Bartender Basic Knowledge

BARTENDER’S MANUAL

Bartender
A bartender is a skilled technician, a sales person, an entertainer and a clever manager of people. It is a demanding job and hence demands a special type of person. The bartenders stay at our jobs because they also have a chance to touch people’s lives every day. A bartender’s job is to help create a good experience for customers.

Mixologist
Mixology has become a more common used term in recent years and is generally accepted to be a refined, higher study of mixing cocktails and drinks than the everyday actions of bartender.

A bartender needs to have a variety of skills which are highly important and some that the mixologist may not develop or use on a regular basis. In general a bartender needs to know a lot of common and popular cocktails, serve many people at once, think quickly and be the ultimate people person. The mixologist tends to focus on the art and craft of mixing cocktails, studying the classics, concocting new and exotic drinks, experimenting with lesser known distilled spirits and mixers, and, overall, pushing the limits of classic bartending.

Flair bartending
Flair bartending is a style of bartending that has been around for over a century now, but has gained a lot of popularity over the past two decades.
It involves bartenders who are not only prepped to be able to serve and mix drinks, but are also trained for flair contests in which they can showcase a strong variety of skills and impressive showmanship.
These flair bartending performances incorporate flipping, juggling, pouring, and many other types of movements that make for very impressive acts, which are choreographed

ATTITUDE OF BARTENDER

1. Have a Good Attitude
This is the hospitality industry and every bartender needs to remember that. To be successful you need to keep a good attitude, no matter how bad your day is going, and treat every customer the same. Simple things like a smile and greeting when a patron sits down and thanking them when they leave can make the biggest impressions.

2. Keep the Bar Clean
Nothing says unprofessional bartender (or one who simply doesn’t care) more than a dirty bar. Use clean bar towels to wipe down the bar top anytime you see water or spills. Keep the bar back straightened by putting bottles back where you got them right away. Dispose of empty glasses, straw wrappers, napkins and other garbage as soon as you see it. Replace cocktail napkins regularly. These seemingly little things make a great impression and can often be done when you’re headed back to the tap empty handed. You’ll probably hear it from the boss too, but it’s true: “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”

3. Make Suggestions
This is one of the things that will tip customers off that you care about their experience. If you see a woman perusing the cocktail menu for 5 minutes, make a suggestion. If a couple sits down and look indecisive, make a suggestion. When you are greeting someone, set a cocktail napkin on the bar and tell them about that day’s drink specials. If you have a regular come in who gets the same thing every time try suggesting something similar, or offer the same drink with that new spirit you just got in stock. Eight times out of ten the customer is going to take your advice because you are an expert and they will show you their gratitude.

4. Memory, Memory, Memory
You are going to have waitresses yelling for drink order after drink order, drinkers at the bar who hate to see empty glasses in front of them, and about 20 things that you have to check the stock on. A good short memory of a bartender is one of the keys to success and to keeping a busy bar under control. You should be able to retain multiple drink orders and associate them within the party so they go out together, recall what each of the people at the bar is drinking for the next round, and remember the names (and possibly other personal details) of your regulars along with what drinks they prefer. Also, have a good stock of drinks in your memory banks, beginning with the most popular and any local favorites.

5. Anticipate, Anticipate, Anticipate
As a bartender you need to be aware of everything in your bar and be prepared. How is your stock of lemons and limes? Do you need clean glasses or beer restocked? Is the keg or ice bin getting low? What about the drinks at the bar? If you see a customer’s drink getting down to the last few sips, ask if they want another. If you anticipate the needs of the bar everything will go nice and smooth (hopefully).

6. Be Fair
It is human nature to give preferential treatment to one person over another, but a bartender has to drop that habit. You should be showing the same amount of care and attention to everyone at your bar, old friend and newcomer alike. Avoid getting into a deep conversation with one patron and not scanning the rest of the bar for drinks that need to be filled, napkins that need to be replaced and tabs that need to be cashed in. If you ignore one person that tip will reflect the neglect.

7. Be Honest
Every person who walks through the door is entrusting you, as the bartender, with a good experience and one of the worst things you can do is to break that trust. Under pouring and overcharging will quickly get you a very bad reputation that might cost your job and possibly impact future prospects in the area. Inflating tabs for money in your own pocket or a drink for a friend is purely unacceptable and unprofessional.

