I'll try to keep this short. I have been working as a bartender at a
restaurant for about 6 months now, but I would like to work in a club because
the money is better.
I did not go to bartending school, I was "trained" by my restaurant. Sadly
this training did not actually include how to mix drinks (mostly just how to
clean). So, I have spent these past 6 months trying to learn as many cocktail
and shooter recipes as I can, but 95% of the orders I fill are either beer,
wine, hi-balls, martinis, or pop. This creates two problems, I don't really
know what the really popular cocktails and shooters are, so I may be spending
a lot of my time learning drinks that I would never have to make, and I
haven't had much experience making them.
I know a wide variety of "martinis", and can obviously pour beer, but I am
wondering if I managed to get a job at a club, if I would be in way over my
head with my somewhat limited knowledge of cocktails and shooters. This forum
has helped a lot in determining what the popular drinks are, but there is a
wide range since it is world-wide. I just need to know what's popular in
Vancouver, Canada.
So I'm just wondering how those of you who have worked a night club learned
what you needed to learn. Did you have to go to bartending school? did you
just try to learn as many as you possibly could before starting? did you just
learn them as they were requested? is it acceptable to tell people that you
cannot make what they want, but that you can make them something you think
they'd enjoy as much?
Any help would be great
So much for keeping it short....
Thanks
Jeff