one brand of whisky? Is it ok to only drink a dry Grey Goose martini, up with a twist and never deviate? The other thing about brand loyalty is that it seems to apply to spirits and beer, but not wine. What is the psychological reason for this brand loyalty and if bartenders could break it, would it be good for the cocktail world.
Back when I was in college I was a brand loyalist. I liked Labatt’s Blue which was my beer of choice, probably because of marketing and single syllable name. Easily pronounced beers are best when you drink a lot because the bartender will understand you no matter what your intoxication level; “give me a Blue” or “give me a Bud” are a couple of good examples. But I eventually grew up and opened my mind to the hundreds of bottles that grace beer stores every where. I also started to appreciate good spirits.
At the current time I’m not loyal to any particular brand, but I do have preferences. I like Havana Club rum in cocktails and I like Forty Creek whisky in my Manhattans, but if someone offered me a Wiser’s Very Old I would happily take them up on the offer. One thing is for sure though, and it’s that I like premium spirits over rail spirits. Part of the reason is that I love to try new spirits and beers, much to my wife’s dismay. If I spot something shiny and new at the liquor store I’ll usually end up buying it at some point. Why? Because it might offer something exceptional that I’ve never experienced. It’s all about curiosity, exploring and the experience. To me spirits are like wine, each new bottle has something unique to offer.
For many people, liquor and beer are something that they define themselves with. If I say Jack Daniels, what image comes to mind of the person who drink this? For me it’s bikers in black. If I say Remy Martin XO cognac, you might think stuffy old guy, or hip hop artist. Like many manufactures, spirit companies try to define their market and appeal to a certain demographic. Brand loyalty is good for business, but not for life experiences. Crown Royal seems to be pushing the NASCAR demographic with their recent advertising campaign. Sure this opens up a new market for Crown Royal, but does it alienate another? Probably not, but it is the advertising that defines the product, not the stuff in the bottle. Remember Crown Royal was originally produced for royalty and NASCAR fans are a little different than royalty.
Wine doesn’t have this problem because each vintage year is different. Some vineyards have developed a reputation for producing great wines, but production is generally limited on a world wide scale, so oenophiles are forced to try new wines, because not every restaurant or liquor store will stock it. This openness about trying a bottle of something you’ve never heard of, and maybe paying a princely sum for it, is outstanding. Why can’t these people drink cocktails more often?
There are a couple of issues with opening peoples minds. First, people are naturally lazy, and we hate fighting inertia. It is easy to order a Crown and Coke, it doesn’t take any thinking and you know what you are getting. Also, the fact that many bartenders are pushy and want your drink order “Now!” which makes browsing the spirit selection a bit daunting. It seems people have a default setting and if someone pushes you, an automatic response is initiated: “Crown & Coke”. One other problem is that many bars stock way too few spirits. But that is changing with the realization of the super and ultra premium back bars. The final problem is the “association” of product to image. If you drink Jack Daniels you may be perceived as “tough”, if you drink cognac you’ll be sophisticated or snooty and if you are a guy drinking Hipnotiq on the rocks, well then, I’m proud of you for drinking what you like.
The best way to get people to try new things is to “up sell”. There are some great bartenders who will make suggestions, or in corporate speak “up sell”, for the benefit of the customer. This can be substituting a different spirit into a cocktail or just suggesting a better cocktail. But, this is very dependant on the establishment and the management. A well stocked bar is key to break brand loyalty and breaking the owners brand loyalties are also important. But most importantly, and this is for bartenders, don’t be so pushy. If you are busy just check with the customer politely, if they are still thinking, move on to the next customer, and then go back afterward. Don’t huff and puff and make it like it’s the end of the world. Let people enjoy what the bar has to offer.
When you work behind a bar one of the key things to do, to develop a loyal clientele, is remember peoples drinks. The surprising thing to me is not that my head has a database of hundreds of drinks and customers faces, but the fact that these people rarely ever change what they drink. Is it proper to go through life only drinking one brand of whisky? Is it ok to only drink a dry Grey Goose martini, up with a twist and never deviate? The other thing about brand loyalty is that it seems to apply to spirits and beer, but not wine. What is the psychological reason for this brand loyalty and if bartenders could break it, would it be good for the cocktail world.
