Message 4421 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

Share on Facebook |  Save to del.icio.us

> I get pretty 
> annoyed at customers who ask me to "make it a good one" 

Yeah, the "Ice Mountain" as Codlin called it.
It's amazing how much volume is in the top centimetre of the glass also. When 
packed with ice the top of the glass holds much more than the bottom (where 
the spirit sits and looks big). So short-pouring the coke half a cm can make 
the first sip taste twice as strong as in a full glass.

This is another opportunity where free-pours are fun. Wave the bottle around 
but pour short of a measure, look around furtively, then top it off with an 
'extra' splash to end up with - yep, just the same as everyone else.

I do this for 'good' customers to make them feel good, but not for those who 
ask for it. I hate working in a team where someone will sit in front of you 
but refuse to order while they wait for 'their' bartender to come by who they 
believe will set them up.
As floor manager, that's an incredibly silly thing to see, as I sure look 
closely at that 'tender when they do come to serve them ;-)

Anyway, subtle stuff aside, I simply approached this one by building in a 
system for it. We now advertise a "Big Pour" - turn a double into a triple on 
any spirit for a bit more cash. So if anyone asks for "A big one" I can 
happily give it to them ... and charge for it. It's 50% more alc for 30% more 
cash, so it's good value all round, I reckon.

.dan.