Comments on: Ten Myths You’ve Probably Heard in Bars

By: Patrick Cullinan

Patrick Cullinan — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:46:39 +0000

I just happened to get lucky enough to find your column. Insightful; amusing, ad infinitum.

I have served spirits for quite a time and made the mistake of owning a joint for a year (never again). Right, we are all uneducated. The smartest people I have met have served the suds, champs, King Louis, whatever.

Thank you–refreshing take.

By: Phil R

Phil R — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:28:17 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/dining/16bartender.html?_r=1

Apparently this guy agrees with myth number 5 that bartenders are uneducated

By: Cutter

Cutter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:59:14 +0000

Oh yes, one more thing I wanted to add was that one of the upsides of bartending is how so many people believe anything a bartender tells them related to alcohol. I’ve told some whoppers during my time and people walk away thanking me, amazed that they obtained some secret nugget of information that most people will never know.

One time for a few weeks we decieded it would be fun to tell anyone ordering anything with Frangelico that it’s properly pronounced fran-jel-eeko (said with an Italian accent). ‘Oh yeah!’ we assured them. We were recently in Italy and in the distillery they told us that Nort Americans always mispronounce the name and that ‘Fran-jel-eeko’ was how it was properly pronounced. And probably a good 90% of the people we told it to swallowed it hook, line and sinker. So you have all these people walking around trying to convince people they’re not pronouncing Frangelico properly.

Ahh, good times. that sort of stuff is definitely one of the upsides of the job.

By: Cutter

Cutter — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:54:04 +0000

I’ve been bartending 20 years now and I always enjoy demystifying people about bar/restaurant myths. Even with so-called “expert” mixologists today there are a lot of myths people cling to about all manner of aspects involved in bartending (shaking vs. stirring vs. rolling, bruising alcohol, etc.) that are plain wrong. Anyone who really wants to excel at this craft needs to skip all the pretentions and educate themselves on some of the fundamental aspects of both the chemistry and biology that come into play in both making and consuming cocktails.

Oh yes, and for the record The Martini is made with gin only. A Bradford is the vodka equivilant.

The most annoying aspect of the job is definitely what you said about how people just expect bartenders to be walking databases of every drink ever made. And it’s even more aggravating when it’s the waitstaff getting all pissy about you not knowing some obscure or long-forgotten drink. Just like everything else in this world, out of sight, out of mind. If I haven’t made a certain drink in 5 or 10 years, odds are I’m going to have to look it up.

And measuring is overrated. Like any good chef you should always be able to eyeball your measurements and adjust cocktails on the fly.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:05:29 +0000

Loved it!! As a “young” bartender, I feel that I will go into work tomorrow more educated, and with more respect for apricots, martinis, and jiggers!
Also, to patrons- It is rude to tell your bartender you feel he/she is too young to be working behind the bar. Yes I’m young, but have obviously had sufficient training to prepare you drinks and provide you with the services needed for your bar-sitting experience. Show some respect.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:29:46 +0000

Genius, delightful genius.
Graham cracker rimmed glass???? Jesus I’m scared. All those lying bastardo so called martinis back me laugh…hard. I’m also anti stuffed olives. If

By: CynthiA

CynthiA — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:36:18 +0000

I love it! Are you the only other person in the world who remembers a brandy alexander? The article is great. THanks

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:10:05 +0000

Re: #9
Sadly, after 10 years as a bar tender I have to say that there were a few bars in my past where the after party happened night after night. Often it was the boss and his girlfriend (of the night) plus her friends and the bouncers and their girlfriends (of the night) who would sit around for a while longer and drink more ( likely making sure they could seal the deal with the ladies). All while they watched us count, mop and scrub. It was never the very tired and cranky (yes, me too) bartenders sitting around partying. I still don’t understand why they were surprised that I never wished to sit and have few drinks with them. It was 4 am and I had just finished serving a few hundred beverages. Bah! I hated the after party.

By: formula 21

formula 21 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:33:16 +0000

The Luxardo website says it’s Amaretto (much better than DiSarano) is an Almond Liquor made from mandorla amara almonds.

A martini is made with gin, never vodka.