Back when I was in college I was a brand loyalist. I liked Labatt’s Blue which was my beer of choice, probably because of marketing and single syllable name. Easily pronounced beers are best when you drink a lot because the bartender will understand you no matter what your intoxication level; “give me a Blue” or “give me a Bud” are a couple of good examples. But I eventually grew up and opened my mind to the hundreds of bottles that grace beer stores every where. I also started to appreciate good spirits.
At the current time I’m not loyal to any particular brand, but I do have preferences. I like Havana Club rum in cocktails and I like Forty Creek whisky in my Manhattans, but if someone offered me a Wiser’s Very Old I would happily take them up on the offer. One thing is for sure though, and it’s that I like premium spirits over rail spirits. Part of the reason is that I love to try new spirits and beers, much to my wife’s dismay. If I spot something shiny and new at the liquor store I’ll usually end up buying it at some point. Why? Because it might offer something exceptional that I’ve never experienced. It’s all about curiosity, exploring and the experience. To me spirits are like wine, each new bottle has something unique to offer.
For many people, liquor and beer are something that they define themselves with. If I say Jack Daniels, what image comes to mind of the person who drink this? For me it’s bikers in black. If I say Remy Martin XO cognac, you might think stuffy old guy, or hip hop artist. Like many manufactures, spirit companies try to define their market and appeal to a certain demographic. Brand loyalty is good for business, but not for life experiences. Crown Royal seems to be pushing the NASCAR demographic with their recent advertising campaign. Sure this opens up a new market for Crown Royal, but does it alienate another? Probably not, but it is the advertising that defines the product, not the stuff in the bottle. Remember Crown Royal was originally produced for royalty and NASCAR fans are a little different than royalty.
Wine doesn’t have this problem because each vintage year is different. Some vineyards have developed a reputation for producing great wines, but production is generally limited on a world wide scale, so oenophiles are forced to try new wines, because not every restaurant or liquor store will stock it. This openness about trying a bottle of something you’ve never heard of, and maybe paying a princely sum for it, is outstanding. Why can’t these people drink cocktails more often?
There are a couple of issues with opening peoples minds. First, people are naturally lazy, and we hate fighting inertia. It is easy to order a Crown and Coke, it doesn’t take any thinking and you know what you are getting. Also, the fact that many bartenders are pushy and want your drink order “Now!” which makes browsing the spirit selection a bit daunting. It seems people have a default setting and if someone pushes you, an automatic response is initiated: “Crown & Coke”. One other problem is that many bars stock way too few spirits. But that is changing with the realization of the super and ultra premium back bars. The final problem is the “association” of product to image. If you drink Jack Daniels you may be perceived as “tough”, if you drink cognac you’ll be sophisticated or snooty and if you are a guy drinking Hipnotiq on the rocks, well then, I’m proud of you for drinking what you like.
The best way to get people to try new things is to “up sell”. There are some great bartenders who will make suggestions, or in corporate speak “up sell”, for the benefit of the customer. This can be substituting a different spirit into a cocktail or just suggesting a better cocktail. But, this is very dependant on the establishment and the management. A well stocked bar is key to break brand loyalty and breaking the owners brand loyalties are also important. But most importantly, and this is for bartenders, don’t be so pushy. If you are busy just check with the customer politely, if they are still thinking, move on to the next customer, and then go back afterward. Don’t huff and puff and make it like it’s the end of the world. Let people enjoy what the bar has to offer.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
skills for bar tender
Ask any bar manager what’s the most important skill is for a bartender and you’ll get a lot of different answers. Some will respond that speed is key, others will say a good personality, more will say appearance is important, and then you’ll get one or two who say mixology skills are key. There are a lot of things that definitely make a great bartender, like being trustworthy, friendly, reliable, hard working, clean and organized but those are important aspects for any employee. The one skill that I think makes a great bartender is memory. And if you are an aspiring bartender I’ll explain why and give you some tips on improving your memory.
