So you want to be a bartender?
While taking a course and gaining an official certification is not a prerequisite for bartending, it can teach you some useful skills (as well as some utterly useless ones, but that’s beside the point.) Eager to impress my friends and family back home, I enrolled in one such course when I was living in Argentina. I figured it would give me a leg up, or at least make me the hit of the party. While I’m certainly no pro, I’ve compiled a list of five interesting things that you learn in bartending school.
1. The difference between dry, dirty, and shaken
We’ve all heard those famous lines, “shaken, not stirred.” When it comes to ordering martinis, it's best to know the basics about the variations that exist. I’ll start with my least favorite, the dry martini. If you order a dry martini, you’re asking for only a small amount of dry vermouth. Next is the perfect martini. This one consists of equal parts dry and sweet vermouth. Then there’s my personal favorite, likely due to my ongoing love affair with olives. The dirty martini contains about half an ounce of olive juice, but this can vary according to preference. Finally, there’s the matter of how to prepare your martini of choice. Purists believe that the proper way to make a martini is to stir it so as to avoid “bruising” of the gin (essentially, altering the flavor.) Others opt for the increasingly popular shaken martini. Exactly what it sounds like, this martini is mixed in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Fun fact: James Bond orders his cocktails with vodka, not gin.
2. How to free pour
Free pouring refers to the practice of pouring the correct amount of alcohol without measuring it out first, and is much simpler than you might think. As a general rule of thumb, pouring for four seconds will yield one ounce, six seconds for 1.5 ounces, eight seconds for two ounces, and so on. Take note that this is assuming that the bottle has a pour spout on top, which is standard in most bars.
3. What type of drink to service in each glass
Believe it or not, a red solo cup is not the gold standard when it comes to drinking vessels. Different glasses are designed for different purposes, and are thus meant for different types of alcohol. Some are obvious, such as the cocktail (martini) glass, or the margarita glass. One that you might not be familiar with is the snifter glass is used for brandy. It contains a short stem and wide bowl which fits naturally into one’s hand to warm the brandy. Then there’s the highball glass, which generally resembles your typical drinking glass. A highball glass is used most often for iced drinks containing liqueur. Most college students are content drinking out of anything sturdy, but one of these days, we’re bound to grow up. When that day comes, we’ll graduate to the likes of the above mentioned glasses. Until then, I suppose the solo cups, mugs, and refilled Pepsi bottles will suffice.
4. The do’s and don’ts of garnishes
There’s nothing more chic than a nice garnish to put the finishing touch on a drink. Most cocktails call for a specific kind, so it’s best to consult the recipe if you’re not sure which one to use. Some garnishes are as simple as putting a maraschino cherry or an olive on a stem, then placing it into the glass. (When it comes to olives, stick to one or three. Even numbers i.e two olives are considered bad luck.) Other garnishes can be a bit trickier. Despite my best efforts, I still struggle with a perfect lemon twist. When the going gets tough, my advice is to stick a lime wedge on the edge and call it a day.
5. How to drink responsibly
A common misconception is that bartenders have it easy, and can drink on the job. This is not the case, at least in any professional establishment. After learning the ins and outs about proper bartending habits and preparation of drinks, I have a newfound appreciation for the time and effort that goes into their creation. For me, bartending class underscored that alcohol can, and should be enjoyed, but in moderation. On behalf of all bartenders out there, I think I speak for everyone in saying that there’s nothing fun or elegant about having a few too many. Not to mention, this prevents you from appreciating the drink itself. Go have a great time, but do so responsibly.
Now that you’re slightly more knowledgeable of some tricks of the trade, you can decide for yourself whether bartending seems like a useful skill. If so, great. Or if you decide to take your talents elsewhere, that’s no problem either. It provides poor college students like me with less competition for those meager tips being shelled out.
