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- Personal Tools of the Bartender
- Tools of the Trade- The Basics
- A Listing of Bar-Ware and other Implements of Destruction
- Assorted Glassware
- Frosting Glasses
- Prep work- Before the Party Begins
- Preparing Garnishes
- Pre-Mixing Simple Syrups and Sour Mixes
- Some Basic Bar Setups
- Cocktail/Speed Bar Setup
- Mixing Drinks, One Step at a Time
- How to Pour and Measure Booze
- Highballs
- Stirred Cocktails
- Shaken Cocktails
- General Recipes
Personal Tools for the Bartender Bartending, as an art, a science, or merely a skill, requires a person to possess these Personal tools.
Tools of the Trade, the Basics.
Every Occupation requires some form of physical item to accomplish the task or tasks encountered through daily execution of that job. Bartending is no exception. Thankfully, the tools are very basic, and require very little intelligence to use, but a little manual dexterity does come in handy.
Cocktail Shaker
In my opinion, this is the most important tool of the Bartending implements. The design is simple. It is a closed-container in which ice and liquids are prepared for serving through vigorous shaking. This is done to mix hard-to-mix drinks, and/or to make the drinks cold.
There are two main types of Shakers:
The Boston consists of two parts: A mixing glass, and a stainless steel cover. When used, the ingredients are placed in the glass portion, the cover is placed, and the drink is shaken in an up-and-down motion, with each hand supporting a different end. The Boston is the Shaker-of-Choice for Professional Bartenders, but boring guy that I am, I prefer Shaker Number Two.
The Standard Shaker consists of three, stainless steel parts: The Container, the Strainer, and the Cover. The Container is where the ice and stuff goes, it looks like a tall steel glass. The Strainer fits over the end, like a cap, and has a slotted opening to automatically strain your drinks. And the Cover is simply a plug for the strainer hole. The usage is identical to the Boston Shaker, except only the cover is removed, and the drink is strained by the built-in attachment. A separate strainer is not required, as is for the Boston. I like this one better, and I own two of them.
The next most-important-bar-tool is known as the Hawthorne Strainer, a mutant device that looks like the unholy union of Spatula and Slinky. It is a slotted "paddle" with a coiled spring along its outside edge. When used, it is placed over the end of a shaker or a mixing glass before the drink is poured, in order to prevent ice and other stuff from getting into your drink. It is a commonly-used device, and cannot be overlooked.
This is simply a glass where drinks that are to be "stirred, not shaken" are combined. It is often used with the Hawthorne strainer, and can be improvised by using the container portion of either shaker.
These tools tell you How Much of What is going into your drinks. There are many different types, with nearly identical uses. Go figure.
The Double-Jigger is a piece of metal bar-ware that looks like two shot glasses placed bottom-to-bottom. These halves have different measures, one is a 3/4 oz. measure, while the other is a 1 1/2 oz. measure, known as one "jigger." There are 1 and 1/2 oz. versions as well, known as a "pony".
Just your average kitchen measuring spoons. One tablespoon and one teaspoon measures are necessary, plus whatever multiples of these you desire.
These are the plastic spouts that fit over the ends of bottles. These allow you a steady, measurable pour, and prevent drips and spills. While pouring, a one second count is equal to 1/2 oz. poured. Counting "one-thousand-and-one...etc. is a good way to do this.
Graduated This is a shooter with marks for 1/2 through 1 1/2 oz. measures, and is quite useful in the place of a pony measure.
This device functions as a corkscrew, but has an "arm" to grip the edge of the bottle and give leverage when pulling corks. There is often a short blade, which is used to cut away the foil or wax seal that covers the cork. Never use these to open champagne bottles, you foot-loop!
This is simply a long-handled spoon for stirring drinks, muddling fruit, and making layered drinks by pouring over the back of the spoon. I'll explain later.
The Glassware found in a bar serves many other purposes than simply as a receptacle and a container for your drinks. In fact, many glasses are designed for a particular liquor. Brandy Snifters are large, and the wide bowl is cupped in the hand to warm the brandy, while the long-stemmed handle of the Champagne Glass accomplishes the opposite, keeping the drink cold. Appearance also counts when selecting glassware. A Martini is not a Martini if served in a beer mug, as the wine glass is ill-suited to holding the ice or quantity of liquid in a popular Highball. All this aside, here is a listing and description of some common glasses.
- Red (6) This glass has a wide bowl to allow the wine to "breathe."
- White (7) Smaller than the Red Wine glass, this one is occasionally goblet-shaped.
- Champagne Flute (8) A narrow glass with a tapered bowl that prevents bubbles from escaping.