In my humble opinion, if you have a good memory, you will make a better bartender. Not only will it allow you to do your job more efficiently, but it will also increase your tips. When a person walks into a bar and the bartender greats them by name, asks if they would like their regular drink, or offers them something from a previous conversation, that makes the customer feel important. The customer will also tip better than if the bartenders doesn’t remember anything about them. All of these points deal with memory, the ability to memorize drinks, names, previous conversations and spirit preferences. For many things, like peoples names, beer brands and cocktails recipes, you want that information to be embedded in what is sometimes referred to as “Intelligent Memory”. Intelligent Memory is made up of connections between other memories, whether they are thoughts, images, experiences, skills, or pieces of knowledge. A good example of this is how many bartenders have been taught to remember a drink. For example: Black Russian (Vodka & Kahlua) is the easy starting point. Now to make a White Russian it’s a Black Russian with Milk. Now to make a Paralyzer it’s a White Russian with Coke. And a Brown Cow is a White Russian without Vodka. These types of relations ships can be done for many drinks. This is also the type of memory that allows you to make a drink without really thinking about it. If someone orders a Perfect Manhattan, up with a twist you should instinctively know what to do. It takes some practice to do this, but to be a great bartender you need to avoid referring to a book or pestering the other bartenders.The other important type of memory to work on is your short term memory, which is what allows you to use your brain like a note pad. Basically, when someone orders a round of drinks, you should be able to commit the whole order to memory. Your ability to remember ten drink requests will make your job easier, impress your customers and increase your speed and efficiency. You can be the fastest drink pourer on the planet, but if you can only remember two drinks at a time, you won’t be as very efficient. Improving Your MemoryThe best way to improve your memory is to expose yourself to new ideas and new experiences. This is a general way to keep your brain in shape. Like muscles, your brain needs to be used to keep it healthy. Talk and read about things that aren’t in your normal routine. Debate with people, read the newspaper, not just the comics, and do mind building puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku. Every little thing that makes your brain active is a good start.One of the tricks to memorizing other things is to make connections. For example the cocktail connection example showed you how to connect one drink to another, this can be done with names, but in a slightly different way. If you meet someone named Robert, and you have a friend named Robert, you can make a connection by thinking about the two people. When the customer comes in the following week and you can’t remember his name, but for some reason a picture of your friend Robert pops up in your head, you’ll remember his name. There are other ways, such as memorizing a room and then relating people and places to the items in the room.Repeat things you learn. When a server or customers calls an order, repeat them back to the server / customer. First it makes sure the order is correct and second it helps to embed it temporarily into your gray matter. People also like hearing the words they say repeated back to them, so it makes your charisma value increase. It’s kind of like someone commanding you and you agreeing with them, it makes people feel good.
In my humble opinion, if you have a good memory, you will make a better bartender. Not only will it allow you to do your job more efficiently, but it will also increase your tips. When a person walks into a bar and the bartender greats them by name, asks if they would like their regular drink, or offers them something from a previous conversation, that makes the customer feel important. The customer will also tip better than if the bartenders doesn’t remember anything about them. All of these points deal with memory, the ability to memorize drinks, names, previous conversations and spirit preferences. For many things, like peoples names, beer brands and cocktails recipes, you want that information to be embedded in what is sometimes referred to as “Intelligent Memory”. Intelligent Memory is made up of connections between other memories, whether they are thoughts, images, experiences, skills, or pieces of knowledge. A good example of this is how many bartenders have been taught to remember a drink. For example: Black Russian (Vodka & Kahlua) is the easy starting point. Now to make a White Russian it’s a Black Russian with Milk. Now to make a Paralyzer it’s a White Russian with Coke. And a Brown Cow is a White Russian without Vodka. These types of relations ships can be done for many drinks. This is also the type of memory that allows you to make a drink without really thinking about it. If someone orders a Perfect Manhattan, up with a twist you should instinctively know what to do. It takes some practice to do this, but to be a great bartender you need to avoid referring to a book or pestering the other bartenders.The other important type of memory to work on is your short term memory, which is what allows you to use your brain like a note pad. Basically, when someone orders a round of drinks, you should be able to commit the whole order to memory. Your ability to remember ten drink requests will make your job easier, impress your customers and increase your speed and efficiency. You can be the fastest drink pourer on the planet, but if you can only remember two drinks at a time, you won’t be as very efficient. Improving Your MemoryThe best way to improve your memory is to expose yourself to new ideas and new experiences. This is a general way to keep your brain in shape. Like muscles, your brain needs to be used to keep it healthy. Talk and read about things that aren’t in your normal routine. Debate with people, read the newspaper, not just the comics, and do mind building puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku. Every little thing that makes your brain active is a good start.One of the tricks to memorizing other things is to make connections. For example the cocktail connection example showed you how to connect one drink to another, this can be done with names, but in a slightly different way. If you meet someone named Robert, and you have a friend named Robert, you can make a connection by thinking about the two people. When the customer comes in the following week and you can’t remember his name, but for some reason a picture of your friend Robert pops up in your head, you’ll remember his name. There are other ways, such as memorizing a room and then relating people and places to the items in the room.Repeat things you learn. When a server or customers calls an order, repeat them back to the server / customer. First it makes sure the order is correct and second it helps to embed it temporarily into your gray matter. People also like hearing the words they say repeated back to them, so it makes your charisma value increase. It’s kind of like someone commanding you and you agreeing with them, it makes people feel good.
