Somebody asked, “What did you do to improve your Bartending skills? How did you get better at your craft?”
What did I do, and what do I continue to do to be a better bartender?
Reading, learning, and Practice. Demanding more of myself. More speed, higher volume, but improved quality.
Being clean. Always wiping bottles down, wiping the bar down, polishing glasses, organizing, prepping for the next rush. Look Sharp!
Get a manicure! Fitted shirts. Look sharp, and wear good quality, comfortable shoes with plenty of support, and have a spare to change into on break for cool comfortable feet all shift, for more smiles, tips, and a better attitude.
Make your DRINKS look sharp!
Hand selecting the best fruits for garnishes. No blemishes. Juicy limes and lemons for squeezing (they sink in water). Sharp knife!
Keep a Kit!
Bring my own various bitters, falernum, orange flower water, orgeat. Keep a full kit of highest quality toys affordable; mine is now the size of a large wheeled suitcase: strainers, smoker, caviar maker, iSi Whipper, Lewis Bag, short shakes, everything I might need for any specific job stored safely, locked away to do a better job when required.
Study drink recipes!
When it’s busy, and a mix of national and international drinkers ranging from their 20’s to their 70’s are jamming the bar ordering Radlers, to Sex on my Face, to Singapore Slings, to Lemon Drops, and Colorado Bulldogs – know them1; wet hands, cell phones, and crowds 5 deep don’t mix! There’s no time dry off constantly to look things up!
Site Author, David Jonathan Curtis: David Jonathan Curtis, a seasoned professional in his fifth decade of bartending and bar management, began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in both iconic Midtown clubs and Wall Street bars, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.
Footnotes 👇
- Memorizing drinks is now easier than EVER for me. I started out using “The Major System” of Mnemonics when I was a teenager.
There’s a lot more to it that I’ve added incrementally over the decades since I was 17, and a NEW METHOD I created just for bartending!
For the most part when we learn drinks we’re learning a list (of ingredients) but we’re also learning HOW MUCH of each thing IN the list. Bummer – that gets complicated really fast! … Except with my new addition to Mnemonics for Bartending. <<< Visit that link if you want to find out more. 🙂 [↩]
