Professional bartending is a fast-paced, rewarding career with a unique set of skill requirements and risks. When considering this as a career choice for yourself, be sure to first research whether your area has a large enough demand for bartenders.
You will also need to evaluate your experience level, and determine whether you will need further bartending training to be successful. Make sure you know the risks and benefits of the profession as well, before either looking for a bartending job, if you have the experience, or deciding to attend a bartending school in your area.
There are different schools of thought as to what qualifies a good barkeep. Some say that when bartending professionally, the most important qualification is the individual’s social skill set. Others suggest that bartenders are at their best if they have a friendly yet humorous and sometimes flirtatious attitude towards their patrons. After all drink tends to make folk, more sociable and they often look to the bartender to share in conversation and joke around with them. Psychologically, a customer who thinks that the bartender is one of them will typically tip far more generously than to one that is seen as not joining in with their banter. Since your income as a bartender heavily depends on the tips given by customers, it is important for you to develop a good rapport with your customers.
Having a good memory is another important qualification of being a bartender. A good barmen or barmaid will generally be able to remember customer orders without having to write everything down. In addition, they will be able to mix the vast majority of drinks without having to resort to a mixed drinks recipe book. The ability to instantly recall the steps and ingredients required to make any drink the customer orders is the sign of a successful bartender.
If you are a female bartender, then walking the fine line between friendly and over friendly can be enormous. While it is important to have that unique personality many experienced bartenders are known for, being too flirtatious with men who have been drinking can be very dangerous. Due to the late hours when bars close, the poor lighting in most parking lots, and the state of mind of many of the patrons, it is often recommended that bar employees do not walk alone to their vehicles. Many bar managers and owners make it their policy to escort barmaids to their vehicles.
It is also important to keep an eye on customers while they are in the establishment. Bartenders need to keep mental notes on how many drinks each patron has had, as well as any suspicious behavior. Responsible, professional bartending may also mean having to refuse alcohol to an already intoxicated customer, or perhaps even asking a customer to leave the premises if they start to become aggressive.
It is often said that the biggest risk for a bartender is becoming an alcoholic. Being around alcohol so often can be too tempting for some. If you can avoid being sucked into that trap, you will likely enjoy bartending as a career. The people you will meet will be unique, with many stories they are just dying to share. You will see friendships grow with co-workers, and enjoy a full time income while only working part time hours. Best of all, professional bartending is certainly nothing like just another day at the office.
Showing posts with label bartending training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bartending training. Show all posts
Learning the Art of a Professional Bartending Service
For many folks, their local bar or pub is more akin to going to the office without having to do any work. Indeed, it could easily be described as the after hours office where everybody knows your name and where you can unwind after a frantic day in the real workplace. It is also, where your friendly bartender creates his own brand of liquid magic, to calm the mind and recharge that tired body. Any skilled barkeep will tell you that tending bar is not just a science but also an art. It is the very essence of a professional's bartending service.
Much of the success of reputable pubs and bars around the world is directly linked to the unique brand and quality of the establishment’s bartending services.
First and foremost, high-quality bartending is the result of a good training program, which is designed to pass on knowledge in the mixing and serving of various drinks. However, it is the individual skill and experience of the barman or female bartender that ultimately dictates the range of drinks any particular bar is able to offer. This service is offered by numerous catering establishments such as hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs as well as for special occasions such as banquets, private parties and wedding receptions.
Bartenders mix a range of drinks based on internationally recognized, mixed drink recipes and names as well as those created exclusively by a resident bartender. In many cases, the bartender must be sufficiently skilled to be able to create a drink based on the specific requests of patrons. Several bartending schools, institutions and even some well-known hotels around the world, offer special bartending training programs. Tending bar is a specialized profession with skilled bartenders being very much in demand.
The first requirement of a good bartending service is not simply the ability to mix a good drink, but also the ability to build a friendly rapport with the person who is drinking. The bartender must be friendly and have a keen desire to interact with guests. A bartender's role is very important in building a solid bond between the establishment and the patrons. Indeed, a good barkeep is very much akin to what a Public Relations Officer is to a company. Possessing these qualities is a good starting point but there is a lot more involved in being considered a professional. This is because a bartender has numerous roles to play behind the bar.
He or she must have sound experience and knowledge of recipes for creating popular cocktails and other drinks, be quick in response to an order placed, and know all the general brands of alcohol in stock, as well as premium and house brands. In addition he or she must keep a keen eye on all relevant bar material equipment such as glasses, shakers and ice as well as possessing the experience to operate such automatic equipment behind the bar counter when the demand for drinks is high in volume.
Cleanliness is possibly the most important thing to a well-run bartending service. Nobody wants to visit a dirty, smelly bar so keeping the bar area spotless and patrons happy is one of the greatest things an establishment can do to bring in revenue. Consequently, the next time you are in a club sipping one of your favorite drinks, if you happen to see the hardworking, smiling bartender, then smile back because he is the one making your night.
Much of the success of reputable pubs and bars around the world is directly linked to the unique brand and quality of the establishment’s bartending services.
First and foremost, high-quality bartending is the result of a good training program, which is designed to pass on knowledge in the mixing and serving of various drinks. However, it is the individual skill and experience of the barman or female bartender that ultimately dictates the range of drinks any particular bar is able to offer. This service is offered by numerous catering establishments such as hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs as well as for special occasions such as banquets, private parties and wedding receptions. Bartenders mix a range of drinks based on internationally recognized, mixed drink recipes and names as well as those created exclusively by a resident bartender. In many cases, the bartender must be sufficiently skilled to be able to create a drink based on the specific requests of patrons. Several bartending schools, institutions and even some well-known hotels around the world, offer special bartending training programs. Tending bar is a specialized profession with skilled bartenders being very much in demand.
The first requirement of a good bartending service is not simply the ability to mix a good drink, but also the ability to build a friendly rapport with the person who is drinking. The bartender must be friendly and have a keen desire to interact with guests. A bartender's role is very important in building a solid bond between the establishment and the patrons. Indeed, a good barkeep is very much akin to what a Public Relations Officer is to a company. Possessing these qualities is a good starting point but there is a lot more involved in being considered a professional. This is because a bartender has numerous roles to play behind the bar.
He or she must have sound experience and knowledge of recipes for creating popular cocktails and other drinks, be quick in response to an order placed, and know all the general brands of alcohol in stock, as well as premium and house brands. In addition he or she must keep a keen eye on all relevant bar material equipment such as glasses, shakers and ice as well as possessing the experience to operate such automatic equipment behind the bar counter when the demand for drinks is high in volume.
Cleanliness is possibly the most important thing to a well-run bartending service. Nobody wants to visit a dirty, smelly bar so keeping the bar area spotless and patrons happy is one of the greatest things an establishment can do to bring in revenue. Consequently, the next time you are in a club sipping one of your favorite drinks, if you happen to see the hardworking, smiling bartender, then smile back because he is the one making your night.