1. The term "quality drink" never crossed your mind, people only drink to get drunk, right?
2. To make a great drink requires the use of 151 proof rum.
3. Pissing off the servers is your nightly entertainment.
4. Running the dishwasher without soap doesn't concern you.
5. You jam bottles into the ice bin and scoop ice with the glass.
6. You think the floor drain is the equivalent of a sink so you dump your shaker on the floor
.7. You decide that short pouring is good because it makes the bar more money
.9. You think expiry dates on juices and milk are guidelines.
10. The only reason you become a bartender is for free booze and cheap girls.
11. When someone tips poorly you assume you did nothing wrong and that the guest is an asshole.
12. You think sour mix is a direct substitute for real lemon or lime juice.
13. You don't know what bitters are.
14. You huff and sigh when somebody orders a drink you don't like.
15. Your theory on drink making is: more sugar equals better drink
16. When somebody orders a $100 snifter of cognac you expect a $20 tip.
17. You don't know what a snifter is
.18. Washing your cocktail shakers is done once, at the end of your shift.
19. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the opposite gender.
20. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the same gender.
21. Your breasts are more important to making tips than your brain.
22. When asked about a cocktail on the menu, you read from the menu to give the answer.
23. You think Rose's lime, sour mix and lime juice combine to make a better drink.
24. You haven't washed your work cloths for weeks and just leave them under the bar.
25. The blender is your favourite bar tool.
26. Sticking your finger in a drink to taste it doesn't concern you.
27. You use your hands as ice scoops
28. You wash your hands once per shift, at the end of the night
.29. Using a three day old slimy lemon wedges doesn't raise an alarm bell.
30. You spend more time talking to the servers than the guests at the bar
.31. Everything you talk about has sexual connotations.
32. You call in sick because you have another hangover
.33. You drop limes on the floor and can't be bothered to wash them.
34. You think the bar is your personal stock and drink whenever you feel like.
35. Getting drunk or high, while working, is normal.
36. You put a lime garnish on single malt scotch.
37. The only drinks you know have sexual names.
38. A 60 year old lady asks for a nice cocktail and you server her a 1-800-Fuck-Me-Up
.39. You break a glass in the ice well and decide it’s nothing to worry about
.40. You strain fruit flies out of the liquor and put said filtered liquor back on the shelf.
41. You carry around a fly swatter and kill flies while people eat.
42. When it gets really busy, you go for a smoke.
43. You chastize people for their drink orders.
44. You "borrow indefinitely" from the till to pay for your rent.
45. You make "good strong drinks" for people without charging appropriately.
46. You fish fruit flies out of the draught beer with the tip of a straw.
47. You treat your bar-back like dirt, but expect exemplary service
48. The solution to every problem is: just add bitters
49. You develop a "god complex" just because you are a bartender
50. You think you are an elite bartender and ignore guests request because you think you know better than they do. Please feel free to add to the list by posting a comment. I'm sure I could do another 50 if I really thought about it.
2. To make a great drink requires the use of 151 proof rum.
3. Pissing off the servers is your nightly entertainment.
4. Running the dishwasher without soap doesn't concern you.
5. You jam bottles into the ice bin and scoop ice with the glass.
6. You think the floor drain is the equivalent of a sink so you dump your shaker on the floor
.7. You decide that short pouring is good because it makes the bar more money
.9. You think expiry dates on juices and milk are guidelines.
