Drink Fraction Mnemonics and More – How to Memorize MORE (COMPLEX) Drink Recipes FASTER
BartenderLifeJune 29, 2021
More on Drink Mnemonics and Bartending.
This video covers drink recipe memorization focusing in on how to associate fractions of ounces to ingredients in a list. Bartenders once shared a LOT of methods with druggists in the 1800s and early 1900’s because they were always preparing “compounds” made of various precise amounts of different drugs combined. Of course we were mostly (mostly! but not always!) preparing drinks using various alcohols in combinations – but we also prepared our own various flavored liqueurs, bitters, syrups, and so forth, because “store bought” didn’t exist.
Today we don’t do as much of that today, though some bars actually are getting back to our American roots and producing amazing products themselves, in-house.
What we DO though, that is the same, is make many various drinks that fall slightly outside of character and category where we’re putting in a lot of ingredients in varying exact amounts that we must memorize precisely if we wish to remain true to the drink’s original recipe.
I’d like to thank Dr. Anthony Metivier for his inspiration when he compared visiting memorized material (in a “Memory Palace”, in his description) to a Stage Director of a play, where things can be worked on and improved each time to make the associations stronger, more personal, and more varied.
Site Author, David J. Curtis: David Curtis, a seasoned professional with decades of bartending and bar management experience began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife club scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in iconic Midtown clubs and tended bar briefly in the Wall Street area, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa in Exclusive Platinum Service Awards Clubs, 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.