By: altın çilek

altın çilek — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:38:59 +0000

Yes, yes, true and too true.
Your written sense of humor is nicely balanced by your straightforward language. Thanks for that.

Another myth people have is that all bartenders want to get their patrons shitfaced. As a lady of the bar, I have no desire to be cursed the morning after, nor to be tipped terribly just because you ordered 8 drinks and you think tipping on 5 of them seems generous enough.

Trader Joe’s sells those precious apricot pits as poor man’s almonds. Been done for centuries. They are lovely raw, more fragrant and tender than almonds.
Viva peasant food!

By: altın çilek

altın çilek — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:02:35 +0000

The Luxardo website says it’s Amaretto (much better than DiSarano) is an Almond Liquor made from mandorla amara almonds.

A martini is made with gin, never vodka.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:46:05 +0000

I work in a club in Vegas. And all the male bartenders do go home with a new girl every night – for the most part. They have barbacks that clean up all the mess for them. As soon as the lights go on, they count their money and head out to the slots, bars, strip clubs, and various hotel rooms of the female patrons. The security gaurds do the same! They’re pretty spoiled out here in Vegas!

By: NN

NN — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:25:43 +0000

@Ned: I believe “mandorla amara” is simply the Italian phrase for “bitter almond”.

By: Ned Greene

Ned Greene — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:50:41 +0000

The Luxardo website says it’s Amaretto (much better than DiSarano) is an Almond Liquor made from mandorla amara almonds.

A martini is made with gin, never vodka.

By: johnnya

johnnya — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:54:52 +0000

Thank you Lydia, and thank you #79 Sylvie. As for Sylvie, you work at a GREAT place, and I’m glad that the emphasis there is on the classics, making them correctly and with style and grace! In my restaurant, we are inundated with tourists, but also many locals who come just for a certain cocktail that I’m known for and make 6 different ways. This particular drink is a bit labor intensive, but it sells well and it makes both the restaurant and myself a great deal of cash! I really don’t have a lot of time for smoke and mirrors; I make up for that with witty conversation and attentive service to ALL of my customers. Seems the TRUE lost art is in conversing with customers; anybody can be taught to flip a bottle, but making sure that people return is an even bigger challenge. Return customers are my bread and butter, and i’ve done quite well using that as my focus.

By: Lydia Reissmueller

Lydia Reissmueller — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:43:50 +0000

Yes, yes, true and too true.
Your written sense of humor is nicely balanced by your straightforward language. Thanks for that.

Trader Joe’s sells those precious apricot pits as poor man’s almonds. Been done for centuries. They are lovely raw, more fragrant and tender than almonds.
Viva peasant food!

By: johnnya

johnnya — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:45:01 +0000

In response to #78 (re: flair)– The co. I worked for in the mid ’80’s invented the flair concept and the competitions. It got to the point to where we HAD to pass a flair ‘test’ along with a speed and pour test. We were a VERY busy bar and made a TON of $$; granted, the flair was a cool aspect and MAY have brought in a few extra customers, but my, and several other BT’s (ALL of whom were some of the best in the biz), complaint was this: Not all of the staff can be performing trickery at the same time. THEREFORE, some people (those that are performing, sometimes more than others because of their skill level) are actually neglecting customers and slowing down the process of revenue income. As they are doing their show and entertaining the few nimrods that are awed by juggling and whatnot, I now have to double my load by picking up the people that actually WANT a drink and are standing in that BT’s station. Since we split tips equally, why should I have to split 50/50 when I’m doing much more work than the juggler and the tips remain the same? I’ve actually won 2 competitions and can attest to the fact that my drinks made without flair are more consistent than those made with flair. Flair, while VERY cool (I’m not dissing it AT ALL), is mostly a gimmick. I can make MUCH more $$ doing what I do without the flipping because of the volume factor. And I refuse to split tips w/ someone who is doing half of their work but seems to justify that by citing the ‘flair’ factor. I don’t need that crap anymore… my personality suits me just fine!

By: Soren

Soren — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:32:37 +0000

i have actually made “appletinis” from apple infused vodka (in house) and vermouth… had to add a dash of simple syrup and a cherry to get the girls to drink it but i felt it was a fair compromise. i sure as hell wasn’t making anything without vermouth and calling it a *tini because it’s in a cocktail glass! but i gave them what they wanted (and learned ‘em a bit in the process).