10. The only reason you become a bartender is for free booze and cheap girls.
11. When someone tips poorly you assume you did nothing wrong and that the guest is an asshole.
12. You think sour mix is a direct substitute for real lemon or lime juice.
13. You don't know what bitters are.
14. You huff and sigh when somebody orders a drink you don't like.
15. Your theory on drink making is: more sugar equals better drink
16. When somebody orders a $100 snifter of cognac you expect a $20 tip.
17. You don't know what a snifter is
.18. Washing your cocktail shakers is done once, at the end of your shift.
19. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the opposite gender.
20. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the same gender.
21. Your breasts are more important to making tips than your brain.
22. When asked about a cocktail on the menu, you read from the menu to give the answer.
23. You think Rose's lime, sour mix and lime juice combine to make a better drink.
24. You haven't washed your work cloths for weeks and just leave them under the bar.
25. The blender is your favourite bar tool.
26. Sticking your finger in a drink to taste it doesn't concern you.
27. You use your hands as ice scoops
28. You wash your hands once per shift, at the end of the night
.29. Using a three day old slimy lemon wedges doesn't raise an alarm bell.
30. You spend more time talking to the servers than the guests at the bar
.31. Everything you talk about has sexual connotations.
32. You call in sick because you have another hangover
.33. You drop limes on the floor and can't be bothered to wash them.
34. You think the bar is your personal stock and drink whenever you feel like.
35. Getting drunk or high, while working, is normal.
36. You put a lime garnish on single malt scotch.
37. The only drinks you know have sexual names.
38. A 60 year old lady asks for a nice cocktail and you server her a 1-800-Fuck-Me-Up
.39. You break a glass in the ice well and decide it’s nothing to worry about
.40. You strain fruit flies out of the liquor and put said filtered liquor back on the shelf.
41. You carry around a fly swatter and kill flies while people eat.
42. When it gets really busy, you go for a smoke.
43. You chastize people for their drink orders.
44. You "borrow indefinitely" from the till to pay for your rent.
45. You make "good strong drinks" for people without charging appropriately.
46. You fish fruit flies out of the draught beer with the tip of a straw.
47. You treat your bar-back like dirt, but expect exemplary service
48. The solution to every problem is: just add bitters
49. You develop a "god complex" just because you are a bartender
50. You think you are an elite bartender and ignore guests request because you think you know better than they do. Please feel free to add to the list by posting a comment. I'm sure I could do another 50 if I really thought about it.
darcy o neil - first experience (best bartender of uk)
It was December 4th, 2004 and my first bartending shift started at 6PM, so I was told to be there by 5:30PM to help the other bartender setup. Being my first shift I was excited, of course, but I also wanted to be prepared. I packed up a bunch of my bar tools including the Boston shaker, a couple of pour spouts, a bottle opener, a tip jar and a corkscrew. I also brought $35 in bills and change for no particular reason, aside from maybe “seeding” the tip jar. I could of just shown up, a reputable catering company would provide everything and the night should be a breeze, right?
I arrived 10 minutes early at 5:20PM just to make a good impression. I wondered around the building (London’s Old City Hall which looks like an old castle) until I found the room where all the action was happening. I introduced myself to some young kid carrying a big pot of soup. The kid seemed really enthusiastic about his job and jumped at the chance to help me. He showed me where the bar was and introduced me to the head server. The head server said the other bartender would be along shortly, with the rest of the stock and stuff, but I could setup the bar.
Now I’ve never setup a bar at this point, but I have enough life experience to use commonsense. It really couldn’t be any harder then setting up a lab. I started getting the bar organized when I realized most of the alcohol hadn’t arrived yet. There were only two cases of “Lucky Lager” which is a cheap budget brew, along with another case of Coors Light. There was no wine, there was no liquor and there was no other beer. I found two jugs of cranberry juice, some orange juice concentrate and the cans of pop so I just focussed on getting that stuff into some ice bins to cool it off.
