> How do the three sinks work? I know one is a dump sink that you
> discard ice and liquid. The other has warm water and soap? The
> third has sanitizer? What exactly is the sanitizer? Do the glasses
> ever get put in a dishwasher?
>
> Also, for recipes that call for sugar (I was looking at a recipe for
> Wedding Cake shooters) do you use actual white, crystal, granulated
> sugar, or does sugar really mean simple syrup?
>
> Thanks
Nimar,
This is pretty important stuff -- if not set up properly most state Boards of
Health will fail your bar, but more importantly you can be spreading disease.
Here's the lowdown on the triple sink setup:
There are 5 essential parts that are usually required by the BOH or other
health department -- 1) drain rack for draining dirty glassware, 2) detergent
sink with glass brushes (water as hot as you can stand), 3) rinse sink (water
as hot as you can stand), 4) santizer sink (cold water), and 5) drain rack for
drying clean glassware. Somewhere before this you'll also need a dump sink
and/or trash can, but that can usually be anywhere.
Things to remember -- the first sink (detergent) must have hot water; break
down the whole setup and refill when the water gets cooler than very warm.
Brushes have to be used, as this step is meant to get the glass physically
clean. The second sink (rinse) also must have hot water -- when the water
gets cool or dirty, break down the setup and refill. The point here is to get
the detergent off the glassware, and nothing is in this sink but clear water.
Third sink (sanitizer) must have cool water, as most sanitizers will break
down and evaporate with heat. The biggest mistake I see in bars is filling
the third sink with warm or hot water, which deactivates the sanitizer and
defeats the whole purpose. The point here is to get the glass chemically
clean. After sanitizing, turn the glass upside down on the clean drainboard
and let dry. (Quick aside: in general at bars upside down means clean,
rightside up means dirty -- the exception is the dirty glassware drainboard.)
When the glass is dry, it's fully clean and sanitized and ready for service.
The sanitizer is usually chlorine-based, which is why it breaks down when the
water gets hot. And no, the glassware doesn't get put in a dishwasher after
it's triple-sinked, which is why it's important to get this right. A correct
TS setup along with proper glasswashing technique should give you cleaner
glassware than a dishwasher.
They make test strip kits for triple sink setups -- most places require you to
have one and use it regularly. Even if it's not required, I always make sure
to have one and also make sure everyone knows how to use it. It's also a good
idea to label each sink compartment with water temp and contents.
Finally, make sure you break down and reset the triple sink often. I can't
tell you how many places I see that keep the same TS setup for an entire
shift, or even an entire day. The chemicals get used up, the water gets
dirty, and temps fluctuate -- I try to change the sink every couple hours and
usually get dirty looks from the other tenders until they realize it only
takes a couple minutes and is much more pleasant to work with after the
setup's been changed.
This is basic stuff for most bartenders, but I'm still always surprised by how
often I see the wrong setup. And new bartenders should memorize this cold.