- Brandy Snifter (9) As I said, a large glass with a wide bowl that is cupped in the hand. This one is available in sizes up to 25 oz. but that is a little much. Straight Brandy and Cognac is served in this glass.
Frosting Glasses chills the glasses, and ultimately, the drink. It also looks professional, and is a no-brainer to perform. Simply dip the glass in water and place it in a freezer for 30 minutes. Remove just before serving.
Prep work- Before the Party Begins
As a Bartender, your job is basically 20% content, and 80% appearance. Examples of this are evident in the different sets of stylish glassware, to the various colored liquors in existence, and the best example of this: The Garnish. And these things take time to prepare. Your job begins even before the first drink is poured, because of the time required to prepare the "finishing touches" to your drinks. And so here is the section that will teach you to cut up some nifty garnishes, as well as give the recipes for two important ingredients for many drinks: Simple Syrup and Sour Mix.
As I said before, garnishes are one of those items that demonstrate the importance of appearance in the drinks that you pour. Garnishes very rarely add any change of flavor in the drinks, they are merely there for appearance, like parsley on a dinner plate. Fortunately, cutting these is not a major science, only a skill that needs to be taught once. There are three types of garnishes common to many mixed drinks: Wheels, Slices, and Wedges. Granted, there are others, such as olives, cocktail onions, maraschino cherries, and celery stalks, but their use is often restricted to but a few drinks, and no prep work is required. So there. Whatever the type, garnishes should be kept chilled in a covered container until ready to serve.
Fruit Wheels are the easiest of the garnishes to prepare. These are cut from oranges most often, but lime and lemon wheels are possible.
- Place the fruit sideways. Slice off the ends. (where the stem and bud should be)
- Slice the fruit in 1/8" sections, remove the seeds, if any.
- Make a small slit from the center of the wheel to the outside, so that it can fit over the rim of a glass.
- Done. Pack and chill.
- Remove the ends of the fruit.
- Cut the fruit in half, the long way.
- Slice into 1/8" thick "half moons."
- Add a small slit for the rim of the glass.
- Slice the fruit in half the long way.
- Halve the Halves once again, producing Quarters.
- Congratulate yourself, you're done!
The title of "Simple Syrup" holds no secrets. It really is simple. It is merely a concentrated mixture of syrup and water. Making this is no major task, either. To make 16 oz. of Simple Syrup:
- Bring 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) of water to a nice boil. (You do know how to boil water, right?)
- Slowly stir in half a pound of superfine sugar, stir until it is completely dissolved.
- You now have a mixture known as Simple Syrup. Allow it to cool, then pour it into a sealable bottle. It should stay fresh for about 2 weeks, so make more when necessary.
Unlike Simple Syrup, this mixture is a bit involved. Sour Mix contains lemon juice, egg white, and some sugar as well. It is added to Sours and many Highballs in place of lemon juice, and to add a bit of froth. Here's a good recipe for it.
You will need:
- Blend Lemon Juice and Sugar with a spoon until all of the sugar is dissolved.
- Slowly stir in the Egg White. If you stir too quickly, the egg white will turn to foam, and you don't want that.
- Pour into a bottle, and keep refrigerated. This will last about a week, so plan accordingly.
It's hard to believe, but there is actually some order to the collage of bottles located behind the bar. These vary by the 'Tenders preference, or by the frequency of certain drinks. This is the psychology regarding the basic arrangements: Efficiency above all else.
The Speed/Cocktail Bar
The most general and simplistic of setups, the Cocktail Bar, is one that is not difficult to learn. 70% of all mixed drinks can be made using this setup alone. Basically, the light liquors (Gin, Vodka, Rum) are grouped together to one side, and the dark liquors (Scotch, Blended Whiskey, Bourbon) are to the other. The group that is used most often is placed to the handedness of the bartender, and to the age of the crowd. Generally speaking, a right-handed 'tender serving to a younger crowd would keep the lighter liquors to his right, for easy access. This placement of booze governs the placement of liqueurs and mixers. You will find that Dry Vermouth, for example, is placed near the Gin to facilitate the making of a Martini, while the Sweet Vermouth and Blended Whiskey are grouped for the making of a Manhattan. Club Soda is best placed by the Scotch, while the Coke should be within easy reach of the rum. Use your discretion when constructing your own setup, but keep efficiency in mind when placing the bottles, as well as utensils, ice, and garnishes.
Mixing Drinks a Step at a Time
So now that you have learned about bar tools, glassware, cutting fruit, and the arrangement of bottles, the next step is to learn about how to pour drinks. And even though it may seem somewhat daunting to memorize hundreds of recipes and amounts, not to mention prep and glassware, it is one of those things that is best taken a sip at a time.