The clock kept ticking and it was now 5:45PM, no other bartender, no tools, no cash float and no stock. Maybe they were running late because there was a line up at the liquor store or something. So I waited, and waited, and waited. At about 5:55PM guests started to arrive for “cocktail hour” and I didn’t have anything to make cocktails, let alone serve a glass of wine. I went to the head server and asked what was going on? Not surprisingly she didn’t know. I asked her if she could call someone because I only have three cases of beer , no money to make change, and I’m the only bartender. She was too busy, so I located the enthusiastic “soup boy” and asked him what he knew. He knew he was suppose to dole out the soup 1930's famine style and that was about it, but he did know the managers phone number. Well “soup boy” get on the phone and find out what was going on! Being the enthusiastic type, he found a phone made the call and talked to the manager.
Listening in on the phone call I got the distinct impression that there was trouble on the horizon. When “soup boy” got off the phone I was told that the other bartender was bringing everything, but other than that the manager had no additional knowledge. Bummer. Anyway it was past 6PM and people were milling about the bar waiting for drinks. So I jumped behind the bar and repeated the nights mantra; “the other bartender is coming with the stuff”. But I realized people wanted to drink, so I offered what I had in my most charming way. So people started drinking the Lucky Lager and the Coors Light. Now I didn’t even know the pricing for the beer so I intercepted the head server again and asked what the prices were, she was busy, but I persisted. She whipped off a couple prices from a previous event, they seemed in the ball park so I went with them.
Remember that $35 dollars in money I just happened to bring along, well that was what I started to use as change and the tip jar became the register. It started off slow, but people kept arriving and wanting drinks, this was Christmas season and “tying one on” at the yearly party was an annual event for most. The line up got longer, the only thing I had was beer and the other bartender was nowhere to be found. But I kept going, doing my best sales job for good old Lucky Lager.
At about 6:30PM most of the guest had arrived, my change was turning into larger denomination and the guests and I had a community effort going to try to keep the bills small and my “sticky note” register was getting unmanageable. At this point I excused myself for a minute and jumped in front of the head server and asked where the bartender and booze were. She didn’t know, so I told her to do something about it. She called “soup boy” over and told him to call the manager and tell him what was going on. I jumped behind the bar and continued my best bartender impression. “Just keep smiling, cracking witty jokes and everything will be OK” is what kept going through my head. And for the most part it was working.
At about 6:45PM “soup boy” ran over and said the manager brought some inventory and needed help unloading it. So I again excused my self with an announcement that the booze had arrive, to a great cheer, and that I’d be right back. I went outside and started to unload a late 1980's Trans Am that was acting as the transport vehicle. At this point not much was surprising me.
Now the bar was stocked, kind of, and the booze started flowing to the thirsty masses. The problem was there were 320 of them, one of me. I kicked it into high gear and started free pouring, sans pouring spouts, just to make up for the crappy service the catering company was providing. Things were looking better.
Then about 15 minutes later a cash float arrived with a girl who was a server at another of the catering companies events, across the street, who had some bartending experience. Well one day of bartending experience beat my bartending experience, so the help was greatly appreciated.
We ended up working well together, the guest were a good group, so they took it in stride and had fun with it. We had a few more problems throughout the night including running out of wine just before the main course was served, but managed to get a few bottles from across the street. The girl I was working with dumped a whole bottle of Mott’s Clamato on herself and her white servers shirt, we all laughed. She made a Screwdriver with the orange juice concentrate and vodka, yummy. But things started to smooth out and it turned into a good party.
The highlight of the night was at about 12:30PM when thing were starting to slow down and a gentleman came to the bar. He looked to be between 45 and 50 and fairly affluent. He ordered a drink and asked how long I had been bartending? I reply that tonight was my first night, with a big smile. He laughed and said that I did a great job and that I’d make a good bartender. He then stated that he use to work as a bartender at the Playboy Club in Chicago, so I took his compliments as high praise. This fellow bartender didn’t brag or offer any advice, he was very classy, and we just had a good conversation about the nights events. so I believed what he said to be true and still do. I’m usually a pretty good judge of people and this guy wasn’t pulling my leg. After ten minutes he said he had to go, dropped a twenty in the tip jar, and reiterated that I performed very well, considering the circumstances, and that I’d do well behind the stick.
