Message 8465 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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> 
> > But if you have any oppotunity to discuss cocktails/beer/wine with 
> > 
> > guests and to make suggestions and recommendations, then it's a 
> > handicap. 
> 
> Why?

I think it's a handicap to not be able to have a detailed discussion about 
liquor or cocktails with a guest.  I say this because I've worked in places 
where I actually had time to talk about such things with the customers and 
after the fact they were very grateful for the information I had and that I 
took the time to discuss things with them.  Whether it ended up being a 
recommended drink that they liked, what my favorite tequila is or what the 
difference is between Irish and Scotch whisky, they appreciated having a 
bartender who knew his crap and demonstrated firsthand and academic knowledge 
of the subject.  Often times these people would complement me on my skills and 
depth as a bartender (not to mention tip generously) due to my familiarity 
with the product.  

I did mention in the last post that this wouldn't be a factor in some venues 
(e.g. high-volume clubs).  I'll add that this is also only one facet of being 
a good bartender.  There are many other areas that one can be strong or weak 
in so don't take it as a knock if this isn't your forte.  I suppose I 
emphasize this aspect because I've relied on it so much (firsthand drink 
experience) when dealing with customers.    


> > I also think it limits how good you can develop your 
> > drinks if you don't have a thorough understanding of base spirits, 
> > 
> > liqueurs and mixers. 
> 
> So any one that doesn't drink can't have an understanding of base 
> spirits, liquers and mixers?

Of course you can, but it's the difference between theoretical and practical.  
I'm sure that a non-drinking bartender can get the job done but I'd take the 
Pepsi Challenge against them any day of the week for making the best 
Margarita/Sidecar/Cosmopolitan, you name it.  I don't see how book knowledge 
can compete with first hand experience matched with a good palate.  Again, I'm 
biased because I worked as a chef for years before getting behind the bar and 
I approach cocktails the same way I do cuisine: using premium ingredients to 
attain balanced but distinct flavors.  

> 
> > I put more sweet vermouth into a Jim Beam Manhattan than a Maker's 
> > 
> > Mark one.  Why?  Because the Maker's bourbon is smoother and doesn't 
> > 
> > need as much vermouth to mellow it out.
> 
> What about what your CUSTOMER wants? Some guests, believe it or not, 
> don't want more sweet... Ok, good BASE point. I would add more sweet 
> to Beam, too... but my point is, some my request their Manhattan with 
> Beam because they want it a little less 'smooth'.

Of course I care about what the customer wants, but I'm not a mind-reader.  If 
the customer told me they wanted it a certain way I'd oblige but in the 
absence of specfics I use my knowledge and experience with the product to 
exercise some discretion to make what I think is the best version of a given 
drink.  As it turns out my favorite cocktail is the Manhattan (with bourbon) 
so this is a cocktail that I have particularly acute insight and experience 
with.  Most of my customers tell me I've made the best (or one of) Manhattan 
they've ever had - just last week this guy told me that three times as he 
drank his cocktail.  A bartender could be taught to make an excellent Mahattan 
by rote, but I think there's something special about the person having a first 
hand understanding of the flavors involved when mixing whiskey, sweet vermouth 
and Angostura bitters (Mixmaster I'm looking at you).  Not to mention the 
flexibility I mentioned above, being able to tailor the drink based upon the 
base spirit.  

As for the Jim Beam question, it's not so much that I use more SV in this 
Manhattan as that I use LESS in one with Crown Royal, Maker's or Knob Creek - 
so I'm not really deviating from what a customer should expect.  Many cocktail 
books call for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of whiskey to vermouth, I back off as the 
quality or smoothness of the base spirit increases.

> What of the bartender that doesn't like the 'smooth'? They wouldn't 
> add more Sweet to Beam... now what?

There's no getting away from the fact that at some point a subjective call is 
being made upon taste.  What tastes good to my palate will not taste good to 
everyone.  Yet I've been cooking and mixing for enough years to learn to trust 
my palate, to learn how to balance and optimize almost any drink.  You have to 
realize that I'm not just making it the way that I like it.  That does enter 
into things, yet I make many drinks that I would never order, I'm not into 
sweet, fruity stuff yet I endeavor to make those drinks as good as my 
Manhattans.  So even if the bartender happens to like a stiffer Manhattan, 
they should recognize (from experience, from mixing at home and ordering 
abroad) what a well prepared Mahattan tastes like and go from there.  

> 
> (yes, this is an annoying point.. I don't agree with you. If I had a 
> pile of dog pooh, I'd throw it on your shoes RIGHT NOW!)

I'm guessing that this is your colorful, humorous side coming out?