Teksti: Raúl Rexach
Dear readers, I’d like to post this as an answer (and more) of one of Ari’s posts. As far as i know, he talks about this thought that says that our profession is the easiest one in the world. My opinion? As my bass-guitar teacher said me more than one time, technic can be learned by a monkey (no offense please), the real thing is to know what and why are you mixing, or serving (if we talk about a pure drink such a whisky), and how you ”read” your guests preferences in the way to recommend them something or create a drink just in the moment.
Teksti: Raúl Rexach
Dear readers, I’d like to post this as an answer (and more) of one of Ari’s posts. As far as i know, he talks about this thought that says that our profession is the easiest one in the world. My opinion? As my bass-guitar teacher said me more than one time, technic can be learned by a monkey (no offense please), the real thing is to know what and why are you mixing, or serving (if we talk about a pure drink such a whisky), and how you ”read” your guests preferences in the way to recommend them something or create a drink just in the moment.
So, we need to be trained and practice everyday to improve our skills, sipping each drink and cocktail until our knowledge on the libation it’s enough to suggest it. And then, you’ll be able to create your own signature drinks. Of course there’s always the test of the unknown, when you are just following your instincts, and amazingly, sometimes we get great results.
Our colleague Ari, claims for a responsible of the unprepared bartenders: the companies, our guests, the staff behind the bar? For me, a lil’ bit of everything. Customers often choice the easy way: Mojito, Caipirinha…easy solutions, if you don’t want to step on something you don’t know. Here we must use our abilities to encourage them to try something different, to open their mind, so in a future visit they will trust you and let you make your job and develop your skills. Without the guests, our job is meaningless, and as i said few lines above, if we need to be trained, the customers need to be educated, and it’s our task.
About the companies, like in almost everything in this world, there are two sides of the coin: in one, they offer us (the professionals) master-classes about spirits, worldwide competitions (you can see amazing bartenders, and learn a lot, which is for me more important than winning), and so many options that help us to get more knowledge to use in our job. In the other hand, they are also giving the chance to have a bartender in your own house, that will prepare a cocktail party for you without cost (just the advertising results they obtain of the people you may invite), whisky tasting sessions…So, they are trying to educate the customer…but then you go into the supermarket, and find a bottle of already made cosmo, manhattan, or whatever you want, and this didn’t make good for no one, neither the customers or the bartenders. My suggestion: If you own a bar, create amateur cocktail training sessions, to teach the people how to prepare a few cocktails by themselves at their houses for their guests. This is just one of the ideas already applied by some of my friends here in Barcelona.
This last days, we had the ”Barcelona Cocktail Week”, in which without any costs, everyone who wanted to, could get a wristband that identifies you as customer of the cocktail week, and you can go to every cocktail bar in the list they give you, and have a cocktail much cheaper than normal. For the last day (if I’m not wrong) they also put a bus-line to be used by the customers, that had stops in every cocktail bar involved in that week. I think that it’s a great way to let people try something different to what they normally drink.
Ari’s final question is: who should demand more? Mainly, we have to. Don’t let the customer stay in their basic knowledge, and don’t let anyone think that cocktails came in a can, there’s hours of work before we open the door. I think this is enough to think about for a while.
I’d like you to know that i’ve been very busy with the inauguration of a new bar where I’m working here in Barcelona and that’s the reason I didn’t post for a while. As soon as i can, I’ll update my profile so you can know where to find me if you come by.
I’ll be in touch. Have fun and keep on shaking!!! Yours faithfully,
R.So, we need to be trained and practice everyday to improve our skills, sipping each drink and cocktail until our knowledge on the libation it’s enough to suggest it. And then, you’ll be able to create your own signature drinks. Of course there’s always the test of the unknown, when you are just following your instincts, and amazingly, sometimes we get great results.
Our colleague Ari, claims for a responsible of the unprepared bartenders: the companies, our guests, the staff behind the bar? For me, a lil’ bit of everything. Customers often choice the easy way: Mojito, Caipirinha…easy solutions, if you don’t want to step on something you don’t know. Here we must use our abilities to encourage them to try something different, to open their mind, so in a future visit they will trust you and let you make your job and develop your skills. Without the guests, our job is meaningless, and as i said few lines above, if we need to be trained, the customers need to be educated, and it’s our task.
About the companies, like in almost everything in this world, there are two sides of the coin: in one, they offer us (the professionals) master-classes about spirits, worldwide competitions (you can see amazing bartenders, and learn a lot, which is for me more important than winning), and so many options that help us to get more knowledge to use in our job. In the other hand, they are also giving the chance to have a bartender in your own house, that will prepare a cocktail party for you without cost (just the advertising results they obtain of the people you may invite), whisky tasting sessions…So, they are trying to educate the customer…but then you go into the supermarket, and find a bottle of already made cosmo, manhattan, or whatever you want, and this didn’t make good for no one, neither the customers or the bartenders. My suggestion: If you own a bar, create amateur cocktail training sessions, to teach the people how to prepare a few cocktails by themselves at their houses for their guests. This is just one of the ideas already applied by some of my friends here in Barcelona.
This last days, we had the ”Barcelona Cocktail Week”, in which without any costs, everyone who wanted to, could get a wristband that identifies you as customer of the cocktail week, and you can go to every cocktail bar in the list they give you, and have a cocktail much cheaper than normal. For the last day (if I’m not wrong) they also put a bus-line to be used by the customers, that had stops in every cocktail bar involved in that week. I think that it’s a great way to let people try something different to what they normally drink.
Ari’s final question is: who should demand more? Mainly, we have to. Don’t let the customer stay in their basic knowledge, and don’t let anyone think that cocktails came in a can, there’s hours of work before we open the door. I think this is enough to think about for a while.
I’d like you to know that i’ve been very busy with the inauguration of a new bar where I’m working here in Barcelona and that’s the reason I didn’t post for a while. As soon as i can, I’ll update my profile so you can know where to find me if you come by.
I’ll be in touch. Have fun and keep on shaking!!! Yours faithfully,
R.