My first night as a bartender could have been the worse bartending experience ever, but it actually turned out to be one of the most memorable. I was lucky that I came prepared with my own tools, some money which allowed me to get the ball rolling while the catering company got their act together and a whole lot of common sense. The guest had a good time because we all laughed at the situation, instead of complaining. A smile and some witty humour go a long way. And best of all, I received an inspiring compliment from a fellow bartender. Who knows, if it wasn’t for that compliment, I may not have kept on bartending, so thanks to the mysterious bartender for that compliment.
“Soup Boy” did a great job and everyone loved the soup. However, he ended up hovering around the bar, at the end of the night, being my new best friend, but that’s OK, it was a good night so I made him a drink, on the house, for a job well done.
I arrived 10 minutes early at 5:20PM just to make a good impression. I wondered around the building (London’s Old City Hall which looks like an old castle) until I found the room where all the action was happening. I introduced myself to some young kid carrying a big pot of soup. The kid seemed really enthusiastic about his job and jumped at the chance to help me. He showed me where the bar was and introduced me to the head server. The head server said the other bartender would be along shortly, with the rest of the stock and stuff, but I could setup the bar.
Now I’ve never setup a bar at this point, but I have enough life experience to use commonsense. It really couldn’t be any harder then setting up a lab. I started getting the bar organized when I realized most of the alcohol hadn’t arrived yet. There were only two cases of “Lucky Lager” which is a cheap budget brew, along with another case of Coors Light. There was no wine, there was no liquor and there was no other beer. I found two jugs of cranberry juice, some orange juice concentrate and the cans of pop so I just focussed on getting that stuff into some ice bins to cool it off.
The clock kept ticking and it was now 5:45PM, no other bartender, no tools, no cash float and no stock. Maybe they were running late because there was a line up at the liquor store or something. So I waited, and waited, and waited. At about 5:55PM guests started to arrive for “cocktail hour” and I didn’t have anything to make cocktails, let alone serve a glass of wine. I went to the head server and asked what was going on? Not surprisingly she didn’t know. I asked her if she could call someone because I only have three cases of beer , no money to make change, and I’m the only bartender. She was too busy, so I located the enthusiastic “soup boy” and asked him what he knew. He knew he was suppose to dole out the soup 1930's famine style and that was about it, but he did know the managers phone number. Well “soup boy” get on the phone and find out what was going on! Being the enthusiastic type, he found a phone made the call and talked to the manager.
Listening in on the phone call I got the distinct impression that there was trouble on the horizon. When “soup boy” got off the phone I was told that the other bartender was bringing everything, but other than that the manager had no additional knowledge. Bummer. Anyway it was past 6PM and people were milling about the bar waiting for drinks. So I jumped behind the bar and repeated the nights mantra; “the other bartender is coming with the stuff”. But I realized people wanted to drink, so I offered what I had in my most charming way. So people started drinking the Lucky Lager and the Coors Light. Now I didn’t even know the pricing for the beer so I intercepted the head server again and asked what the prices were, she was busy, but I persisted. She whipped off a couple prices from a previous event, they seemed in the ball park so I went with them.
Remember that $35 dollars in money I just happened to bring along, well that was what I started to use as change and the tip jar became the register. It started off slow, but people kept arriving and wanting drinks, this was Christmas season and “tying one on” at the yearly party was an annual event for most. The line up got longer, the only thing I had was beer and the other bartender was nowhere to be found. But I kept going, doing my best sales job for good old Lucky Lager.
At about 6:30PM most of the guest had arrived, my change was turning into larger denomination and the guests and I had a community effort going to try to keep the bills small and my “sticky note” register was getting unmanageable. At this point I excused myself for a minute and jumped in front of the head server and asked where the bartender and booze were. She didn’t know, so I told her to do something about it. She called “soup boy” over and told him to call the manager and tell him what was going on. I jumped behind the bar and continued my best bartender impression. “Just keep smiling, cracking witty jokes and everything will be OK” is what kept going through my head. And for the most part it was working.
At about 6:45PM “soup boy” ran over and said the manager brought some inventory and needed help unloading it. So I again excused my self with an announcement that the booze had arrive, to a great cheer, and that I’d be right back. I went outside and started to unload a late 1980's Trans Am that was acting as the transport vehicle. At this point not much was surprising me.
