Tag Archives: bartender

“How do you make a Cape Cod”, she said.

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What's in a Cape Cod

“What’s in a Cape Cod

She actually asked me, How do you make a Cape Cod, My fellow bartender, working right beside me.Now of course I told her, I even told her without sarcasm.  I held my tongue and I have never mention this to anyone, in fact I don’t even remember which girl it was, ( there are about 50 of us that work in a concert venue),

Today I am thinking about my profession, Bartending, and adding up my skills, my worth, what makes me better or worse than other bartenders. I don’t like the direction my mind takes me, as I start to notice that there are so many women bartenders. First of all, stop what you’re thinking. I  know that there are woman and men bartenders  better than me, and I accept my place in the world WHATEVER rung of the ladder I land on. That said,  The food and beverage industry took a huge hit in ’08 and is only now starting to recover. Every place cut back on employees and a lot people struggled for shifts and many more were just let go. The market was flooded with eager service staff willing to do anything just to earn a living.

This left managers in a great position of power. They could choose from hundreds of applicants for every position that came up. Well, the trend, as I see it is that many of these managers staffed their bars and restaurants with pretty faces in leu of skilled and experienced professionals. I don’t blame these pretty faces one bit,  I take advantage of all my opportunities as well, and I would do exactly the same.

Now that the job Market is looking up, Please, Please, Please go back to your modeling,jobs, singing jobs, real estate or whatever you were doing before and let the people who are really bartenders go back to work.

Sorry to all the girls that are true bartenders, I respect you all, and none of this rant is meant for you. My story could have easily been about some young stud asking how to make a Screwdriver.

Daniel Fendy

www.cocktailsdrinkrecipes.com

 

Top 5 Mistakes Bartenders Make

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We have all, at one time or another, gone up to the bar and ordered what you thought was a perfectly normal drink. You come away with what seems to be someone’s idea of a bad joke. My experience with this was a Long Island Iced Tea,(my favorite at the time), What I got was a Tequila and coke with a lemon. While that may sound good to some people, it’s not what I was expecting.

1.     First things first. Ingredients, know what goes into the cocktail.  Know the amount af each ingredient.  That said, understand that recipes will vary. if you are making a cocktail that has known variations, you should always ask a question or two to the person who will be drinking the cocktail.

2.     Many bartenders will not give the customer what they want, I have seen it before. These bartenders will bully and coax the person ordering into what they  think is right. Wrong! Give the customer exactly what they want and do it with a smile. Part of the cost of that drink is for the good service.(not to mention the tip).

3.     Proportions, The normal ratio for a one alcohol to mixer in a cocktail is 1:4. that means 1 ounce of liquor and 4 ounces of mix. those 5 ounces of liquid with ice will fill your 8 ounce glass perfectly.  This is a standard drink and will be equivalent in alcohol to a beer or glass of wine. Here’s the tricky part,  Some people want a stronger drink and some want it weaker. If a bartender is allowed to vary the amount of alcohol he should try to accommodate there preference, however many establishments control their alcohol and messing with the pour is frowned upon.

Here is a little trick I have done, If you pack the glass with the smallest ice in your bin and fill the glass to overfull, there will be less room for liquid in the glass. So, that equals the same amount of alcohol but a bit less of the mixer. I have just made you a stronger cocktail. and the opposite for a weaker cocktail , less ice, more room in the glass, more mixer.

4.     Inconsistent Measures. I like my drink to be consistent. in fact many people count how many cocktails they have had, to manage their alcoholic consumption. You know what you get with a beer or a glass of wine, but the mixed drink can can double in strength very easily. In fact a Long Island or Hurricane can triple or more in alcohol without a big taste difference. A bartender should pour the proper amount and pour it consistently.

5.     This last one i will split into recipe mistakes.

a.     Kamikaze too much lime

b.     Long island too much tequila/gin
not enough triple sec
only use fresh lemon with sugar.

c.     Ask before you salt rim my glass

d.     Cosmo, use quality orange liqueur

e.     Margaritas are always better with fresh lemon juice.

f.     Martini, easy on the vermouth

g.     All variations of the Long Island Iced Tea do not have tequila,
except the Texas Tea.

Ok, sorry. I may have some personal issues in there somewhere.

What do you think is the worst mistake a bartender can make?
What do you think should be on this list?

Daniel Fendy
www.cocktailsdrinkrecipes.com