Message 8481 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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Just to interject, I am willing to taste drinks so I can fine tune them to be 
better with time.  However, since I'm not a drinker I have no knowledge of 
what tastes like what going into it.  So, when I start as a bartender, I 
really won't know how such and such drink tastes.

So, to start I think I'll have a handicap because I really just don't know 
what anything tastes like.  All I'll have to rely on will be recipes.  I will 
have to taste drinks over time and get opinions and adjust accordingly.  But 
to be honest, I don't really like the taste of alcohol, so it will be 
difficult for me to fine tune things to taste since no matter how good the 
drink is, I won't like it.  I'm not sure if there's a way around that.  It 
will just have to be all second-hand knowledge.  Now, I'm okay with that and 
think that I can get by on that, but I don't know how "on the mark" I'll be 
for awhile.  I know going into this that I won't have any first hand knowledge 
and the only way I like my drinks is super sweet with no alcohol 
taste...that's not going to fly for the vast majority of what I'll be making, 
so it will be hard for me to adjust drinks to taste.

All I can really do is follow the recipes I learn as accurately as I can and 
taste them occassionally and adjust when able.  I might be able to adjust some 
of the sweeter cocktails to my tastes, but the other stuff will just be done 
by recipe for sure.

I'm sure that I won't be the best chef-like bartender on the planet or 
anything, but I'm okay with that.  But I should be able to taste the 
individual components of drinks and learn enough with time to be able to fine 
tune a drink to my customers' wishes.  For example, if I make a drink for 
someone and they want it to have more of a zing to it, I'll know what will 
work well to give that flavor, etc.  This will take time, but this is what I 
exect myself to be able to do.  I also rely on my personality to build 
customers as I am self-aware enough to know it's my strongest asset.

My main reason for starting this topic was to see if a Manager would think of 
my lack of drinking as a positive or negative quality, not whether or not I 
could mix drinks well enough.  Having no significant drinking history to speak 
of, I already know I'll be sticking closely to the recipes I learn for awhile 
until I can adjust over time.

Thanks again for all the input here.  I really do appreciate it.