How to Pour and Measure Booze
There are actual techniques to pouring liquor beyond grabbing the bottle and dumping stuff out of it. And these methods will allow you to measure out exact amounts while preventing messes. Before I cover the methods, you should know how to grab the bottle and pour stuff out of it. An effective pour requires a Speed Pourer, among other things. To pour, grab the neck straight on, like you were shaking hands with it. Lift the bottle, and invert the ends so that the bottle is completely vertical and your elbow is raised slightly. There! That's all you need to know. On to the Methods.
The first, the "Jigger Method," is the easiest for the beginner to achieve an exact pour, but is somewhat awkward and slow. The liquid is poured into a Double Jigger, or some other form of measuring device, and then dispensed into the glass or shaker. As I said, it is slow when compared to the other methods, but there are several benefits to it. The first is that you will get a precise measure. For this reason, many bar managers will require you to use one to avoid over/under serving. The other method I will cover is the all-out "Speed Pour." For this, you rely on the ingenuity of a little plastic spout, and your own ability to count seconds. For this, you invert the bottle as described before, and pour directly into your container of choice. As soon as the stream starts flowing, begin a "one-thousand-and-one" count. Count one second for each 1/2 oz. that is going into the drink. A 1 1/2 oz. pour would be three seconds, a 3 oz pour would be six, and so on. Easy, fast, and effective, but it takes some practice to get comfortable with this one. A good practice technique is to fill an empty booze bottle with water, and put a speed pourer on it. (after finding a suitable purpose for the liquor, of course!) Practice pouring various measures into an unmarked container. Compare this amount with the intended amount in a measuring cup, and repeat. Soon you will be comfortable with this professional style of pouring.
The drinks known as "Fillers" make up about 70% of the World's Cocktail Recipes. Some of the drinks that fall into this category are the Gin and Tonic, the Screwdriver, and the Rum and Coke. Generally speaking, highballs are drinks that include liquor and mixers that are poured directly into a glass of the same name, usually over ice. No outside shaking or stirring is required. This is how to make a basic highball.
- Fill a Highball glass halfway with ice.
- Pour 1 Jigger (1 1/2 oz., a three count) Liquor over the ice
- Fill the remainder of the glass with mixer(s).
- Stir, if the mixer is non-carbonated. (Stirring sodas makes them go flat)
- Garnish and serve.
Stirred cocktails include some of the high-end drinks such as the Martini, the Manhattan, as well as others that are served "on the rocks," Like the White Russian, and the uhhh... Black Russian. There are plenty of others that fall into this category. Stirring a drink is necessary for several reasons.
" Some drinks have ingredients that do not normally blend well, and thus require some outside help through mixing. Mudslides are a good example.
" Mixing with ice, followed by straining, chills the drink without leaving big cubes in there.
" Mixing a drink with ice produces a drink with more clarity than a drink shaken with ice. Shaking produces ice slivers, which make the cocktail look cloudy.
There. Several good reasons. Now that you know why, here's how:
- Fill a mixing glass 2/3rds of the way with ice
- Add the ingredient of the least measurement first. (e.g. the Vermouth in a Martini.)
- Add the secondary ingredients.
- Stir very well with the straight end of a bar spoon, until condensation forms on the outside.
- Strain into the appropriate glassware
- Garnish and serve
Shaken Cocktails
At last! The defining activity of the Pro Bartender. Not only does this look cool, once you get it down, it shows others that you know what you're doing. Did I mention that it looks cool? Anyway, a good, sealable, cocktail shaker is needed for this. Shaking has its advantages.
Among these are:
- Fill the shaker 2/3rds of the way with ice, if required.
- Add any non-booze ingredients first, to reduce dilution.
- Add the Liquor.
- Cover the shaker with the strainer, then the cover.
- Support the top and bottom of the shaker while holding it vertically.
- Give several firm, yet fluid vertical shakes, until condensation beads on the outside surface.
- Remove the cover, pour through the strainer into the required glassware, garnish, and serve.
Of the many cocktail recipes available, some are quite general, and can be customized to different liquors. For example, you can make a gin fizz with vodka, or modify a scotch highball to include rum. Such is the case of the recipes listed here. They are both common and popular, and are usually the first drinks a bartender learns. The Recipes:
Collins
Cooler
Fruit Daiquiri
Rickey
Sling
Sour
Spritzer
Geek Soup
Is my wife's blog. We are incorporating it with my school since it is a foodie blog.
Clean Sink
In my blog I am remodeling my kitchen for ease of use and adding tech/geek items and I will be updating with my current classes with video and stills I may even attempt to write something here.
