Bartender University - The Place Where Bartenders Rule

A Bartender is more than just some guy (or gal) behind a bar serving drinks.

A Bartender is an entertainer, artist and friend all rolled into one. A bartender crafts a drink as a sculptor creates his masterpiece. He mixes his concoctions with flair and presents it as a work of art.

The very existence and survival of any bar is dependent on a good bartender, who knows his clientèle, is there to listen and offers valuable recommendation which in turn creates loyalty to the bartender and the bar he runs.

A Bartender has mastered the basic popular drinks and is able to create them with speed and consistency. The best Bartenders are also known to have secret cocktails of their own that they take to the grave... their signature coctails.

The predecessors of cocktails first appeared during the 16th century but cocktails as we know them today were first introduced by American bartenders in the 1920s.

What sparked the creation of cocktails back then was not flair or taste, but legality. Back in the 20s, under The Prohibition, a law was passed prohibiting the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol. With imports of quality spirits halted, illegal manufacture of alcohol was introduced into the American night life that though provided drinkers with the all too necessary high, was foul tasting except to the most hardy alcoholics. Bar owners, troubled at watching a diminishing clientele, began mixing in fruit juices and flavoring to make it more palatable. Thus, cocktails were invented.

Even after the lift of the Prohibition in 1933, when high quality liquor were imported again and the illegal moonshine fazed out, cocktails did not lose it's popularity, growing in the number of variations and recipes and styles.

While differing greatly in the ingredients, all cocktails two or all of the following basics:

* The base which is a spirit such as rum, brandy, whiskey, tequila, etc.
* The flavor which is modifies and compliments the taste and aroma of the spirit such as fruit juices, sodas, cream, etc.
* The decorative which enhances the appearance and taste on the concoction such as Grenadine, Clue Curacao, etc.
* The garnish adds an element of style and presentation such as fruit slices, mint leaves, umbrella, cocktail stick, etc.

Look behind a seasoned Master Bartender's bar and you will find numerous contraptions and thinga-ma-jigs which he uses to craft his drinks. While one Bartender may favors some bar equipment over others, there are some essential tools that every Bartender must have.

1. THE COCKTAIL SHAKER

A cocktail shaker is used to mix the various ingredients of a cocktail. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving.

There are three varieties of cocktail shakers:

* The Boston Shaker: A two-piece shaker consisting of a metal bottom and glass or plastic mixing bowl. A separate strainer is required for this type shaker if crushed ice is used.
* The Cobbler Shaker: A three-piece cocktail shaker that has tapers at the top and ends with a built-in strainer and includes a cap. The cap can often be used as a measure for spirits or other liquids.
* The French Shaker: A two-piece shaker consisting of a metal bottom and a metal cap. It is the least widely known of the three types of shakers. A strainer is always required for this type of shaker.

2. THE JIGGER

A jigger or measure is used to measure liquor, which is typically then poured into a cocktail shaker. It is named for the unit of liquid it typically measures, a 1.5 fluid ounce (~44 ml) jigger or shot. However bar jiggers come in other sizes and may not actually measure a fluid jigger.

A traditional style of jigger is made of stainless steel with two opposing cones in an hourglass shape on the end of a rod. Typically, one cone measures a fluid jigger and the other 1.0 fl. oz. (~30 ml) pony (shot) or 0.75 fl. oz (~22 ml). Other combinations include 2 fl. oz./1 fl. oz. and 1.75 fl. oz./0.75 fl. oz. combinations.

A typical British "jigger" measures 50ml on the larger side, and 25ml on the smaller side. A variation on the double jigger excludes the rod.

3. OTHER ESSENTIAL TOOLS

Other essential bar equipment include ice buckets, jugs, electric blender, corkscrew, knife, chopping board, stirring spoon, strainer, bottle opener, can opener, swizzle sticks, straws, toothpicks, serviettes and not forgetting the all important bar towel for those nasty spills.

Cocktail glasses come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each cocktail using specifically one type of glassware. Below is a list of all glassware used in a bar.

1. Brandy Snifter

Also called balloon or Bauble, this is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose main vessel has a wide bottom that narrows at the top. It is often used to serve brandy. The large surface area helps evaporate the brandy into aroma, while the narrow opening helps to trap the aroma of the drink in the glass. The glass is usually able to hold between 180-240 ml (6-8 oz) but one should pour only 60-90 ml (2-3 oz) at a time.

2. Champagne Flute

The champagne flûte is a stem glass with a tall, narrow bowl. As with other stemware, the stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink. These days amongst champagne drinkers, the flute has largely replaced the champagne saucer as the bubbly appearance is more visible and its smaller diameter also allows more flutes to be carried on a tray.

3. Champagne Saucer

The champagne saucer is the saucer-shaped stem glass once used for serving champagne, but now more commonly used for certain cocktails such as Margarita.

4. Cocktail Glass

Sometimes known as a martini glass it is cone-shaped on a stem above a flat base, used to serve a cocktails such as Martinis. One variation is the double martini glass which is taller and wider at the opening than a standard martini glass. Another variation is a Stub glass, which is identical to the martini glass, except that the base is attached directly to the bowl, removing the fragile stem.

5. Collins Glass

Named after the legendary bartender Tom Collins, it is a glass tumbler, holding 240 to 350 ml (8-12 fluid ounces), used to serve a mixed drinks such as The Tom Collins. The Collins glass is somewhat narrower and taller than the similar highball glass.

6. Highball Glass

Taller and narrower than a Rock Glass but hold the same amount of liquid. Sometimes Highballs are confused with the Collins which is taller and holds more liquid than a Highball.

7. Irish Coffee Mug

Also known as a Mazagran, it is used to serve coffee cocktails such as Irish Coffee. It is a glass or cup on a foot, optionally also with a handle and a short stem.

8. Rock Glass

These are also known as Old Fashioned Glasses, lowball glasses or tumblers and are usually short and broad glasses with straight or slightly sloping sides. Rock glasses normally hold about 125ml and are used for neat drinks (spirits without anything added to them) or low ingredient drinks with or without ice.

9. Shot Glass

This is a small glass designed to hold or measure liquor, to be either poured into a mixed drink or drunk straight from the glass (a "shot"). The modern thick-walled shot glass probably originated in the United States during the Prohibition era, and the term "shot glass" or "shotglass" first appeared in print in the 1940s.

10. Wine Glass

There are two types of wine glasses. The red wine glass has a rounder, wider bowl whereas the white wine glass is generally narrower. Both are essentially used to drink wine from.

Being a Bartender is more than just mixing drinks, it's about entertaining your guests across a bar counter. Understanding this is the key to a great career as a Bartender.

Bartending For Fun And Profit is a great book that does more than other cocktail recipe books. What I found great about the recipe section is the now popular cocktails and not just the generic ones like Manhattan and Margarita that other cocktail recipe books list.

But my favorite section is the Bar Tricks section where you get to learn about a dozen tricks using everyday items.

It's a good book even if all you'll be doing is mixing drinks for your friends at home too.

Well, that's my two cents worth about the book. I liked it and found it useful. I'm sure you will too.

Okay, now that we have covered the basics, I will be publishing a list of every known cocktail recipe on the face of Planet Earth.

I also plan to publish a lens on Bar Tricks and Jokes as an added resource for entertaining clientele.

Subscribe to my lens and stay tuned.