Now the bar was stocked, kind of, and the booze started flowing to the thirsty masses. The problem was there were 320 of them, one of me. I kicked it into high gear and started free pouring, sans pouring spouts, just to make up for the crappy service the catering company was providing. Things were looking better.
Then about 15 minutes later a cash float arrived with a girl who was a server at another of the catering companies events, across the street, who had some bartending experience. Well one day of bartending experience beat my bartending experience, so the help was greatly appreciated.
We ended up working well together, the guest were a good group, so they took it in stride and had fun with it. We had a few more problems throughout the night including running out of wine just before the main course was served, but managed to get a few bottles from across the street. The girl I was working with dumped a whole bottle of Mott’s Clamato on herself and her white servers shirt, we all laughed. She made a Screwdriver with the orange juice concentrate and vodka, yummy. But things started to smooth out and it turned into a good party.
The highlight of the night was at about 12:30PM when thing were starting to slow down and a gentleman came to the bar. He looked to be between 45 and 50 and fairly affluent. He ordered a drink and asked how long I had been bartending? I reply that tonight was my first night, with a big smile. He laughed and said that I did a great job and that I’d make a good bartender. He then stated that he use to work as a bartender at the Playboy Club in Chicago, so I took his compliments as high praise. This fellow bartender didn’t brag or offer any advice, he was very classy, and we just had a good conversation about the nights events. so I believed what he said to be true and still do. I’m usually a pretty good judge of people and this guy wasn’t pulling my leg. After ten minutes he said he had to go, dropped a twenty in the tip jar, and reiterated that I performed very well, considering the circumstances, and that I’d do well behind the stick.
My first night as a bartender could have been the worse bartending experience ever, but it actually turned out to be one of the most memorable. I was lucky that I came prepared with my own tools, some money which allowed me to get the ball rolling while the catering company got their act together and a whole lot of common sense. The guest had a good time because we all laughed at the situation, instead of complaining. A smile and some witty humour go a long way. And best of all, I received an inspiring compliment from a fellow bartender. Who knows, if it wasn’t for that compliment, I may not have kept on bartending, so thanks to the mysterious bartender for that compliment.
“Soup Boy” did a great job and everyone loved the soup. However, he ended up hovering around the bar, at the end of the night, being my new best friend, but that’s OK, it was a good night so I made him a drink, on the house, for a job well done.
Monday, August 4, 2008
taj around the world
TAJ AROUND THE WORLD
AMERICA
AMERICA
NEW YORK
THE PIERRE
BOSTON
TAJ BOSTON
SAN FRANCISCO
CAMPTON PALACE
AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
BLUE SYDNEY
U.K
LONDON
51 BUCKINGHAM GATE
CROWNE PLAZA LONDON ST.JAMES
UAE
DUBAI
TAJ PALACE HOTEL
MALAYSIA
LANGKAWI
REBAK ISLAND RESORT
INDIAN OCEAN
BENTOTA
TAJ EXOTICA
COLOMBO
AIRPORT GARDEN HOTEL
TAJ SAMUDRA
MALDIVES
TAJ CORAL REEF
TAJ EXOTICA
MAURITIUS
TAJ EXOTICA
ZAMBIA
LUSAKA
TAJ PAMODZI
BHUTAN
THIMPU
TAJ TASHI
AMERICA
AMERICA
NEW YORK
THE PIERRE
BOSTON
TAJ BOSTON
SAN FRANCISCO
CAMPTON PALACE
AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
BLUE SYDNEY
U.K
LONDON
51 BUCKINGHAM GATE
CROWNE PLAZA LONDON ST.JAMES
UAE
DUBAI
TAJ PALACE HOTEL
MALAYSIA
LANGKAWI
REBAK ISLAND RESORT
INDIAN OCEAN
BENTOTA
TAJ EXOTICA
COLOMBO
AIRPORT GARDEN HOTEL
TAJ SAMUDRA
MALDIVES
TAJ CORAL REEF
TAJ EXOTICA
MAURITIUS
TAJ EXOTICA
ZAMBIA
LUSAKA
TAJ PAMODZI
BHUTAN
THIMPU
TAJ TASHI
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