8. Don’t Fixate on Tips
It is true, in the bar your tips will probably make up the majority of your income. However, if you are obsessed about everyone giving you the best (or even customary 15-20%) gratuity every time then it will show on your face. If a customer leaves a dollar on the bar after ordering 3 mixed drinks in 2 hours and you give a look of disgust, other patrons will notice and their perception of you will not be favorable. Take the tips you are given, do your best every time and the pay will add up. Some people are just stingy and you can’t help that. Also, don’t “beg” for tips, this is simply bad etiquette.

9. Card, Card, Card
It is your responsibility to make sure everyone drinking in your bar is of legal age to do so. If you have even the slightest question that someone is 25, ask for their ID. It’s a simple question that will save you a lot of hassle if they are underage. At first you may not think this a customer service issue, but it ensures that everyone at the bar is having a good, legal time. Consequences for serving a minor are severe, can cost you and the business a lot of money, and likely your job. Younger drinkers will often get offended at this request; counter that by simply explaining it is a part of your job. For older people who look just a little too young, this can often be flattering, especially for women in their late 20’s and early 30’s.

10. Most of All, Be Professional
All of the points above allude to this point, but it is important for you to project a professional attitude and appearance. Customers will trust you and come back again if they had a great experience. Keeping the conversations friendly, wearing clean clothes appropriate for the establishment and maintaining a professional attitude will create an environment patrons and management will appreciate. Bartending is a profession and even if you are using it as a temporary gig to get through college, you need to treat it as such. Most of all have fun as it will show.

QUALITY OF BARTENDER

1. Personality
2. Good grooming
3. Great memory
4. Product knowledge
5. Fast and efficient
6. Skills and talent
7. Physical Strength
8. Good eye contact
9. Pouring ability
10. Be creative and think different than normal bartenders
11. Remember your regular client’s drinks
12. Entertain your guests
13. Responsibility, Honesty, politeness, patience, friendly, be professional.
14. Courteous, salesmanship
15. Positive attitude
16. Should know flair

BARMAN’S DUTY

Opening of a Bar

1. Check the cleanliness or clean the area and sanitized before opening.
2. Check all the electrical equipment before opening, Ex. AC, Bulb, Ice Machine, Draught beer machine, Refrigerator, washing machine.
3. Maintain Log Book Log sheets, check par stock or otherwise indent.
4. Misce-en-place checks the F.P.
5. Make sure the beers are chilled and the cold spirits and soft drinks needed are cold.
6. Open all the juice boxes to check it is good or bad.
7. Everyday check all the perishable items.
8. Clean the syrup bottles and al the alcohol bottles.
9. Never mix the old juice boxes with the new juice boxes.

Closing Procedure of Bar

1. Keep all the bottles in their proper places line in liquor cabinet and lock it.
2. Clean all the Bar tools, wipe down the Bar including the Bar Station.
3. Drain and wipe of the Ice bin, sinks.
4. Turn off Light and other electrical things, close the shutter lock the Bar before clean and wipe the floor.
5. Clean, wash, wipe the glasses.
6. The ash trays and the bar tables etc.
7. Cling firm all the garnishes.
8. Dusters should all be washed.
9. Make requisitions for the next day.
10. See the average consumption and what has to be ordered.
11. Check the CO2, the draught beer and the kegs.
12. Fill the FLR report everyday.

BAR

Bar in modernized terms means “Beverage Associated revenue”, to some it also means “Beverage and Refreshing”. It is a place where alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks are served over with a counter which acts as a barrier between the counter and display. It requires permit or license for the operation. Bars are often the focal point of restaurants and the most revenue generating department of the hotel.
Tavern eventually became the Bar. The Bar was the immediately descendent of the saloon a term that was coined at the start of the 15th century to define the room reserved for drinking that was set apart from dining room. At that time the word Bar referred to the item of furniture on which the drinks were prepared. In other word the counter which often had a bar running along its front. And it only superseded the term saloon at the end of the nineteenth century.

TYPES OF BAR

1. Front bar-also called public bar. In front bar, a bartender serve the public face to face and affords maximum customers interaction between barman and guest. It can be more up market, stylish more lavish. it may or may not provide entertainment.