By: Ian Follett

Ian Follett — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:31:38 +0000

Different kinds of alcohol do lead to significantly different levels of hangover severity.

As you say, quantity is obviously the most important factor. And, while mixing alcohols will not in and of itself cause a hangover, my guess is that when people mix alcohols they loose track more easily of the total quantity of alcohol they’re drinking and thus drink more than they otherwise would have.

I know that’s true of me, at least. And so I still think it’s good advice to not mix alcohols in order to avoid a hangover.

By: silk

silk — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:42:22 +0000

Hi JW, while I agree with you that snobbishness is not a good thing, your use of terminology is not entirely correct. See, there is no such thing as a “Martini glass”; the proper name for it is “cocktail glass” or “v-shaped glass”. Furthermore, if a bartender has used his creativity to create a noteworthy new cocktail, why can’t he use that same creativity in naming his creation – just slapping a plain-vanilla “xxxx-Martini” moniker on a drink is not very creative, is it?

By: J.W.

J.W. — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:24:32 +0000

First, I’d love to say ‘Thank you’ for the bit about measuring. I had a boss once who tried to make me free pour everything. While I can (and did at times) do this, I felt it was better for the customer to get a drink that taste perfectly balanced than for me to ‘look cool’ while flipping bottles.

Second, I have to agree and disagree about the Martini. While the drink Martini (or classic Martini) is right on the money with your post – I think we have to be careful to not allow someone to use the word in the name of a new cocktail. For example, if someone serves a French Martini (which is not really a Martini at all…but is served in a Martini Glass) I have to realize that the separation lies not in the classification of the cocktail but in the glassware in which it is served.

It is a fine line, I know (and I agree with you 98%) but we have to be careful not to create snobbery among bartenders. After all, complete purity wouldn’t allow for any new drinks to be developed.
{furthermore, the concept of calling ALL cocktails ‘Martini’ is absurd, and I agree 100% there}

By: Emily H.

Emily H. — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:21:14 +0000

Amaretto derives from the Italian word “amaro” which is a type of bitter liqueur usually consumed as a digestivo after dinner. There are dozens of different brands of amari (Cynar, Aperol, Fernet, Ramazotti, Averna…), but the one that people are probably most familiar with is Campari. Amaretto is bitter and it does remind people of the taste of almonds.

Anyway, I laughed reading this post and I think it was great!

By: Bartender Purist

Bartender Purist — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:26:21 +0000

This is the best literature on bars and bartenders I have ever read in my life.

Jeffrey, you should get an award for this. The bit about lying on your stomach with the lime is a great truth.

This article is going to be my main conversation starter while working this week (as a bartender), and I just found out last week that my favorite bar to imbibe at now has a disgusting list of “44 Martinis”. They did not appreciate it when I questioned the legitimacy of a “Mint Julep Martini”.

By: G-man

G-man — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:15:50 +0000

2 quick points on Amaretto.
To Amaretto drinkers there is only one brand. DiSaronno! Anything else is crap. But many of the crap brands do use almonds in them, and recipes for homemade amaretto use almond extract. Amaretto is not Almond Liqueur, it is almond “flavored” liqueur. Almonds are not a nut, they are the seeds/pits of a particular veriety peach tree. Apricots and peaches are similar in flavor.

Yes there is a chocolate martini, as well as many other flavors, “always” made with vodka. Chocolate ones look like the toilet backed up, and taste disgusting. Properly made drop a cherry in the cocktail glass, put in a small squeeze of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, mixe the Voda 2pts to 1 part “dark” creme decaco.

Don’t claim that bartenders are “not walking databases” of drink mixes, on webtenders.com forum, there are a dozen @$$holes on that site that will attack you for not knowing what is in every drink ever made and not making it “correctly” according to the “original recipe” (even though no one knows what the original recipes are to many drinks -like the zombie). I stopped going there a few weeks ago because of them.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:30:09 +0000

I understand about the Disarono not being called an almond liquor, but you can’t tell me that cheap bottles of amaretto don’t taste like almond extract……