2. Service bar-also called as dispense bar. it refers to a bar that pours drinks(against order),which serves pick-up and deliver to customer and elsewhere.eg-poolside, guestroom, table in the restaurant. Service bar area designed for efficiency and economy of service. The emphasis on functional ambience and not on decorative ambience.

3. Mini bars-also reoffered as “in house bar” , it is a refrigerator cabinet placed inside the guest rooms for the consumption of the occupant of the room.
Miniature single serving liqueur bottles pints of beer, cans of soft drinks, also stock with assorted snacks like nuts, wafers, cookies, chocolates. The responsibilities of this mini bars(refilling, charging and inventory)lie with a term of f&b service personnel i.e. room service. Electronic sensor in the cabinet.

4. Crash bars or portable bars-these are bars that are designed for maximum flexibility and can be use for beverage sale and service associated with guest activities anywhere in hotel or on its ground, crash bars or portable bar takes form of mobile trolleys built to specification. When crash bars are used. These are given a par stock from the main bar that has a fully accounted from in terms of sale and returns at the end of the event.

5. Lounge bar and saloon– lounge bars in public house or hotel have a more luxurious ambience, are more comfortably furnished, and more expensive than typical bar shave comprehensive beverage list, and serve complementary snacks.

6. Sunken bar-a novel architectural concept in which a bar counters is built into the middle of the swimming pool. In other words it is sunken (immersed) and surrounded by water on all sides. 7. Wine bars-these are bar that offers a wide range of wine and wine based mixed drinks which a guest may order by glass, carafe or bottle. The typical food offering are fruits, chesses trays and hors oeuvres specialties.

8. Beer bars– these bar stocks and serves only beer and beer based drinks they would have to carry variety of different style (stout, porter, ale, lager, pilsner etc)

9. Cocktail bars– the term cocktail bar is used to describe a full service bar serving and entire of alcoholic and non alcoholic but specialized in cocktail and mixed drinks.

10. Captains bar– another form of host bar is the captain’s bar, which is self service or make your own drink bar, not attended by a barman the whole and the banquet supervisor inventory the bar before and after the party and the consumption is determined for charging.

10. Cash bar– also called no host bar,COD (cash on delivery) or alcarte table.

METHOD OF MIXING DRINKS

Shaken: Shaking not only mixes a drink, it also chills and dilutes it. The dilution is as important to the resulting cocktail as using the right proportions of each ingredient. If you use too little ice it will quickly melt in the shaker, producing an over-diluted cocktail – so always fill your shaker at least two-thirds full of fresh ice. Losing your grip while shaking will make an embarrassing mess and could cause injury. Always hold the shaker with two hands and never shake fizzy ingredients.

Stirred: If a cocktail recipe calls for you to ‘stir with ice and strain’, stir in a mixing glass using a bar spoon with a twisted stem. Place ice and ingredients into the missing glass. Slide the back of the spoon down the inside of the mixing glass and twirl gently between thumb and finger. The spoon will rotate inside the mixing glass, gently stirring the drink. Strain the drink into a glass using a coil Rimmed Hawthorne strainer or the top of a standard shaker if you are using a standard shaker. Some bartenders prefer to use the flat end of a bar spoon to stir a drink. Simply place the flat ends on top of the ice in the mixing glass and start to stir, working the spoon down the drink as you go.

Blended: When a cocktail recipe calls for you to ‘blend with ice’, place ingredients and ice into a blender and blend until a smooth, even consistency is achieved. Ideally you should use crushed ice, as this lessens wear on the blender’s blades. You should place liquid ingredients in the blender first, adding ice and/or ice cream last. If you have a variable speed blender, always start slow and build up.

Muddled: Muddling means pummeling fruits, herbs and spices with a muddler so as to crush and release juices and oils. As when using a pestle and mortar, push down on the muddler with a twisting action. Only attempt to muddle in the base of a shaker or a suitably sturdy glass. Never attempt to muddle hard, unripe fruits in a glass as the pressure required could break the glass and cause injury. I have witnessed a bartender slash his hand open on a broken glass while muddling and can’t over-emphasize how careful youshouldbe.

Layered: As the name would suggest, layered drinks include layers of different ingredients, often with contrasting colors. The effect is achieved by carefully pouring each ingredient into the glass so that it floats on its predecessor.

Built up : The term ‘build drink’ refers to making a cocktail by combining the ingredients in the glass in which the cocktail will be served.